Festive_Felicitations
Well-Known Member
A few years ago, well the summer of 05 - 06, ok so 5 yrs ago (can't believe it has been that long!) a friend and I worked on a QH and Hereford Stud in Argentina. We had an absolutely incredible time, the boss was mad and worked us like a slave driver, but the horses were gorgous and ranged from mildy to totally nuts and the guys we worked with were very funny!
I have been going through my old e-mails and found a whole load I wrote home & to friends and thought I'd post a few here as a story of our stay, and if you find them entertaining I will post the rest (in installments)
Background: We were staying in a working pupil position so food, board and laundry in return for work, we'd have to work 1 weekend and have the next off. The stud was in a very rural part of northern of Argentina (Arg), the nearest town was about 5000 people and had the WORLDS BEST GELATO shop (and I've tried them on most continents!) - think of a flavour they had it! It is/was open to 1am so after a night out instead of pizza/kebab you grab a gelato....
OK this is the oldest post about the farm, we had been there about a week when I wrote it... some names changed and the terrible spelling is due to the crappy old keyboards it was typed on!
Como estan todos? Yo soy moto bueno. As you can see Portugese is creeping into my spanish especilly when I'm talking to the Brazilian s (yes the younger 2 are good looking, no I wont bring one home, =) ) one of whom only speaks portugese, so to comunicate he just speaks slow and loud Twoflower style. Portugese sounds like and is mixture of French and Spanish I consntly have the urge to reply in french. I did once and baffled everyone.
PLEASE DON'T mention to V. parent s that we ride bareback and hatless.
The work hasn't varied this last week as the Señora is away and she left us the same tasks to be done each day. But it is not boring. Mornings we walk around the picketes (fields) checking on everyone, treat any injuries, bring 2-3yr olds in to the walker, which the broke today by simltaneously stopping and broke the gears essentially hehe. Then lunch and siesta. Then bring in 2yr old mestisos to groom, handle, and put in walker or in extreme heat wash with hose. V.funny on hot days everyone finds something to wash...=)
A hot day being 38 - 42oC!
The Senor came back tonight so i suppose life will be slightly more hecic from now on. While the bosses are away everything gets done but at a relaxed pace, from now on we have to jump a bit more apparently....nergrr....Tis very funny everyone has a radio so you can find each other with out treking miles, a great idea. But if people get bored you get all sorts of weird sounds and comments on it.
Weekend was more relxed. On ride found large stand of pine trees, nice to be in trees, cooler! Also perfect for weaving as evenly planed in lines....=) Came into town sat pm to have pizza for dinner for a change 1 brazilian came, so did A. the other eng girl there. We had a nice time. Hence short e-mail. Also on farm large bbq of "sheep" i have my doubts tasted rather a lot like fish ,so capivara? rhea?.... though they swore blind t was sheep.
Our cabin is great except it is a heat trap from about 1pm to 6pm cause it gets the sun full on. At nigth gets cold enough to need a blancket not just sheet which keeps temp resonable, didnt stop it today though. Going to rain tomorrow which will be nice.
I have a young 2 1/2 yr old colt to work with, he is very sweet except a bxgger to catch working on that with oats doesn't know what apples are will change that too, we need someone to eat our cores. He is about 13.2 and the other day jumped a 1.60m fence only slightly scraping 1 back leg. I don't know what they are tryig to breed but there are several horses who jump out and have to have deer (electrified) fencing almost. With regards to the fences I have been shocked a gran total of 6 times this week, apprently my purple shoes when wet conduct..grr. Some fences are ridicuos you can go under most but some have like 12 strands of electric tape ground to chest height, to keep 1 v.quiet old mare in....????
There was a foal born the other night and as mares are in feild opposite our cabin we found him first, so sweet. In the wild storm I lost a pair of socks and some underwear, haven't found them yet and going to have to buy more at this rate!
Will have fish tonight caught on Sunday. They do have leeches I caught 1 on ankle hadn't had it long as it dropped off on its own, L insisted on disinfecting the site with ethanol, iodine and any other disinfect he could find. He is still having fits of laughter apparently i used all the spanish swear words in my vocab when I noticed.
Vandales/robber is not an issue as it is 5 km to the road and ony we and brazlian sleep on proprtey except for gate keeper 5 km away.
Went on a long ride on sunday was very nice. Have seen turtles, a large owl, capivara, jacara(caimen 1 small) ,skunks, viscaha, hares, sheep, cows, horses, minitue flamingo look a like, lot of ducks, 3 v.large egales, lost of pretty colourd birds of various sizes and shapes.
Mossies eating me alive. V untouched grrrr.
Have lot of other peole to talk to. No hard hats, too hot. I soak and freeze my cap every night and lunchtime is pleasent.
