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Horsemanship is central to gaucho identity. They are practically born in the saddle and forge a profound bond with their steeds from an early age.
Children are on horses long before they can walk, learning techniques such as perfecting the recado saddle, which provides stability and comfort during long rides.
The gaucho became a figure of folklore, especially in Argentina. Renowned as skilled and brave horsemen, gauchos also garnered a reputation as being unruly, rebellious even.
Gaucho weapons still include the all-important lasso, knife, and boleadoras—a crude but effective device made of leather cords and three iron balls or stones that was thrown at the legs of an animal to entwine and immobilize it.
The gaucho lived a simple life. His only society was generally his family and companions from the local bar or grocery store. Entertainment was provided by musically gifted gauchos playing guitars, accordions, and occasionally the bombo legüero, a traditional Argentine drum.
And it's the skills and traditions of the gauchos that continue to preserve the cultural heritage associated with these unique cowboys of the pampas.
Sources: (Estancia Ranquilco) (Yerba Crew) (Pieces of Argentina) (Pampeano)
See also: Amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites in South America
In the 20th century, Argentina elevated the gaucho to a national icon in reverence to their skills in the saddle and the crucial role played in shaping the country's national identity and cultural fabric.
Attending gaucho riding competitions, known as jineteada or doma, is the best way to witness first hand the incredible skills and bravado of these pampas cowboys.
These cowboys of the pampas lived in small huts roofed with grass mats. Pieces of leather covered the door and windows.
Cattle herding is second nature to gauchos. They instinctively know how to round up herds, and can lasso individual animals with remarkable precision.
Gauchos have an innate ability to communicate with horses through subtle cues and commands. They are the original horse whisperers.
Events like the yerra and jineteada attract gauchos from across the land, where young boys and grown men alike show off their prestigious skills.
As did their ancestors, modern-day gauchos retain a fierce pride and respect for the horse. Many of the steeds used today have Criollo blood, the native horse of the South American Pampas.
Their knowledge of the environment and their craft, handed down from generation to generation, allows the gaucho to guide his charges, be it horses or cattle, across vast open landscapes.
Historically, the gaucho was a mestizo, a person of mixed European and Indigenous ancestry, who inhabited Argentina, Uruguay, and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.
Cutting a somewhat mysterious figure and choosing a nomadic lifestyle, the gaucho quickly became romanticized in South America, and continues to be so.
This deep understanding of the equine character allows for quick and seamless coordination during herding and riding.
The gaucho horse boot is often made having folds that resemble bellows. This is deliberate, the design fashioned to cordon off any approaching snake. When not in the saddle, a gaucho's preferred footwear is a pair of espadrilles, usually made with black canvas.
The woolen poncho is rarely worn at full gallop, but is taken everywhere, carried either over the shoulder, wrapped around the waist, or tucked in front of or behind the saddle. It's used as protection against the cold, sun, rain, or snow. Topping out the gaucho attire is the sombrero.
Traditional clothing worn by gauchos is symbolic of their skills in the saddle. In fact, the typical gaucho costume is still worn by modern Argentine cowhands.
In the 18th century, gauchos roamed the pampas outside of Buenos Aires in search of wandering herds of cattle and horses.
The gaucho's sartorial elements include bombachas, pleated trousers made with strong cotton fabric traditionally in beige, white, and black colors, gathered at the ankles. A chiripa (alpaca sash) girdles the waist, over which a highly decorative buckle belt is secured.
The first gauchos appeared in the late 17th century, gathering along the coast of Argentina, north of the River Plate.
They were likely descended from unions between Iberian men and Amerindian women. The gaucho might also have African ancestry (black gauchos were commonplace in the Brazil-Uruguay borderlands, though rarely publicized).
Gauchos subsisted largely on meat, mostly beef, and the yerba mate, a plant species native to South America. The leaves of this plant could also be steeped into warm water to make a beverage rich in caffeine and other nutrients.
Women have always been a part of gaucho life, but historically they've been side-saddled, so to speak. But with gender barriers falling all over the world, it's increasingly commonplace to see a gaucha joining the gauchos on the plains of Argentina to herd cattle.
By their teenage years, gauchos are already familiar with traditional gaucho skills such as lassoing, cattle branding, and riding competitions.
Lassoing, or la doma, is an integral skill all gauchos must perfect. The technique is used for capturing and controlling livestock safely and with finesse.
Gauchos are also highly adept at cattle branding. This is an essential practice and needs to be mastered at an early age. The yerra (branding festival) is held every summer in the Sierras Chicas, Argentina.
While the gaucho remains a male preserve, times are changing. The population of female gauchos is growing, with many women joining their fathers and brothers out on the pampas of South America.
The gauchos are among the most skilled horsemen in the world. Emblematic of the South American plains, particularly in Argentina, gauchos are the nomadic herdsmen of legend. These pampas cowboys emerged in the late 17th century to become iconic figures and masters in the saddle. And just like their ancestors, the gauchos of today retain a fierce pride and respect for the horse. Furthermore, these colorful cattle herders embody the very spirit of Argentina's national identity and cultural fabric, and represent a way of life intrinsically tied to the land.
Want to ride with them? Click through and learn more about South America's skilled horsemen.
Riding with the gauchos, South America's skilled horsemen
In the saddle with the pampas cowboys
LIFESTYLE Culture
The gauchos are among the most skilled horsemen in the world. Emblematic of the South American plains, particularly in Argentina, gauchos are the nomadic herdsmen of legend. These pampas cowboys emerged in the late 17th century to become iconic figures and masters in the saddle. And just like their ancestors, the gauchos of today retain a fierce pride and respect for the horse. Furthermore, these colorful cattle herders embody the very spirit of Argentina's national identity and cultural fabric, and represent a way of life intrinsically tied to the land.
Want to ride with them? Click through and learn more about South America's skilled horsemen.