7 night Riding Itinerary
Day 1
Your transfer will meet you at the international airport of Córdoba. Just under an hour from your pick-up you will arrive at Estancia Los Potreros in time for a late lunch. An introductory ride to get used to the ‘gaucho’ style of riding – long legs, deep seats and neck reining, whilst enjoying the comfortable sheepskins on the saddles. After your ride, the Begg family invite you to dinner in what has been the family home for over 100 years.
day 2
Ride to the ‘Top of the World’, the highest point on the estancia, to appreciate the spectacular views out over the Sierras Chicas. The trail along the ridge is perfect for condor and eagle spotting, before returning to the estancia in time for lunch on the veranda.
Demonstration and introduction to the very special Peruvian Paso horse. Learn more about this amazing 5-gaited horse, before trying out their super smooth paces yourself. All our these horses are home-bred on the estancia and are forward-going and extremely comfortable.
day 3
A long morning’s ride to the far south of the farm, dropping into the local village to visit a unique and unusual chapel and museum that was built as a memorial to his wife and daughter by Guido Buffo, an art and science lover. Enjoy a traditional Argentine ‘asado’, sampling several different cuts of the estancia’s home-reared beef, washed down with plenty of Malbec.
Take the rest of the afternoon to relax by the pool and in the evening, you are invited to an informal wine-tasting, sampling local wines of the region before sitting down to a candle-lit dinner.
day 4
Cattle day! Discover your inner gaucho as you help the boys round up our herd of award-winning Aberdeen Angus, collecting them and moving them across the hills to our cattle station. Following lunch ´gaucho style´ under a shady tree, see if you can master the art of the lasso in the corrals, before some lovely long open canters along the top of the hills as you return to the estancia for tea and cake on the veranda.
Day 5
The ride this morning drops down to our hidden waterfall where you can take a dip or just take a few moments to relax in the cool shade. From there a wonderful long canter takes you up to ‘Potrero de Niz’, the original family home of the Beggs, and a delicious picnic lunch on the porch. Perched on the top of a hill, the house has stunning views over the valleys, and we warn you that once there you will never want to leave! In the afternoon we ride back via the ‘Bellstone’ which will have the geologists amongst you scratching your heads. Tonight, our chefs open the farm kitchen doors and invite you to join them in preparing some traditional local dishes whilst sampling some more fabulous Argentine wines.
Day 6
No horse-riding holiday to Argentina would be complete without trying your hand at the ‘Sport of Kings’ – polo! Ride down to the polo ground where you will be given a short lesson followed by some practice ‘stick and ball’ and then play a few chukkas of this highly addictive game. After a barbeque lunch, challenge our gauchos to some gaucho games – barrel racing and ‘sortija’ – a race that involves spearing a small ring with a stick at speed!
day 8
After breakfast depart for your onward travels.
day 7
On your final day, ride through plunging gorges and over soaring mountain tops to reach ‘Las Tasas’ – a gorgeous natural swimming-hole where you can dive, swim or just take a snooze in the sun. After a shady picnic lunch, help our gauchos round up the mares and foals to protect them from the elusive puma. Tonight, enjoy some live traditional Argentine music with a glass of wine in the garden before sitting down to a fabulous farewell dinner.
Additional notes:
The itinerary is flexible, and subject to weather, particularly in the case of polo.
There are over 80 riding horses, with the herd being a mixture of Criollos, Peruvian Pasos and polo ponies, which are forward-going, responsive and sure-footed. We tend to change horses during a guest´s stay, giving guests the opportunity to try several different horses.
Guests can expect to be in the saddle between 4 – 6 hours per day.
Additionally there is outstanding trail riding available every day (morning and evening or day rides with the exception of Sundays when there is only a morning ride). There is a strict maximum weight limit of 15stone/95kg/210lbs .
Guests must provide their own insurance to cover all the estancia activities and will be asked to sign a riding waiver which is available in advance on request.
Hard hats are not obligatory (except for polo, gaucho games and children) but are strongly recommended. There are a number available to use at the estancia but for safety and fit we recommend guests bring their own.
