Once in San Antonio de Areco, the visit would not be complete without a day on an Estancia. El Ombu, about 500 acres with hundreds of cattle and extensive fields of soy and corn, is one of the most well renown in the area.
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Big Sky country, grass land, fields, cattle horses, a few sheep - wide open spaces. For a little taste of country - click on the link below.
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| The Estancia surrounded by a large shady breezeway and dozens of old trees. Underneath, the tables are set for lunch - traditionally a parilla (BBQ) starting around two in the afternoon. |
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| Summer in Argentina....flowers everywhere, especially in this little Eden in the Pampas |
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| Some of the many horses seek shade in a paddock near the house. |
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| Oscar (El Mosco) Pereyra, the last of the Authentic old Gauchos of Areco. Famous for his traditional skills as a 'domador', horse trainer, and singer and guitarist. He outlasted any gaucho on the back of a wild criollo horse - in his younger years. During one of the long ago visits of Spanish Royalty, the Queen remarked on his riding skills, and commented that he 'sticks to a horse like a fly', hence his nickname 'mosco'. All his male descendants, of which there are many around this area, are nick-named 'mosquitos' - all modern day gauchos/horse trainers and estancia help. |
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| Criollo Mount with typical braided leather bridle. The breed is well known for its intelligence, toughness and stamina. To top it all, they are very beautifully built horses |
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| Away from it all even here, a quiet pond filled with water lilies. Only bird song fills the air. |
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| Pablo, a young gaucho at El Ombu. He trains all the horses there now, and he proudly told me, that he will soon be off to England, to help train their polo team. Great adventure for a month, for a young, capable modest young Argentino. |
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| He also is very handy, serving trays of Parilla meat during lunch under the trees. |
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| Multi-tasking for another gaucho - here comes the beef. |
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| Pablo's personal horse, who is so tame that absolutely nothing upsets his equine mental and physical equilibrium... |
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| Oscar (El Mosco) Pereyra getting ready to present us with one of his traditional coplas, stories in verse of gaucho life and gaucho history, love and loss. |
Below a link to click, if one wants to see and hear what Oscar and Pablo do for us.
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| Pablo, again demonstrating the close connection he has with his beloved horse... |
A link to show Oscar with one of his descendants...
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El Mosco in discussion with the owner of El Ombu. He is still as bent as last year, maybe a little more so, the sparkle in his eye and his untiring work as rider - and riding guide for visitors - undiminished.
http://www.estanciaelombu.com/eombu.htm
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| A painting in one of the local museums, illustrating in a somewhat comic manner the dangerous work of a gaucho, when first mounting one of the free running criollo horses...one needs to stick to their backs 'como una mosca', like a fly. |
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| These fellows and girls are 'mansos' quiet and tame, waiting for some of us for a little 'cabalgada', ride, in the grassy Pampas |
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| Here, another old Gaucho, father of Miguelangel Gaspari, the painter, dressed in the traditional 'boyna', which can be worn in a thousand different ways. Each young gaucho manages to make his look unique, as if it was the only boyna in the Pampas. |
Definitely a day to remember, and a venture to be repeated - con suerte - in the not so far future...
