The Horse: An inseparable Companion of the Gaucho

The gaucho and his horse have been inseparable elements in the history of Argentina as many times the horse turned out to be the only heritage of the gaucho.

You can imagine how important this animal was for this national hero, it was his best friend and his faithful companion in the good and bad moments that the gaucho lived.

As you can see, if the gaucho could not miss something, it was the horse. It was the indispensable ally that he had to wander in the vastness of our pampas. At one point, the horse was a solution to mitigate the gaucho’s loneliness, which often lasted a long time. Our gaucho was very skillful and of course an excellent horse rider. Riding the horse, the gaucho was unstoppable.

But who is this horse? The Criollo is the most common horse in South America. It descends from the first horses imported by the Spanish conquerors in the 16th century, which were a genetic compound of horses derived from the Berber horse of North Africa, the Andalusian horse and other horses called “jacas” or “rocines”. It must be said that its qualities are numerous: calm, robust, energetic and agile, it is also very famous for its resistance and longevity. Little by little, the gauchos adopted them for their movements, for hunting or working with livestock. This is how the horse became his indisputable companion to the point of reaching thousands of kilometers by it side.

Such is the magnitude of this relationship that today the Gaucho with his horse is the image that is associated and represents the rural man of South America. Both are a representation of South American culture and of our country.