right, like i’ve been in a saddle anytime in the 30 years. i’m pretty sure the last time i sat in a saddle was while riding a camel at Marine World USA. i was 12.

today not only did i manage to get on a horse, i was able to ride a little bit before lunch. mind you i had to get the horse facing the right way and get it to actually move, but after that small challenge……piece of cake.

i was at Santa Susana which was a working ranch at one time but it’s now mainly used for group events. it was a pretty fun way to end my trip, there was horseback riding, lunch, a dance show and then a horse & rider show.

i expected gauchos to look more like our cowboys, but they didn’t. maybe that’s because gauchos were originally soldiers, first fighting for the freedom of Argentina and then in their civil war. it was after the war that they started to work the farms.

 the guide suggested we read an epic poem by Jose Hernandez called Martin Fierro to understand more about the gauchos and their importance to Argentinian culture. i think i’ll try and download it for a little airplane reading tomorrow.