Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Sunday morning, just finished breakfast (coffe and toast) at the little
hotel we're staying at 'Las Auracarias'. Las Auracarias are nut bearing pine
trees with short scaly leaves (looking more like cedars, but actually in the
Pine family). The native Mapuche people in the mountain region of northwest
Patagonia depended upon these nuts for part of their diet. It's an
important, and also beautiful tree - tall and dark green - symmetrical
foliage. There's a little Auracaria tree growing next to the hotel, but I
don't think it would feed many... It's a sweet hotel, family owned, nothing
fancy but clean and friendly.

We had a good ride yesterday. It was a very small ride, 55 riders in total
for all distances - 20km, 40km, 80km and 120km. Felt a lot like a small
local Idaho ride. (though the 20km gallop along the Atlantic coast was a fur
piece from Idaho). The ride was organized by the Arab Horse Society (AHS).
Even the small local rides are run according to FEI rules - but the only
real obvious difference is requiring horses to have identification papers
(passports) and having to meet weight (75kg) in the adult category. It
didn't feel any different otherwise.

It seems that the AHS has some parallels to our AERC in the scheme of
Endurance in Argentina. Smaller, and without it's own set of rules for the
sport -  but AHS has been organizing Endurance rides in Argentina for the
past 25 years, and continues to do so. It's the backbone of the sport in
Argentina. The FEI rides, organized by the Argentine Federation (like our
USEF) are relatively new, for the past 6 years or so. There seems to be a
little friction developing between the two organizations (what's new :)
especially regarding scheduling of rides. With more Federation rides being
organized some of the smaller, local rides are being squeezed a little -
attendance is smaller. But it's pretty minor, and it's a little different
here because individuals don't bear all of the financial burden of the ride.
As always there is a group of individuals that do all of the work, but the
ride is financed by the AHS.

The other main difference is that the ride participants don't 'camp' at the
rides. There are no big gooseneck trailers and portable fences. The horses
are stabled in camps or stalls provided by the organizing group, and all of
the riders stay in hotels. Only the grooms camp out - in improvised tents
and small trailers or vans. So this somewhat limits the location of rides -
they can't be out in the boonies where hotels are scarce.

But the Pinamar ride is a fairly long established ride - gorgeous trails
along the coast and through the woods. (pine forests, not native to the area
but planted 30+ years ago by a visionary).
And also following the dirt roads through part of town - the outer
nieghborhoods with kids playing and lots of bafking dogs. Plenty to look
(and spook)at. But it is really tough - lots of deep sand in the dunes. And
depending upon the tide, and how far out the horses can ride, the sand can
be good and hard, or soft and deep. It's a challenging ride - it's going to
be a tough Pan American for horses that don't have the sand conditioning.

more later -

Steph


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