Rider’s Paradise

The vast grassy plains of Argentina are a rider’s paradise and the country is the world champion of polo. Even for the less fortunate who do not own the minimum of seven horses necessary for a player some polo fun is possible. They have the chance to see this exciting and elegant game to their heart’s content at the stadium in Buenos Aires' neighbourhood Palermo during the polo season. The passionate audience is part of the pleasure.



For the more active there is a plethora of estancias offering rider's holidays and polo lessons. I spent one of my best Christmas holidays with my daughters and a lot pf riding at the polo ranch Estancia La Sofia near San Antonio de Areco.

On the Rural, the yearly country fair of Buenos Aires, I had nearly bought one of the most beautiful Arab horses I have ever seen. Unfortunately, my balcony on Avenida de Mayo was too small to accommodate the diva.


As for the suiting outfit and some very special souvenirs there is no better place as Mataderos in Buenos Aires. Every Sunday is feria in the neighborhood where they used to have the slaughterhouses for the insatiable hunger of the Porteños for beef. That's where the name comes from. The Feria de Mataderos is keeping up the gaucho tradition with riding demonstrations and dances. It is also the marketplace for all sorts of intricately braided leather bridles with silver ornaments, riding crops and boleadoras. The gauchos used the three leather coated balls on a rope for capturing cattle by entangling the legs of the animals.