Description
In San Antonio de Areco in the province of Buenos Aires, the big jineteadas (rodeos) on Tradition Day attract estancieros and gauchos from all over the province. The competitions are mainly attended by professional horsemen or domadores, who wear leather spurs and "botas de potro", boots made from the skin of the horse's foot. The movements of horse and rider are as acrobatic as they are elegant (picture); falls are frequent, and shrewd horses throw themselves to the ground as soon as they mount. The most dangerous game is forbidden today: It involved jumping down from the crossbar of a corral gate onto an unsaddled wild horse, the lead animal of a herd that was being chased through the gate at a gallop. Those who missed were lucky to escape with a few broken bones. - 1975
