Chile again, girls again—our last excursion before we head out. We were half excited and half worried about this one. Horseback riding in Patagonian Estancia sounds exotic and fun on paper from the office at home, but as it was getting closer and we realized how rough this nature can be, we sure had some questions.
Estancia, or a farm, was an hour away on a boat. Marina itself, 20 minutes from hotel. Taxi didn’t know it so a little jog to ensure we are not left behind was necessary. Given the prior day hikes, that is easier said than done.
The estancia blew me away; this wasn’t your rural everyday farm. Estancia Patagonia was clearly targeted at tourism but it was functioning as a real farm. We were led to a large, very modern, minimalistic Scandinavian style (like everything here) for top notch snacks and drinks – and off to the horse stable. This was the only trip where we were joined by others – so a Russian multi-generational family accompanied us. We got outfitted in the stable, helmet and boots and a crash course on how to manage the horse. While the horses looked calm, I was not convinced and lots of scenarios pictured in front of my eyes. What if they start running, what if he goes wild, what if he shakes me off (would not be hard at all) – but first – how do I even get on top of her – since I got Rosita.
Rosita turned out to be rambunctious – that’s for sure. She either knew she has a total amateur on her back and figured – this will be fun – or she was just starving. Her head was down, on the ground, all the time which left me in a constant feeling of panic.
You can see that Rosita was hungry all the time! The walk was stunning though and I did start to focus on the surrounding areas vs. how to stay on top of a horse. Still, everytime we walked down the hill, I barely hung on and it took every muscle in my body to lean back (a trick I learned or something horse people consider normal) and opposite in going up the hill. At the end of this amazing walk – and the longest time on a horse for me ever – our Russian companions requested if we or they could gallop or run. My panicked face gave away my honest thinking about this idea. Are you f…ing serious? Half of you can barely hang on the animal yourself but you will run now? The guides saw the horror in my face – I mean what if Rosita sees her buddies run and wants to join, I have no idea how to manage this. Can’t we just walk nicely?
Fortunately – the guides got the same message. They talked the super confident beginners off the edge and Rosita behaved. She significantly accelerated and “hopped” on the way home as she supposedly smelled the lunch. Needless to say, I was relieved when we returned and got OFF my Rosita.
Sheep!
I survived part 1 of farm experience, the second one didn’t require me climbing on an animal and holding on. But it did involve animals – sheep that is. Hacienda, after all, was all about the sheep, lamb, wool and the work that comes with it. First, we were going to eat a baby one, ouch. Real gaucho showed up and demonstrated how lamb is cooked – not as simple as it looks – the fattie part is first and tastes heavenly, crispy. The process itself looks like some satanic ritual, especially when you have the sheep walking around and watching you – something surreal and strangely sadistic about it.
Once we ate them, we were going to see how they got shaved for wool. I had a very strange feeling of complete exploitation of another species – the power over their life and their choices – strange, but it kept crawling back to my mind. We ate your baby so we are not hungry, now we will shave you so we can be warm and what else? If the world turns upside down, and instead of Planet of Apes we are in Planet of Sheep – we are in trouble. We got a full demonstration of how to shave a sheep in record time – which seems rather difficult because it all happens in one big piece – sort of like those carpets they sell in stores? Keeping the sheep quiet and moving her around with one arm while shaving in one piece with a second arm was quite the acrobatic experiment.
Overall, this concluded our amazing trip – I mean the experiences were spectacular, the company stunning, weather perfect. What else could you ask for? If you are thinking about doing a friend trip without kids and work, I couldn’t recommend enough. We already planned the next one in 2027!
sbmamatravel 