Anyone that follows us on social media will know that we love taking photos! Lou likes to head out in the afternoons with her camera and the dogs to see what happens. With such beautiful surroundings, magical light and fantastic subjects it is hard not to come back with a good shot or two. Some are more planned than others! Here is the back story to some of our favourites of 2018 . . .
Unashamedly our favourite pic from 2018. Lou had wandered out into one of the fields by the estancia with her camera and the dogs. Predictably Ghillie one of the border collies decided to chase a couple of the horses (clearing them out of Lou's way you understand!). The horses generally ignore Ghillie as they are used to her antics but a few of them were feeling well and stuck their tales up and trotted off, including this beautiful homebred, Guillermo. The clouds behind, and the spring grass gave him the perfect setting to show off in!
So many pictures of Leo over the years - one of our longest serving gauchos. Almost born and raised on the farm Leo is the ‘real deal’. An extraordinary horse and cattle man Leo has nothing to prove to anyone - this is reflected in the way he rides and handles horses, as well as when he throws a lasso. This shot was taken at our annual ‘yerra’ or cattle branding. We particularly love the look of intensity on his face, never taking his eyes off the calf.
Did we mention the light? The estancia is situated right on top of the Sierras Chicas, a unique range of hills in central Argentina, delightfully rural and remote, and yet just an hour from the university city of Córdoba. One of our favourite things is to the ride to the top of the hills for sundowners, and in this case we were privileged with the sight of the full moon rising as well. The light is bewitching, and it may be our imagination but we think the horses are enjoying the view as well . . .
So many people go into the smooth-running of the estancia, including our wonderful volunteer guides. Coming from all over the world, these girls and guys look after our guests both on horseback and at meals, saddle and unsaddle countless steeds and always make sure our guests glasses of Malbec are topped up! This is guide Polly who actually joined us for 2 seasons on the gorgeous Peruvian Paso, Aguito. Who hasn't dreamt of cantering through the pampas? The pampas grass is only this beautiful plum pink colour for a few weeks of the year before it dries to a more usual straw colour, so we always try to take advantage by setting up a few photo shoots.
Yes that is a lion! But no it isn't on the estancia! In 2018 Lou and Kevin had the absolute privilege of riding with fellow Riding Safari Association members, Gordie and Felicia Church from Safaris Unlimited across the magical and iconic Masai Mara. We took with us some of our intrepid Los Potreros guests for the adventure of a lifetime - an 8 night epic adventure across stunning landscapes, on outstanding horses and encountering teeming wildlife, from elephants to giraffe to hippos and cheetahs and lions! We loved it so much that we are going to repeat the whole trip all over again in 2020!