Seven horses laden with bundles of marijuana were alone when Border Patrol agents from the Sonoita Station discovered them in the Patagonia Mountains along Duquesne Road on Oct. 12.

The smugglers had fled, leaving the pack animals holding 971 pounds of marijuana, worth $776,800 on the street, according to a Border Patrol report. A Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine helicopter assisted with the seizure.

For the horses, it was an opportunity to change careers. Rudy Acevedo, state livestock inspector, checked the horses and found them in surprisingly good shape, he said.

Seasoned smuggling horses often have scars on their backs and shoulders and cinch sores, Acevedo said. “These seven horses, I guess, had just started their smuggling career. Generally, they’re Mexican ranch horses that are either stolen or bought.”

When smuggling horses come to him in bad shape, Acevedo often calls Karen Pomroy at Equine Voices Rescue & Sanctuary in Amado, he said.

Currently, the horses are under quarantine until blood tests come back from the U.S. Department of Agriculture lab, Acevedo said. If the horses are free of any contagious disease, they will be sold at an auction at 10 a.m. Oct. 30 at Gallardo Corrals, 1534 East Frontage Road in Rio Rico, south of the Palo Parado exit off Interstate 19.

Owner Roy Gallardo said horses often sell for several hundred dollars each.

The state does not guarantee the horses are trained for riding, Acevedo said. Prospective buyers may look at the horses before the auction, but not ride them.

JB Miller contributed to this report.