Photos: In Argentina, land of the gaucho, a home for unloved old horses

Buenos Aires: Lorena Melantoni dedicates her weekends running a sanctuary for abused and abandoned horses, an issue in the South American nation known for its polo and stallion-riding gauchos.

"I am an option for these old horses, ones with disabilities, amputated horses, or one-eyed horses that nobody wants to take for adoption," Melantoni told Reuters. "They stay with me from the moment they arrive until they pass."

A rescued horse that's missing one of his eyes stands at Lorena Melantoni's sanctuary "Let's dream of hope" where mistreated horses that used to pull recycling carts, or were used for sports, have a second chance of life, in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina December 2, 2023.

One horse, Baco, was found malnourished and injured. "From exhaustion he ended up falling into a ditch and the alleged owners hit him and broke his spine", said Melantoni, who works in the judiciary during the week.

"We see human cruelty daily," she said, adding though that being able to help the horse live out their life in some comfort was personally rewarding.

"I wait the whole week to come and see them," Melantoni said. "I wait for it all the time. Arriving here and smelling them, hugging them, kissing the.

And then, I can leave calm and happy and I say: that's it, that made my week."

Mateo Gonzales pets a rescued horse at Lorena Melantoni's sanctuary "Let's dream of hope" where mistreated horses that used to pull recycling carts, or were used for sports, have a second chance of life, in La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina December 2, 2023.