For two days Mario and I shared an empty stall in Alvaro’s ranch in Tacuarembo. Our neighbours were two noisy criollos and a beautiful Quarter Horse stud. There was also a cute blue-heeler puppy who woke us up every morning by jumping on our heads.
Needless to say we didn’t rest very much! But at least the mares did. Cautiva and Andariega were out in a great big pasture with a pond in the middle. For them, it was but a stay at a 5-star hotel, and that’s all that mattered.
On Sunday, the Lanfranco family, who lent me the two mares, drove to Tacuarembo for us to BBQ.
“Filipe, congratulations on covering the first 100 kilometres of Uruguayan soil,” Nicolas said giving me a hug.
We sat around the BBQ sharing drinks and stories for several hours before driving to a Criolla – Uruguayan Rodeo. When we arrived the park where it was being hosted was packed with people and cars. We made our way to the arena and sat in the wooden bleachers to watch the action. It was amazing.
Three horses were tied at a time to the palenque (large wooden pole) at one end of the arena. The horse was then blindfolded and a rider jumped on its back. When the rider nodded, the blindfold was removed and the animal untied. While the horse took off bucking everyone clapped and yelled. When the ride ended, two singers with guitars would improvise verses about how the horse backed and the Gaucho rode.
For a cowboy like myself who grew up rodeoing, this was an extraordinary opportunity! I loved every second of it.
On Monday morning I awoke early and tacked the girls. We rode 15 kilometres and found a beautiful hotel with a riding program to let the mares rest while we drove back to town for me to give a talk. A school in Tacuarembo invited me to speak to their students about my journey and the importance of an early diagnosis of childhood cancer.
The school was bilingual so the kids learned in English in the morning and Spanish in the afternoon. I spoke in English and when they didn’t understand something, I would transition into Spanish. I was extremely surprised at how well they spoke English!
After taking a million photos Mario and I drove back to the mares and I rode the last 15 kms. Because of the talk, it turned out to be an extremely long day. It was dark by the time I finally rode into the ranch where we would spend the night.
