Criollo and gaucho

 
Salvete Omnes,
a short summer entry -  the subject will be mostly several video links to the Argentine way of horses, that is their fabulous criollo horse and gaucho equestrian culture.
 


Argentina is still the horse country - the big fairs - eg Festival de Jesus Maria in the Cordoba province with the entry of the tropillas of fillies or castrated colts led by a gaucho astride a gelding and la Madrina(a bell mare) (or here in Buenos Aires) -  are held every year in various parts of the country, as different provinces have different gaucho costumes and differences in horse horse tack, including the saddles and saddle pads.

here - starting a colt  by the Centro de Domo el Potrero.
a little program on the Pampa Indians horse ways and its current application - Tehuelches, Ranqueles, Mapuches/Araucanos, and others of more northern regions of the pampa  etc.
Argentina is where the best polo horses are bred - and in this link we have an example of polo horse preparation - a young 3 yo filly after 6 months of training.
I hope to explore the primary sources related to the horses on the pamapas, the Pampa Indians, gauchos etc in the future.
In Chile, (where gauchos are called los huasos)
 
Uruguay,
 
Paraguay,
 
and Brazil criollo horses are bred and ridden, and in Brazil the province of Rio Grande do Sul is the most famous for the criollo horses.

Finally, a curiosity: los baguales - los cimarrones or the wild horses of the Tierra del Fuego and southern Patagonia of Chile and Argentina.
Valete
ps
while writing this entry I have been drinking a strong yerba mate  - saludos a todos
most of the links are in Spanish - ole!
ps' all images are from wiki commons