By Izzy Ellenthal of University of Vermont
Gabe, our instructor, dropped us off at the end of a dirt road for our one-week homestay with Norma and Gabino with a huge grin on his face. At the end of the dirt road, there was no house in sight, but three weathered Chilean gauchos holding their horses waiting for us. Gabe knew Gabino and Norma, and knew the adventure that was in store for Max, Grady, and I this week at their campo. We all introduced ourselves, helped load our packs onto a horse that would carry them for us, said goodbye to Gabe, and began the hour-long hike to our home for the next week. Crossing over a saddle, we caught sight of their small campo in the distance, but what we saw first was the gorgeous landscape of Chilean Patagonia; San Lorenzo peeking out behind the clouds and the Andés mountain range occupying the horizon.
After arriving at the campo, we were warmly greeted by five dogs, one duck, three goats, and at least 12 chickens. Norma began cooking dinner while we set up our tents, but our day wasn’t done yet as Gabino gestured for us to follow him on a hike up the hill. At the top of a ridge, he proudly showed us his gorgeous land washed pink with the setting sun, posing for pictures on his chestnut horse. On our way down he hollered and whistled for his dogs to herd his sheep home before dark, and we found them all neatly in their corral by the time we arrived down the mountain.
The following week consisted of at least one-hour of maté every morning, followed by a satisfying breakfast of tortas (fried bread) and homemade jam from Gabino’s mother, cut some firewood and then a lazy walk to do work for the afternoon, whether it was building fences or shoeing horses. From first glance, it seems like the gaucho lifestyle would be isolated and lonely being so far from town and other people. But we learned that the reality was very different from what we had expected. Every day of our homestay we visited or were visited by one of Gabinos many brothers or his friends with goods to trade such as horse-shoe nails, a leg of lamb, or a tub of lard. The community was much stronger than we had realized, and it was felt even with miles between them.
I know I have talked about Gabino and his gaucho friends, but I don’t want to leave out Norma and her beloved duck, who were the star of the show. Norma’s fiery personality was never ignored, and although we had trouble understanding each other Grady, Max and I had a blast helping her with various tasks around the campo. She laughed at our blank faces when she asked us to do something and we simply didn’t understand, exclaiming “no entiendo!”, helping us figure out what we were to do. On our return home from work each day, it was classic to hear Norma yelling at the animals to leave her poor duck alone before we even saw her, “Pobrecito, patito”! When asked what her favorite part of living on the campo was, she replied that is was her animals, which we could tell she adored them all (even the chickens who snuck into the house all the time).
By the last day, it had become routine for us to help Gabino tie the various knots he used while working, as we wanted to learn how it was done. It also became routine for him to exclaim “muy malo!” (“very bad!”) every time we attempted one of his unique knots. One day, after a particularly bad “muy malo”, we set out to learn the knots properly, and all had a good laugh at our failed attempts. Gabino and Norma found great joy in our inability to understand their Spanish, and our inability to tie horses up properly. Gabino’s attempt to teach us cat’s cradle also went rather poorly, with lots of “muy malo”s and “no entiendos”. While Gabino furiously attempted to teach us knot tricks, and Norma grinned, drank mate, and smoked a hand-rolled cigarette; we couldn’t understand each other very well, but we certainly all laughed together.
On the last night of our week spent with Gabino and his wife Norma on their campo, Grady asked Gabino what his favorite part of the gaucho lifestyle is. Without a second of hesitation, and with extreme enthusiasm, Gabino replied; “¡Los caballos! Me gusta los Caballos mucho”. Grady, Max, and I knew enough Spanish to understand he meant the horses, and he loves the horses very much. After knowing Gabino for a week, this was the answer we expected and it turned out to be a consistent theme throughout our week with Norma and Gabino, and an important part of their life in Patagonia, Chile.
I have been riding horses since I was little, and find a lot of joy in learning about horsemanship and working with them. So when I learned I was going to spend a week with gauchos who use horses every day, I was beyond excited to learn this new style of horsemanship. Gabino and I swapped horse videos and pictures, and he showed us videos of guacho rodeos, so we both were able to learn from each other. Although my Spanish was embarrassingly poor, I asked Gabino as many questions as I could about his horses and gaucho horse training. As much as I struggled to understand his responses in his thick Chilean accent, I understood that what horses mean to them in their life is different than anything I’ve experienced at home. He not only relies on his horse to take him to get his livestock and trade supplies with neighboring gauchos, but he trusts his horse to get him home safely every night. He trusts his horses to climbs up and down cliffs and to carry him across mountains to complete his everyday tasks. In return, the horses trust him, and they trust the place they call home. During my week with Norma and Gabino I never once saw those horses spook at anything; dogs walking between, windy rainy days, or angry mother cows trying to pick a fight. Watching Gabino, a proud horseman, and how he cares for and loves his horses, I learned so much about how to be a better, more confident horseman and build an even better bond with these animals.
