San Antonio de Areco

All of a sudden we were surrounded by the parade. The Gauchos (cowboys of Argentina) were behind us and in front of us.  The horses were clip clopping through the cobbled streets passing the low pastel coloured houses and shops and the crowds that lined the streets. The horses were magnificent with gleaming silver bridles and high leather saddles with rope coiled round and round them. We had thought we would miss the parade of the year because our bus was late and we were rushing to catch what we thought of was the last of the parade and yet they just kept on coming. Beautiful proud immaculately groomed horses prancing in front of us along the narrow streets of San Antonio de Areco ridden by equally smart Gauchos dressed in various costumes of the past and the present.Some Gauchos wore red kerchiefs, others distinctive cowboy hats and the old style gaucho boots which have no heel or sole but instead are made of one piece of fine soft leather almost chamois in  appearance. The ladies rode side saddle or behind their Gaucho and wore beautiful frilly dresses of brilliant blues and pinks. Sometimes the horses slipped on the cobbled streets which were burning hot due to the blazing sun and sometimes they snorted and reared looking haughty. We found the open air show ring where the Gauchos displayed their riding skills by racing, riding unbroken horses and being tossed and turned this way and that by the unruly steed. ” Just like a woman” said the commentator laughing when one (unbroken?) horse refused to buck and bronco and just calmly rode out of the ring ” when she wants to go she will go and when she doesn’t she won’t”. The crowd laughed, the commentator was having as much fun as we were.