34 THROUGH THE HEART OF PATAGONIA 



to each is assigned a madrina, or bell-mare, which is never ridden, 

 and which is trained to be caught easily. At night she is hobbled, 

 and her troop remain round about her. Naturally a well-trained 



A PAMPA KOUND-UP 



madrina is one affair, while a badly-trained one is quite another. 

 In my mob of horses I had four troops, two good madrinas and 

 one bad one, while the fourth was a rosada, whose sole object in 

 life seemed to be to get away from her own troop and to kick any 

 one who came within ten feet of her. 



When you desire to put a strange horse or colt into a troop, 

 it is necessary to couple him to the madrina for some days, after 

 which he will remain with the troop. The madrina should never 

 be driven in hobbles, a mistake that is often made when bringing 

 in the horses of a morning. A horse used to hobbles can travel 

 in them four or five leagues in a single night, so the reason why 

 the mares should not be allowed ever to become used to travelling 

 in hobbles is obvious. The madrina has a bell attached to her 

 neck, and the last sound heard before you sleep is the soft tinkle 

 of these bells and the comfortable sound of feeding horses, unless 