I live and ride in my shorts. If you wet them they dry in about 15 min in heat, good cooling method.
Let me know if you'd like to hear the rest of our adventures!
I have been going through my old e-mails and found a whole load I wrote home & to friends and thought I'd post a few here as a story of our stay, and if you find them entertaining I will post the rest (in installments)
Background: We were staying in a working pupil position so food, board and laundry in return for work, we'd have to work 1 weekend and have the next off. The stud was in a very rural part of northern of Argentina (Arg), the nearest town was about 5000 people and had the WORLDS BEST GELATO shop (and I've tried them on most continents!) - think of a flavour they had it! It is/was open to 1am so after a night out instead of pizza/kebab you grab a gelato....
OK this is the oldest post about the farm, we had been there about a week when I wrote it... some names changed and the terrible spelling is due to the crappy old keyboards it was typed on!
Como estan todos? Yo soy moto bueno. As you can see Portugese is creeping into my spanish especilly when I'm talking to the Brazilian s (yes the younger 2 are good looking, no I wont bring one home, =) ) one of whom only speaks portugese, so to comunicate he just speaks slow and loud Twoflower style. Portugese sounds like and is mixture of French and Spanish I consntly have the urge to reply in french. I did once and baffled everyone.
PLEASE DON'T mention to V. parent s that we ride bareback and hatless.
The work hasn't varied this last week as the Señora is away and she left us the same tasks to be done each day. But it is not boring. Mornings we walk around the picketes (fields) checking on everyone, treat any injuries, bring 2-3yr olds in to the walker, which the broke today by simltaneously stopping and broke the gears essentially hehe. Then lunch and siesta. Then bring in 2yr old mestisos to groom, handle, and put in walker or in extreme heat wash with hose. V.funny on hot days everyone finds something to wash...=)
A hot day being 38 - 42oC!
The Senor came back tonight so i suppose life will be slightly more hecic from now on. While the bosses are away everything gets done but at a relaxed pace, from now on we have to jump a bit more apparently....nergrr....Tis very funny everyone has a radio so you can find each other with out treking miles, a great idea. But if people get bored you get all sorts of weird sounds and comments on it.
Weekend was more relxed. On ride found large stand of pine trees, nice to be in trees, cooler! Also perfect for weaving as evenly planed in lines....=) Came into town sat pm to have pizza for dinner for a change 1 brazilian came, so did A. the other eng girl there. We had a nice time. Hence short e-mail. Also on farm large bbq of "sheep" i have my doubts tasted rather a lot like fish ,so capivara? rhea?.... though they swore blind t was sheep.
Our cabin is great except it is a heat trap from about 1pm to 6pm cause it gets the sun full on. At nigth gets cold enough to need a blancket not just sheet which keeps temp resonable, didnt stop it today though. Going to rain tomorrow which will be nice.
I have a young 2 1/2 yr old colt to work with, he is very sweet except a bxgger to catch working on that with oats doesn't know what apples are will change that too, we need someone to eat our cores. He is about 13.2 and the other day jumped a 1.60m fence only slightly scraping 1 back leg. I don't know what they are tryig to breed but there are several horses who jump out and have to have deer (electrified) fencing almost. With regards to the fences I have been shocked a gran total of 6 times this week, apprently my purple shoes when wet conduct..grr. Some fences are ridicuos you can go under most but some have like 12 strands of electric tape ground to chest height, to keep 1 v.quiet old mare in....????
There was a foal born the other night and as mares are in feild opposite our cabin we found him first, so sweet. In the wild storm I lost a pair of socks and some underwear, haven't found them yet and going to have to buy more at this rate!
Will have fish tonight caught on Sunday. They do have leeches I caught 1 on ankle hadn't had it long as it dropped off on its own, L insisted on disinfecting the site with ethanol, iodine and any other disinfect he could find. He is still having fits of laughter apparently i used all the spanish swear words in my vocab when I noticed.
Vandales/robber is not an issue as it is 5 km to the road and ony we and brazlian sleep on proprtey except for gate keeper 5 km away.
Went on a long ride on sunday was very nice. Have seen turtles, a large owl, capivara, jacara(caimen 1 small) ,skunks, viscaha, hares, sheep, cows, horses, minitue flamingo look a like, lot of ducks, 3 v.large egales, lost of pretty colourd birds of various sizes and shapes.
Mossies eating me alive. V untouched grrrr.
Have lot of other peole to talk to. No hard hats, too hot. I soak and freeze my cap every night and lunchtime is pleasent.
I live and ride in my shorts. If you wet them they dry in about 15 min in heat, good cooling method.
Let me know if you'd like to hear the rest of our adventures!