By: Gail Woerner
Part 2 of a 3 part series

Recently I was invited to Jesus Maria, in the Province of Cordoba, Argentina, to attend their National Finals Rodeo.  In Argentina the gauchos (similar to American cowboys) are the competitors and they come from every province that makes up the country, plus contestants from other countries, such as Chile,Brazil,Peru,Uruguay and Paraguay.

There are three competitive bronc riding events.  The best way I can describe them is to call one similar to our saddle bronc event which is called Bastos con Encimeras Lisa; another is similar to our bareback event called Grupa Serena; and the third event, we don’t have in the United States, but it is called Crina Limpia and the gaucho has only the horse’s mane to hang on to as he spurs and whips the horse across the arena.

The horses used in Argentina for these events are a breed called Criollas, which were brought to Argentina by the Spaniards centuries ago.  They are not as stocky as our Quarter horse and have a lot of fight to them, much like our mustang.  The broncs (which they call ‘reservado’) used are not bucked until they are three years old.  Most of the horses brought to the Finals were around seven years old and were the best broncs in the country.

Gauchos drink yerba mate (an Argentine drink that is high in caffeine and nutrients.) or wine after they compete.

The gauchos (contestants) are much like our American cowboys.  They are athletic, not afraid of anything, serious in their competing, prepare themselves and get focused for their ride, and help their teammates to ready themselves.  Once the ride is over they watch their competitors, and enjoy the event.  I saw several hurriedly remove the spurs from their boots and help a team member put them on for an upcoming ride.  A few enjoy yerba mate (an Argentine drink that is high in caffeine and nutrients.) or wine. Before or after their ride most stand in their Province section and observe.

My first interview was with Magallanes Sebastian Andres, who grew up in the Province of Santa Fe.  He said, “There were so many people in my province I went south to Patagonia, where I train horses.”  He also teaches children to ride and is a saddlemaker and shoes horses.  The handsome gaucho explained that he was a substitute rider on the Santa Cruz Province team.  He explained there are four riders on each team, with two substitutes, and two leaders.  Andres will only ride if someone from his team is injured.

Jose Oziel

My next interview was with Jose Oziel Ortiz, last year’s Crina Limpia Champion.  He is 32 years of age, and this is his fifth year to compete.  He told me there were no re-rides offered if the horse does not perform well, as there is in our U.S. rodeos.  Ortiz explained that at this rodeo they draw for the horse they ride.  At other rodeos throughout the country the best horse is often assigned to the rider with the best riding reputation.  If the bronc does not perform well, sorry – No reride!

I noticed a young gaucho watching and listening intently while I interviewed Ortiz.  He stood behind him listening to the questions my interpreter asked in Spanish.  When I finished I asked him if I could interview him.  Of course, he was delighted.  This was Adrian Guevara, age 34, who had been competing since he was fourteen.  He is one of the team members from the provinceof Mendoza, and Grupa Serena is his event.  He has been the Mendoza Province Champion six times.  Twice in Grupa Serena, and four times in the Bastos con Encimera Lisa event.  But he has never won the rodeo here in Jesus Maria.  The closest he has come so far was 6^th.  Each rider must ride all ten nights of the Finals.  He was hoping this might be his year to become the champion.  Guevara had seen the movie “8 Seconds” and threw out the names, Lane Frost, Tuf Hedeman and Cody Lambert, as if he knew them personally.  Many of his questions were about those American bull riders.  It was evident he was touched by the movie and had great empathy for Lane’s wife and family.  When I thanked him for the interview my interpreter said he responded by saying, “Next time you come, bring movies.”

My next interview was with last year’s Grupa Serena Champion, Ramon Antonio Cordoba.  He had long shiny black curls past his shoulders.  (I can think of many girls who would have given their first born to have been blessed with his beautiful curly hair.)  He wore a champion buckle that signified he had also won the event in 2005 and his photograph was in the program as having won the event last year.  He represented the Santa Fe Province in the bareback event, and was leading the event at the time of my interview.   (There were seven more nights to go and we know how easily things can change during the Finals).  He had competed in other countries, such as Brazil, where he had won a car, and Uruguay where he had won a motor bike.  He told me he had friends in Texas who encouraged him to come to the United States and compete but he was hesitant to come here to ride, unless he could ride the way they ride in Argentina.  He said as a Champion he won $25,000 pesos (at the time I was there the exchange was $429 pesos to $100 U.S.), the expensive buckle, a motor bike, and other prizes totaling around $60,000 pesos.  In their country there is no entry fee to compete, either by the competitor or the province they are representing.

Gabriel Gallardo, was my next interview with a competitor.  He was from Tierra del Fuego in Chile, and had just bucked off.  Although he was kind enough to answer a few questions I knew he was disgusted since he had failed to ride the 14 seconds required.  Until tonight he was 10^th in the Grupa Serena event.  He told me the judges scored the rider up to 15 points, and the horses up to 5 points.

As soon as the three events were over I visited at length with Santiago Maino, one of the judges.  He is 39 years old and Jesus Maria is his hometown.  He has been a judge at the Finals rodeo for ten years.  Judging is a tradition in his family as his elders have been judges before him.  When asked how the judges score the riders he said:

“1.  They judge on how well the rider spurs.  2.  How elegant the rider rides.  3.  How they use the  whip.  4.  How the rider sits the horse (how much does he move around).  5.  The rider can’t touch the horse with their whip hand, but if the horse falls they can use that hand to touch the ground and help the horse  get to his feet.  6.  The judge wants to see the rider spur the horse the first jump away from the pole (when they are released) but they are not disqualified if they don’t, (as here in theU.S.) he merely get a lower score.”

