Argentina is known for its polo and stallion-riding gauchos. But in the South American nation, after the horses have gotten old or injured, many are no longer wanted. Horse lover Lorena Melantoni wants to help.
“I am an option for these old horses, ones with disabilities, amputated horses, or one-eyed horses that nobody wants,” Melantoni says. “They stay with me from the moment they arrive until they pass.”
When she’s not at her weekday job in the prosecutor’s office, Melantoni operates a sanctuary for abused and abandoned horses in Buenos Aires province. The refuge is called “Let’s Dream of Hope.”
Let’s Dream of Hope provides a place for horses without another home, according to Melantoni. She says many of the horses that come to her have suffered terrible cruelty.
One horse, Baco, came to her malnourished and injured. “From exhaustion, he ended up falling into a ditch, and the alleged owners hit him and broke his spine,” she says.
“I wait the whole week to come and see them,” she says. “I wait for it all the time. Arriving here and smelling them, hugging them, kissing them. And then, I can leave calm and happy.”
Caring for the horses helps Melantoni too. She finds her work personally rewarding. She is grateful to help the horses live out their lives in some comfort. After a visit, she finds herself saying, “That’s it, that made my week.”
Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast. — Proverbs 12:10
