Postcards From Mabel #19

Outside of Buenos Aires, Argentina

I visited an Argentinian estancia today, and met this daring horseman -- a gaucho -- who showed me his equestrian skills by performing the "carreras de sortijas" with me as his sidekick!  In 1868 Thomas Hutchinson described this thus: "La Sortija"  ... is played as follows. In the principal Plaza of the chief towns you will see placed in the centre of the main street two upright wooden posts about ten feet high, crossed by a beam ... In the middle of this cross-beam, and underneath, is loosely suspended a small ring, not larger than a wedding-ring. A Gaucho, galloping at the fastest beneath this, is to bear off the ring on a bit of twig, about the calibre of an ordinary pencil, or the handle of a steel pen. Numberless are the failures, for knocking off, without retaining it on the stick, is not sufficient."  

My gaucho was successful.

Love,
Mabel

(Outside Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Photo originally taken February, 2016)