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La Fiesta de Tropillas

The Fiesta is a major festival and contest for the horses and traditional horsemen of Argentina - today's gauchos. A special time of the year to bring out all of the special harness and tack - silver and leather crafted, exquisite workmanship - some by new artisans, some antique works. And the time to wear the most colorful and traditional clothing.

The thick leather belts and silver handled knives (the beautiful gaucho butt...), the flat topped hats, with the strap tightened at the back of the head rather than under the chin, the colorful wool berets and silk scarves. High topped boots, baggy bombachas, woven waist bands, Alpargata slippers. And the very unique botas, made from hide taken from the front leg of the cow - the natural bend and callus of the knee becomes the heel of the boot. The leather is soaked and formed and dried to perfectly fit the foot and leg of the gaucho. Strong, yet soft and supple, allowing the rider to have a sensitive feel of the horses as they are being trained to saddle. It's a lovely site, men, women and children alike dressed for the occasion.

The Tropilla

Here's the problem: the rangelands of Argentina and the pampas were vast - horses, cattle, sheep, Indians, gauchos, ranchos spread across the land. The people had to travel great distances by horseback, and each man needed more than one horse to do the work. The work of transportation - simply getting from one place to another, and the work of moving and managing the herds of cattle and bands of horses.

Here's the solution: train a band of horses to travel together, to stay together, to always seek and follow a leader. Like a tight school of fish, or a flock of sheep, or goslings bound to their mother, panicking if they are separated or she gets out of sight. Create a band of horses that wake, graze and travel as one. No need for fences or corrals, no need for halters and ropes. Wherever the madrina goes, the others follow. Where she is picketed, they stay. When she moves they follow. Where she is led, the others go. A band of horses - broke to saddle, trained to work, and always at hand. Simply change saddles from one horse to another, any time, anywhere on the range.

The look in the eye of these horses is different when they are free, when their madrina is on the move. Their focus is intent, always an ear or an eye toward the mare with the bell. It's the look you see in the eye when something startles a herd - what now? where now? run? stay? - ears erect and pointing toward the danger, but the focus toward the lead mare for direction.

Over the years the tropilla has become a tradition, a specialty - defined visually and functionally. It must meet certain standards of composition, and performance. The size of the tropilla generally ranges between 10 and 20 horses. There is always a mare, the 'madrina' (godmother) who wears a bell collar. A loud bell, the bell that the others are trained to follow and stay close to. No matter what. This mare is always of a different color from the others.

There is also the 'lunar' - (the mole, the beauty mark) - a gelding of yet another different, distinctive color. The lunar - the mole - is the accent of the tropilla - the artistic touch - the signature of the owner.

n The rest are geldings, generally of the same color, ideally of the same size and type. All blacks, all tobianos, all overos, or all roans, etc. The madrina and lunar are chosen to have complementary colors. For instance, if the band is black/white tobiano, the mole might be a bay/white tobiano - and the madrina a solid black.

Claudia's tropilla (which she bought several years ago to help preserve and promote the tradition) is 'overos rosados' - the geldings are a rose-buckskin color tobiano. The madrina is a mottled gray overo and the lunar is a darker rose-bay overo.

The Fiesta

Later in the afternoon was the parade. The people donned their finest clothes, and adorned their saddle horses with their most beautiful silver and leather tack. It was quite a task, organizing all of the tropillas, riders, carriages, moving them from a huge field onto the street, and ultimately forming a line to parade down the streets. 22 tropillas, and all of the saddle horses, almost 300 horses, finding their spot, circling and lining up and circling again. The tropilla master, the tropillero, would bring the madrina into a tight circle next to the horse he was riding, the others would follow the circle, a tight wad of horses, spinning until the madrina stopped. The tropilla master would shout a few words, and all of the horses would line up, shoulder to shoulder. Then off they go again, a dash across the field, stop, spin and line up. Polishing their performance.

We drove to the plaza square of Lobelia to watch the parade. For over an hour, until the sun set, the line of beautiful horses and riders and the amazing tropillas paraded past. The city officials and event organizers were providing commentary, the 'criollo poet' peppered the commentary with improptu verses, always in rhyme, colorful words and language. When the tropillas came by, they would stop and spin and show off the talent of the master and the tightness of the group (Claudia's was one of the tightest, most uniform tropillas!). Almost every tropillero had a child - a grand daughter or grandson - tucked into the saddle in front of him. Several generations on horseback. Still a strong tradition.

The Entrevero

We went back to the festival on Sunday. The asadors were loaded with beef, ribs and chorizo. Smoking and delicious smelling. Very friendly atmosphere, the little shop stands were crowded, the pulperia (cantina) was pretty busy, this was a day to stay in one place, eat a lot, and visit with friends and companions. Musicians were playing, guitar and accordian, old couples dancing in the dust below the stage. Plenty of cerveza. This was the day of the doma, the rodeo and most importantly the Entrevero - the most amazing horse thing I've ever seen.

For an hour or so before the Entrevero, all of the tropillas were spinning around the fields. Twenty two bands of horses of unique colors, circling, spinning, lining up and galloping across the field. Sometimes the groups would mingle, get a little mixed up as they shifted around, but another spin, a shout from the tropillero, and they separated into their bands again. The tropilleros (masters) were honing their groups, tightening the bands, working the horses into a frame of mind, frantic focus, bound to the madrina, the bell mare.

Eventually all of the tropillas were herded into a large corral. But once each band was in the enclosure, the tropillero took his madrina out, the mare with the bell, leaving the band and the mole in the corral. 260 horses enclosed together in the corral, 260 sets of ears flicking back and forth, searching for their madrina. The madrinas were taken to the opposite side of the field, far enough away that the sound of the bell could not carry. Several gauchos worked the groups in the corral, mingling the bands together. The bands of chestnuts, bays, overos, etc soon became indestinguishable, a mix of all the colors.

In one moment the gates were open and the horses released. The 22 madrinas on one side of the huge field, 260 anxious horses on the other. Now the competition - now the challenge - for the madrina and tropillero to reunite their band. Horses were galloping in every direction, back and forth. Bells were clanging, shouts and hoops. The whole thing didn't last more than 5 minutes, and finally out of the dust, an intact tropilla, with madrina and lunar, and dust covered tropillero, presenting themselves to the judges. Are they all there? quick count, check - yes the winner! Meanwhile the others were reuniting in various stages, some lone, stray horses still searching. The tropillero has to keep his madrina in motion, to keep the sound of the bell steady. And a spin and line to see if they were all present. Yes? no? keep searching, keep ringing. very cool...

After the Entrevero was over - the tropillas went back to grazing quietly in the far field beside their madrina, then it was time for the bucking bronc riders - la doma. These horses can really really buck, and these gauchos can really really ride.

Steph

Before the Separation

Short .wmv Clips of the Release