The lodge at Caballadas
I am momentarily stunned. I find myself on rocky
ground tangled in sparse grass, sprawled out between
the stones, under thorny scrub trees.
But let’s back up. Experienced trail riders know
that if you have to go under a thicket of low
trees, you should keep your head lower than
your horse’s. When I saw the inevitable coming,
I tried to flatten to my mount’s neck, but my
riding helmet prevented me from doing so. This
created a gap at the neck of my jacket, which
was immediately speared by a branch. I figured
the best bet was to
release the stirrups
and roll off.
“Are you O.K?”
Santiago cries as he
races towards me on
his young polo-ponyin-training.
He looks concerned,
while I manage an
embarrassed smile and
answer “Yes.”
After a short
appraisal, Santiago
asks “Can you ride?”
This private estancia in Patagonia is over
2 hours from the airport of San Martin de
Los Andes by bumpy, dusty, mostly unpaved
road. The planes come and go from here and
Bariloche Airport (5 hours away) only on
certain days of the week.
So planning your visit is centered around
the air travel schedule. But there is little
worry here on this bright spring day in
early December; the family has thought of
everything for their guests including horseback
rides, three meals a day, lovely Argentine and
Chilean wines and comfortable rooms in the
family’s summer home known as “the lodge”.
The lodge entry hall is
elegant in its simplicity
But he knows the answer before I do. I have
come to Argentina, all the way from the Pacific
Northwest, to his wife’s family estate in North
Patagonia, to ride. And damn-it-all, I will ride.
But likely due to the determined look on my
dusty face, and the thorns and dirt sticking
out of my blasted helmet and coat, we both
break out in rib-shaking laughter. At least they
aren’t broken.
14
The beautiful lodge was made from logs cut
on the property and is a study in the elegance
of natural materials. This belies the fact
that everything has to be brought in here.
We are indeed in the middle of nowhere and
that is the exact reason most want to come.
Stone floors anchor the main level containing
entry way, open-plan dining and living rooms,
covered patio, modern kitchen and steps to