Estancia Los Potreros

On the first day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

A vulture in a pear tree

On the second day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the third day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

FIVE NAPKIN RINGS

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Six chukkas playing

FIVE NAPKIN RINGS

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Seven guests a-swimming

Six chukkas playing

FIVE NAPKIN RINGS

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Eight staff siesta-ing

Seven guests a-swimming

Six chukkas playing

FIVE NAPKIN RINGS

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Nine horses prancing

Eight staff siesta-ing

Seven guests a-swimming

Six chukkas playing

FIVE NAPKIN RINGS

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Ten foals a-frolicking

Nine horses prancing

Eight staff siesta-ing

Seven guests a-swimming

Six chukkas playing

FIVE NAPKIN RINGS

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Twelve gauchos galloping

Eleven pasos paso-ing

Ten foals a-frolicking

Nine horses prancing

Eight staff siesta-ing

Seven guests a-swimming

Six chukkas playing

FIVE NAPKIN RINGS

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me

Twelve gauchos galloping

Eleven pasos paso-ing

Ten foals a-frolicking

Nine horses prancing

Eight staff siesta-ing

Seven guests a-swimming

Six chukkas playing

FIVE NAPKIN RINGS

Four English guides

Three lemon balms

Two labradors

And a vulture in a pear tree

This month we feature wines from “Bodega El Esteco”.   This winery is situated in the province of Salta in the north of Argentina.   If the wines are available wherever you are in the world try Elementos-Torrontés or Don David-Malbec.  Happy Christmas!

Hughie Arbuthnott and Clare Hilton are coming out to spend the season working with us, by then they will have just got married and embarking on a new chapter in their lives here with us at Los Potreros.

Clare has been working in the travel industry in the UK for the last five years. She has helped run the Latin American department of Tim Best Travel, sending clients all over South America. She has travelled extensively all around the continent for Tim Best Travel and lived for a year in Mexico. She is an excellent rider, although the Criollo and the Hunter are slightly different!

Hughie was raised in Spain and has worked since he was seven with his parents running their holidays from their home in Andalucia. He lived in Chile for a year and has also travelled around South America. He has spent the last four years in the British Army serving in Iraq, Kuwait, Cyprus, Canada, Germany and the UK. He played polo for the Army and has ridden all his life and is enjoying the new challenge of teaching Clare to play.

They come with a wealth of different experiences, a passion for Argentina, travel and asados! They will be arriving with us in the New Year.

We were just heading out on a ride yesterday on some of our fabulous Pasos when we realised that all of the horses were related and couldn’t resist a photo opportunity! All are either related to Mariscal, a legendary stallion from some years ago, or the very wonderful mare Dina, who went to her happy grazing ground in the sky earlier this year. Their legacy lives on - once ridden, forever smitten! From left to right:

Negro El Once - son to Mariscal, daughter to Dina

Picasita - daughter to Mariscal, daughter to Dina, full sister to Negro 11

Barry - son to Mariscal

Sol - son of Dina

China - daughter of Dina

Chilenito, Tosco, Soldado, Cuervo - all sons of Sol, so grandchildren of Dina

Just when we thought that the fire season was over a lightning storm (with no rain) started a fire on the south side of the farm.

A quick reaction by all, including the fire fighting planes of the province, reduced the fire to a minor problem this time. Some fences and 50 acres of our farm were burned but all aminals were safe.

We are not sure what the army helicopter was doing though!

Well, Los Pots did not win this time round. However, fun was had by all. Eight guests accompanied us on the second day and lots of champagne was drunk to celebrate a 4-3 victory.

The next tournament is at Estancia Los Potreros on the last weekend of October! (weather permitting).

The rains have finally come.  We had a huge thunder and lighting storm last night.  Just at the wrong time!!!  No play today.  All matches have been rescheduled for tomorrow, Monday bank holiday,  Christopher Columbus Day. 

A memorable victory!!! Lou´s team win 4-3.

And so finally the big day arrived!

Whilst Buenos Aires is the undisputed capital of the polo-playing community in Argentina, there is a thriving low to medium goal circuit in Cordoba, with 6 excellent sets of grounds within about half an hour of each other. It was at one of these, Pompeya Polo Club in Ascochinga, where the season has kicked off this weekend with a 3 day tournament of polo, pato and endurance riding.

This year it is Lou’s turn to represent the estancia, and so her and the horses set off early Friday morning. For the horses, it is a bit like going from playing football in the back garden to playing at Wembley stadium, but as usual they took it all in their stride - at least a bit more than Lou did!

There are two things that are particularly interesting about polo in Argentina. One is the low-key, non-fussy and non-pretentious approach to the whole thing. Ponies are delivered to the polo grounds in open-top cattle trucks (even at the highest levels), blankets are mde out of old feed bags and spectators will sit on the boards round the grounds.

The other thing of note is that polo here is almost entirely a male preserve, and so in the whole tournament only one female player other than Lou has been spotted . . .which makes for fast, furious and sometimes quite intimidating play.

So Lou and the intrepid Los Pots ponies headed into their game of polo ‘threes’ (3 a side) with knees a-trembling. Thence followed four fast and furious chukkas (that felt more like an hour each than 7 minutes - to Lou at least!) - 1-0 to us, 1-3 to them, 4-4 all square and finally 5-5 at the end of the fourth chukka. More than a little relieved that it was all over, Lou headed to the sidelines, only to find that because it was a draw there was to be a ‘golden goal’ in a fifth chukka. So back onto the ground to take up the battle once again. 3 minutes later and the oponents scored, so a final score of 5-6 to them.

Lou, the ponies and everyone else in one piece, and certainly not a drubbing, so all in all a successful day. Second game on Friday . . .watch this space!

DINA:  Paso peruano Mare. Born in Salta.  Lived most of her life on Estancia Los Potreros.  Mother to Sol Nasciente, Major, Negro el Once, Lobita, Baston, Picasita, Chocolate and China.  Grandmother to many.