5 minute read
The Gaucho Derby
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GAUCHO DERBY
In March 2022, co-founder of ForRangers Sam Taylor, along with MCC Members Charlotte Outram and Simon Kenyon, headed to Patagonia to race in the Gaucho Derby, also known as ‘the greatest test of horsemanship and wilderness skills on Earth.’
The Gaucho Derby is a ten-day, 500km multihorse adventure race across the wild, remote and rugged Patagonian landscape.
Broken into 40km distances, this epic race is a test of endurance as much as horsemanship pushes the riders to the limit of their navigational skills, ability to handle the wilderness and physical resilience. Camping out at night in the freezing Pategonian highlands, in the saddle for ten hours a day, the winner is the first person to cross the line.
This incredible riding adventure across the wilds of Patagonia with Sam, Charlotte and Simon and friends they met along the way, as they raise funds for ForRangers is depicted here through stunning photos and exerpts from Sam’s blog. If you would like to read more visit https://www.forrangers.
com/blog
The Derby covered 500km of ruggedly beautiful landscapes ranging from wide-open windswept grasslands, treacherous sheer scree slopes, dark disorientating woodland, forbidding rock bogs and exquisite montane lakes the colour of ice. The climate in March was cold, sometimes with a dazzling winter sun, but sometimes misty and windy. Every two days, we drew horses out of the hat - a number corresponding to a tiny tag on the horse’s halter. Identifying this number among a sea of horses was hard enough, but catching them whilst ten or so other riders tried to do the same was another matter altogether. Soon I was surrounded by a whirlpool of legs and manes charging about as rider after rider tried to grab their horse and secure him to a lead rope.
On the first day I identified mine - #97 - who was clearly agitated, snorting and charging around. Had he known he was about to be mounted by the least experienced rider south of Buenos Aires and take part in one of the world’s toughest endurance races, he would have started breathing fire, but with the help of one of the Gauchos, I managed to corner then grab him.
Whispering prayers to the heavens and mumbling several calming quotes that I remembered from reading “Black Beauty” to my daughters, I led him out to tack him up and join Charlotte and Simon at the start line. Calmly, we all gathered for the start, which had been sadistically adorned with giant fluttering flags, perfectly designed to freak out even the calmest horse.
Amazingly, I had made it this far and suddenly, we were off!
On Day 4 we left in sunshine and were followed by magnificent condors, circling us in whatever thermals they found in the rarified air.
DERBY 2022
Every two days, we drew horses out of the hat - a number corresponding to a tiny tag on the horse’s halter. Identifying this number among a sea of horses was hard enough, but catching them whilst ten or so other riders tried to do the same was another matter altogether. Soon I was surrounded by a whirlpool of legs and manes charging about as rider after rider tried to grab their horse and secure him to a lead rope.
On the first day I identified mine - #97 - who was clearly agitated, snorting and charging around. Had he known he was about to be mounted by the least experienced rider south of Buenos Aires and take part in one of the world’s toughest endurance races, he would have started breathing fire, but with the help of one of the Gauchos, I managed to
Whispering prayers to the heavens and mumbling several calming quotes that I remembered from reading “Black Beauty” to my daughters, I led him out to tack him up and join Charlotte and Simon at the start line. Calmly, we all gathered for the start, which had been sadistically adorned with giant fluttering flags, perfectly designed to freak out even the calmest horse.
Amazingly, I had made it this far and suddenly, we
On Day 4 we left in sunshine and were followed by magnificent condors, circling us in whatever thermals they found in the rarified air. But we heard there had been an accident and the mood was different now - the spirit of adventure was temporarily lost. The condors now seemed less majestic and more forbidding.
Day 5 was a big push up the notorious “Plateau of Death” - an area so barren and bleak that even lichen is reluctant to live there. It is essentially thousands of acres of rock bogs, with the occasional patch of dry scree on the high ground.
The descent was grim and we painfully made our way towards the bottom of the mountain, where a tree line had come into view below the mist.
By Day 7 all the horses, were spent. Getting one to take the lead was an exhausting process. We dragged our now thoroughly finished horses into the Estancia, a beautiful cottage nestled beneath a grove of pear trees. We had done it - 80km on horses that had about 20km in the tank at best.
As we approached the Finish Line the flags were flying, there was cheering and smiling, and an enormous sense of satisfaction came over me. We had done it! We had really done it!
This was the most incredible adventure and I hope it also shows that everything is impossible until it’s done - and that is an ideal held by the rangers who face the seemingly impossible task of saving our wilderness - and is one of the cornerstones of ForRangers’ values. Charlotte Outram, Simon Kenyon & Sam Taylor riding ForRangers. The team raised over $60,000 to support life and health insurance, emergency rations and welfare support to over 2000 rangers across Africa. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic continue to be felt. Rangers have seen jobs lost, resources slashed, and livelihoods destroyed. All the while, they remain steadfast in protecting what is left of our wilderness. Please support them.
