Year: 1878




The following graphic description of
the manner of breaking horses in Buepos
Ayres, is given by a correspondent:


The horses having been brought
! together into the corral were driven
round the enclosure at full gallop. Six
gauehos, armed with lassos, then entered
the ring, and singing out a mare or g
foal, they threw their lassos at the
animal in such a manner as to catch
both the front legs. The horse, being
caught by the fore legs, falls over on the
shoulder with heavy thud, and must
often receive serious if not perma-
nent injury. The gaucho, holding the
legs firmly, proceeds to make a circle
round the fallen animal. He gradually
succeeds in catching one of the hind
legs, draws it close to the fore legs, and
so binds the three together. After this
the horse is powerless.


After witnessing for some time the dex-
terity with which the lasso can be used,
the stallion which had been herded with
the troop of mares was singled out and
captured. He had never been ridden
before, and we were now to see an ex-
hibitiOn of the rare skill and courage in
the saddle for which the gaucho horse
men are famous. The horse having
been thrown by means of the lasso, as it
has already been explained, the process
of saddling and bridling shall be de-
scribed in the graphic and accurate Ian
guage of Mr.. Darwin.


The gaucho, sitting on the horses
neck, fixes strong bride, without bit,
to the lower jaw this he does by pass
ing a narrow thong through the eye
holes at the end of the reins, and several
times round both jaw and tongue. The
two front legs are now tied closely
together with strong leather thong,
fastened by a slip knot. The lasso, which
bound the three together being then
lOosened, the horse rises with difficulty.
The gaucho, now holding fast the bride
fixed to the lower jaw, leads the horse
outside the corral. If a second man is
present otherwise the trouble is much
greater), he holds the animals head
while the first puts on the horse clothes.
When the saddling is finished the
animal is, from fear and previous exer-
ton, white with foam and sweat.


The process, as described by Mr.. Dar-
win, was closely followed in the present
instance. A sheepskin, however, was
substituted for saddle, and the donna
dor, or horse-breaker, only used the
stirrup to mount his horse. Before he
was saddled the horse made tremendous
struggles to get free, but powerful and
active gaucho, arrayed in q red shirt,
black riding boots, his long black hair
streaming in the Wind-altogether a
most striking and picturesque parsonage
held him firmly with the halter, and
h. kI. e l..
strength was enabled to resist the strug-
gler. At length the dOmador mounted
his hitherto unridden charger. The lasso
was cast loose from the fore-legs, and the
animal, pursued by gaucho on horse
back, who piled him sharply with the
whip, and harassed by troop of dogs
barking furiously at his heels, was free
to do his utmost to throw his rider.


The great object was to keep the horse
in constant and rapid movement. While
at hard gallop, the horse could neither
kick nor plunge in such manner as to
disturb the equilibrium of an accom-
plished horseman; but when, as it hap
pened from time to time, the horse
stopped abruptly, arched his back, threw
his head down and then made great
back jump, executing in a strange way
ngure eight IN mlQ-alr, angntlng on MS
fore legs, and with his hind legs kicking
desperately, it required horsemanship
and muscular power of no ordinary kind
on the part of his rider to keep his seat
unshaken.


The domador scarcely touched the
bride but he clasped the horse with
grip of iron, his knees were buried deep
in the sheepskin saddle, and his bare
heels were fixed as firmly as with wise
under the horses belly. After many a
desperate rush, many vehement strug
gle, and many furious gallOps to and fro,
guided in his mad, erratic course by the
lash of his rider and the attendant
gaucho, the wild horse was brought
back to the corral, exhausted, and for
the moment subdued by the power of
his rider and his own unaccustOmed
efforts.