Horse Riding in Neuquen, the Beginning

by Cami

It started as I like every trip to start, with a road trip. I don’t care what everybody else says, I prefer cars rather than airplanes. It takes longer, but it’s more personal and much less stressful. It was still dark when we left home in Buenos Aires, and it would be even darker by the time we got to the farm in Neuquen.

The pickup was full, no spare place anywhere. Mate, water, cookies, jackets that were useless until reaching our destination. There were three of us: Martin, our host, Majo and me. I don’t know how we managed to fit Martin’s niece, Chula, and her dog, Tranco, in Neuquen City. She joined us there for the last four hours of driving. Lucky for our driver, she offered to do the last stretch. It was late and we were pretty tired.

It doesn’t take much of a landscape for me to enjoy a car drive. Leaving Buenos Aires was plain and familiar to me. It was like a trip to my family’s farm. But once we got into Río Negro and then finally in Neuquen, it got more interesting. The sun was already about to hide, yes, but we got a peep of the view and most important, a stunning sunset. There they were those particular Patagonian clouds. I loved them. After this, my brain struggled to stay awake. We drove for 16 hours.

Our hosts and their place

Those hours were good enough to get to know our host and his little helper, Chula. Martin is a vet, he works with horse embryos in Buenos Aires. As for Chula, she lives in Chubut and she’s a hockey player and a personal trainer. That’s how and where they spend most of the days of the year. But, for five specially selected weeks in December and March, they get together to organize this amazing horse ride in their family’s farm in Neuquen, North Patagonia. And Lord, we thank them for it!

They are both as nice as a person can be. I label myself a shy girl, but these two made me feel super comfortable and natural. They are the perfect hosts, always looking for their guests’ comfort. They do a really good job organizing all the activities and everything needed for them. They absolutely make sure no one gets bored at any time. Also, they make a great team. Between the two of them everything is covered. While one of them is finishing with the riding details, the other one is entertaining the group. And whenever they are together, they are always joking and laughing and messing with each other.

It was absolutely dark when we arrived at the Estancia. This was something that always made me very anxious, to arrive at a new place by night and not being able to see anything. The night was quiet and calm. The silence immediately invaded my ears. There is something about the quietness away from the city, it’s so intense it’s deafening. I love it even though sometimes it scares me.

It wasn’t until the next morning that I could snoop around the farm and get a visual of the house and surroundings. As we arrived a few days before the ride started, we were able to enjoy the place and get familiar with it with no rush. It was lovely! There was a main brick house and around it other smaller, secondary ones. The corral was very nearby at a walking distance. There were many trees and green grass around the house. As you got further away there was the typical golden Patagonian grass, “El Coiron”. Even further, on the horizon, we were surrounded by small mountains. There was a smaller one right next to the house, kind of purple/brown. This one gave the name to the farm because of its color, “El Morado”.

The horses

As soon as I could I went to the corral by myself. I needed to say hello to the horses, make a proper introduction. I got inside and just spent some time between them, touching one and then another. Some were pretty shy and wouldn’t let me get close. Others were more friendly and allowed me to scratch them. They were strong, fat and beautiful Criollo horses. I stood between them, watching them all, wondering which one would be my partner in crime. There was one in particular that caught my attention and I his. He reminded me of my horse back in Buenos Aires, but with a Criollo touch. He was interested in me, following my moves. Our eyes had a conversation and I secretly hoped he would be my pair for the ride.

After a while I returned to the main house and kept my encounter and hope to myself. Everybody was busy with the preparations and I didn’t want to be the annoying guest that was already having requests. I was also curious to see if by any chance he would actually be given to me. I would have to wait and see.

The Chefs

Back in the house a hot spot was the kitchen. The two chefs that would come with us to the ride were working nonstop. Manu and Joaco, what could be said about them other than great things? These two proved to be the funniest guys in the area, at least for me, in just a few hours of meeting them. I can say they are as passionate for food as me and Majo are for horses. They never left the kitchen, only to sleep and eat. Whoever entered and wanted to help was welcomed. They spread their magic through every inch of that kitchen and made us drool just watching. We could already tell we were going to be well fed during the ride; these guys were not joking around!

I tried to help with anything I could. Everything was already under control, but my anxious body needed to keep itself busy or else I would go crazy. I wanted to go out for a ride as soon as possible but I didn’t want to bother our hosts. Every chance I had I would go to the horses who stood right there, so available. I think Chula noticed this and finally said we could go out for a ride. I almost jumped up and down and screamed of emotion. I ran to my room and grabbed my chaps and everything and was ready in no time. When she appeared again, she said I would have to wait a couple of hours, till the afternoon. The rest of the group would be arriving and we would all go out for our first ride together.

Hello Chimango!

That afternoon I met my horse partner. It turned out the one I’ve had the connection with was Martin’s horse. He would be using him for the big ride. Instead, Chula chose another one for me: Chimango. He was a little short for me (I like tall horses because I’m kind of tall) but I trusted her reasons and accepted him gladly. He was black, he had three white socks and a white, long patch in his forehead. He also had a blue eye and a brown eye. In Spanish we call that a “zarco” eye. I immediately liked him, there was something about him that told me I would love his personality. I could already tell we were going to get along just fine.

The good thing about this first ride was that everybody got the chance to know their horse and gear. Chula showed everyone how to put the saddles on. They were brand new and super comfortable. This was great because later everybody was going to be able to do their own horse during the ride. This was super helpful for our hosts. As for the horses, Chula was super efficient making the matches, there was no complaint from anybody regarding theirs. We were all very happy with our buddies. They were all super nice.

Chimango was definitely the horse for me. Just like his rider, he was as anxious as they get. He liked being first of the group, leading the way. I love a horse with an attitude and Chimango had a great one. For a moment I thought I was going to be fighting and pulling all the way, but he surprised me with his sensitive mouth. He responded just great and if I asked him he would behave and slow down, no stress involved. He read me as I did with him and in a few minutes we understood each other. I was as happy as I could be, finally enjoying that amazing place and landscape with my new friend, Chimango. Majo’s horse was a mare called Muti. I am taller than Majo and Muti was taller than Chimango, we laughed, but the pairs were perfectly made. Muti was just the perfect horse for her too.

The first rides, the first taste

That afternoon and the next one Chula took us out for two lovely rides. It was great because we got to know the farm around the houses. Also, we had no bags or sleeping bags with us, as we would have later on the big ride, so this allowed us to ride lightly and gallop. The farm was big enough to ride around for hours. We saw cows, other horses and even mules. On the second afternoon Chula took us to a big stone nearby where there were some old drawings carved on them. They called it the Holly Stone. We all got on top of it to admire all the art on it. Also, we were blessed both days with the best weather and sunset. It was the golden hour in every aspect: being with the horses, the sun coming down and the golden rays hitting the Patagonian golden grass. It was a dream and I was happily swimming in it.

After these two rides we got to the house where fresh drinks and a delicious picada was waiting for us. Gin tonic, beer, wine. Salmon, cheese, salami. It was just perfection all around. The group, the hosts, the chefs, everybody was friendly and getting along. Everybody was happy with their horse. Things were going on smoothly. The riders were more than ready to start the adventure. We had tasted a small part of what would come and we were eager to have it. If these previous days had already been amazing, what should we expect of the ride we were about to start? It surely would be incredible, mind blowing.