Riding with the Gauchos
Trip Start
Jul 10, 2007
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41
46
Trip End
Mar 11, 2008
San Antonio de Areco,
Argentina
Saturday, February 9, 2008
"No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." ~Winston Churchill
One of our adventures out of the busy, hot and sticky capital city was to assume and embrace the life of an Argentinean gaucho. We left our apartment on Marcello T. Alvear downtown BA and drove to what we soon accepted as heaven; the El Ombu Estancia (estate) in the Pampas region of Argentina. These were three inspiring days of nature appreciation, lung purification and "becoming one" with the ranch animals. Giddy up! Twice a day, we would saddle up in the best seat in the world; the back of a horse and ride for hours. Some mornings, we fed the cows, others we would gallop through the open fields. The landscape reminded me so much of the Canadian farms out West
Window leading to pool
. One afternoon, we even watched a TV crew film a commercial in one of the fields. Yes, our legs took on a different form after the long rides but it was worth it!"Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people." ~W.C. Fields
Every day, the smallest dog at the estancia, a mutt who simply showed up one day, would lead the horses, bark at the cows to keep them in line and simply ran the show. We affectionately called him "The General" as his bossy boots attitude kept us quite amused. He was a serious dog who loved his "acquired status" at the front of the pack! At one point, we think "The General" solidified his power at the ranch and actually promoted himself to Napoleon.
"The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears." ~ Proverb
The food at the estancia was the best we had in Argentina...a meat lover's paradise accompanied by fresh vegetables grown on site. The wine did flow at will.
veranda-estancia
The building itself could have been used as a movie set and the grounds were in immaculate condition...not to mention the humming birds, the lush gardens of sweet smelling flowers and the century old trees."In riding a horse we borrow freedom." ~Helen Thomson
One afternoon, we watched the macho gauchos showing their prowess on horses. Way too many stunts the boys could try and ultimately break something. Of course, the horses were beautiful but then again, so were the gauchos!
"When you're young and you fall off a horse, you may break something. When you're my age, you splatter." ~Roy Rogers
We also had a Spanish dance demonstration during a lunch where much flirting was seen between the dancers and the audience members. The dancing was beautiful but then again, so were the dancers...and the wine was flowing at will!
"A dog may be man's best friend, but the horse wrote history." ~Author Unknown
Our three days at the estancia were memorable. I have a feeling that we have once again opened the doors to our boys to a new activity they are willing to pursue. They love riding and have (of course) already asked for a horse. "Hey, no problem maman, we can keep it at the cottage and Mamie and Pappie could use it to keep the grass short."~ EDude and XDude
"If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question, or asked the question wrong." ~Pat Parelli
Many of the following pictures were taken for a friend of mine in Ottawa. I thought of her during the three days at the estancia. She loves horses and at the same time, got me addicted to horse back riding.
"Small children are convinced that ponies deserve to see the inside of the house." ~Maya Patel