He also said it was important for the judges to be familiar with each horse because sometimes the horse’s performance is not as good as the horse is known to buck.  Each horse is used only twice during the ten night rodeo. Santiago judges all three events.  Both events similar to our saddle bronc and bareback events are timed for 14 seconds.  The Crina Limpia event is timed as an 8 second ride.

Santiagothen talked about the rodeos throughout the year leading to this National Finals.  At other rodeos throughout the country the best rider is assigned the best horse.  When asked if this didn’t make the other competitors unhappy, his answer was, “No, they know he earned it.”  During the year a rancher with a horse that is bucking well might tell a top rider, “I need you to ride my horse.”  The reputation of the horse is as important to the rancher as the rider’s reputation.

The horses used in this rodeo bucked so differently than our broncs in the United StatesI was extremely curious to know why.  Their horses rear up most of the time they are being ridden by a competitor.  Our U.S.broncs rear then kick their hind feet.  In the United States it is more of a “front action, then back action”, rear up then buck again and again.  At these Finals it all seemed to be front-end action.  When I asked Santiagowhy he thought the Argentine horses bucked differently than our broncs in the U.S., he was inclined to say he thought the breed had something to do with it.  Plus they do not use the flank strap, and then he said something I didn’t expect. “The rider pulls them up to make them look elegant, which is important.”  I had to think about that answer, as well as the judge ‘seeing how elegant the rider rides’.  This is definitely not something I had ever heard considered by judges in the United Statesrodeo world.

Raul Pansa and his father.

Sitting on a bench in the Santa Fe Province competitors area was an older man, with graying hair poking out under his beret.  All of a sudden he jumped up and headed toward the entrance to the arena.  A Crina Limpia rider had just been bucked off, stepped on, and the gentleman was headed toward the limp body in the arena.  By the time he reached the downed rider, he was moving, and those gathered there, including a doctor carrying a satchel, helped the rider to his feet.  He was dazed but he walked out of the arena, to the applause of the spectators.

When he and the older man came back to the bench, the young rider showed a huge red mark below his left eye.  He was scrutinizing his left arm carefully, and the older man then opened the young rider’s shirt where it was evident the horse had stepped on his chest.  A big hoof print outline was visible.  After he finished looking after his injuries I talked with him briefly.  His name was Raul Pansa, age 20, and he represented the Province of Santa Fe.  When asked how long he had been riding his answer was, “Since I was born.”  He was willing to let us take his photograph, with the older gentleman who was his father, and we saw to it that he got a copy of the photo.

The final night we went to attend the event but a tremendous storm hit Jesus Maria and the surrounding areas.  This storm had severe winds, lightning and torrential rains.  We drove past downed electrical lines as we approached Jesus Maria, and numerous car and truck accidents along the way.  We arrived at the Festival without a problem but it had begun to rain harder.  We ducked in to a building where the best vendors of ‘ gaucho supplies’ were located.  Shortly after we arrived it was announced that the night’s program had been cancelled.  I was disappointed but certainly understood why.  The entire program was outdoors and the lightning was all around us.  There were at least eight  musical performers or bands that entertained every night on the open stage to say nothing about the broncs tied to the three poles in the arena prior to each gaucho’s ride.

One of the gauchos I had interviewed the night before pointed out to us one of the judges and the announcer standing near us near the vendors booths.  A quick introduction explaining I was from the United States there to learn about their rodeo my interpreter and I had their complete attention.

Juan Carlos Dotti, judge, Gail Woerner and Luis A. Lazzuri, Relator de Jineteadas (means announcer of rodeos),

Juan Carlos Dotti, was a judge, from Jesus Maria.  He explained when judging he reviewed the bucking events from an area in the stands.  He said they had seven judges, with three in the arena, three in the stands, and one ‘boss’ that made final decisions when judges scores varied.  The announcer, Luis A. Lazzuri, Relator de Jineteadas (means announcer of rodeos), was from Cordoba, and as he prepared the spectators for each bronc ride he would build the excitement up by raising his voice, until the bronc was released.  It was very effective.  Both were very willing to answer all my questions.

I asked about the protestors of rodeo, which Argentinais experiencing.  They both said they paid no attention to the dissenters and knew they were not aware of the hardiness of the horse, and how well they were cared for by their owners.  They also reminded me that it is a historic and important tradition in Argentina.  The two gentlemen said they would like nothing better than to be able to bring their new champions (determined here at the end of the Festival) to the United Statesto experience our rodeos.

Both men were extremely complimentary toward our rodeo and were impressed with how organized and well run our professional rodeo appeared when they were able to see it on television.  I told them we had just celebrated our 75^th anniversary of professional rodeo and this was their 47^th annual Festival.  I was sure they would be just as professional when they reached the 75^th anniversary.  They grinned and liked my answer.

While there I spent my days at Sierra Brava, a dove hunting lodge located 15 minutes from the largest and most well-known roost in Cordoba, in the midst of the millions of doves that fly daily.  The hunters at the lodge were thrilled with their morning and afternoon shoots, and it was evident they thoroughly enjoyed the adventure as most were returning hunters that had been there more than once.  The lodge is a warm, hunter-friendly comfortable place with excellent service.  The chef and staff are first rate and meals are fantastic.  Needless to say, if one is interested in shooting birds this is a place to consider.  To get more information about a possible hunt contact:  1-888-627-4541.