4 
THE CABINET OF NATURAL HISTORY, 
“Another Horse was immediately brought from the cor- 
ral, and so quick was the operation, that twelve Gauchos 
were mounted in a space which I think hardly exceeded 
an hour. It was wonderful to see the different manner in 
which different Horses behaved. Some would actually 
scream while the Gauchos were girding the saddle upon 
their backs; some would instantly lie down and roll upon 
it; while some would stand without being held — their legs 
stiff, and in unnatural positions, their necks half bent 
towards their tails, and looking vicious and obstinate; and 
I could not help thinking that I would not have mounted 
one of those for any reward that could be offered me, for 
they were invariably the most difficult to subdue. 
“ It was now curious to look around and see the Gauchos 
on the horizon in different directions, trying to bring their 
Horses back to the corral, which is the most difficult part 
of their work; for the poor creatures had been so scared 
there that they were unwilling to return to the place. It 
was amusing to see the antics of the Horses — they were 
jumping and dancing in different ways, while the right 
arm of the Gauchos was seen flogging them. At last they 
brought the Horses back, apparently subdued, and broken 
in. The saddles and bridles were taken off, and the young 
Horses trotted off towards the corral, neighing to one 
another. 
“ The Horses of the Pampas are like the common descrip- 
tion of Spanish Horse, but rather stronger. They are of 
all colours, and a great number are pie-bald. When 
caught, they will always kick at any person who goes 
behind them; and it is often with great difficulty that they 
can be bridled and saddled: however, they are not vicious, 
and when properly broken in, will allow the children to 
mount by climbing up their tails. In mounting, it is ne- 
cessary to be very quick, and previous to dismounting, it 
is proper to throw the bridle over one side of the head, as the 
Horses almost always run backwards, if one attempts to hold 
them by the bridle when it is over the head, as in England. 
“Although I rode many thousand miles in South America, 
I was quite unable to learn how to select either a good 
Horse or an easy-going one, for by their appearance I found 
it impossible to form a judgment; indeed, I generally se- 
lected for myself the worst-looking Horses, as I sometimes 
fancied that they went the best. 
‘ ‘ When first mounted, they often begin to kick and plunge, 
but by giving them a loose rein, and by spurring them, 
they will generally start, and when once at their pace, 
they go quiet. However, the kicking at starting is a most 
painful operation to undergo, for from hard riding the 
back and shoulders get so dreadfully stiff, that such sudden 
and violent motion seems to dislocate the limbs.” 
When the Gaucho wishes to take a wild Horse, he 
mounts one that has been used to the sport, and gallops 
over the plain. As soon as he comes sufficiently near his 
prey, “the lasso is thrown round the two hind legs, and 
as the Gaucho rides a little on one side, the jerk pulls the 
entangled horse’s feet laterally, so as to throw him on his 
side, without endangering his knees or his face. Before 
the Horse can recover the shock, the rider dismounts, and 
snatching his poncho or cloak from his shoulders, wraps it 
round the prostrate animal’s head. He then forces into 
his mouth one of the powerful bridles of the country, straps 
a saddle on his back, and bestriding him, removes the 
poncho; upon which the astonished horse springs on his 
legs, and endeavours by a thousand vain efforts to disen- 
cumber himself of his new master, who sits quite compo- 
sedly on his back, and, by a discipline which never fails, 
reduces the Horse to such complete obedience, that he is 
soon trained to lend his whole speed and strength to the 
capture of his companions. 
“ These animals possess much of the form of the Spanish 
Horse, from which they sprung; they are tamed, as has 
been seen, with far less difficulty than could be thought 
possible; and, although theirs is the obedience of fear, and 
enforced at first by the whip and spur, there are no Horses 
who so soon and so perfectly exert their sagacity and their 
power in the service of man. They are possessed of no 
extraordinary speed, but they are capable of enduring im- 
mense fatigue. They are frequently ridden sixty or seventy 
miles without drawing bit, and have been urged on by the 
cruel spur of the Gaucho, more than a hundred miles, and 
at the rate of twelve miles in the hour. 
“Like the Arab Horses, they know no intermediate pace 
between the walk and the gallop. Although at the end of 
a day so hard, their sides are horribly mangled, and they 
completely exhausted, there is this consolation for them, 
they are immediately turned loose on the plains, and it 
will be their own fault if they are speedily caught again. 
The mare is occasionally killed for food, and especially on 
occasions of unusual festivity. General San Martin, 
during the war for independence, gave a feast to the Indian 
allies attached to his army; and mares’ flesh, and the blood 
mixed with gin, formed the whole of the entertainment. 
“ On such dry and sultry plains the supply of water is 
often scanty, and then a species of madness seizes on the 
Horses, and their generous and docile qualities are no 
longer recognized. They rush violently into every pond 
and lake, savagely mangling and trampling upon one ano- 
other; and the carcases of many thousands of them de- 
stoyed by their fellows, have occasionally been seen in 
and around a considerable pool. This is one of the means 
by which the too rapid increase of this quadruped is, by 
the ordinance of Nature, there prevented. 
