Chile Forum

Red wrote:... but a pellet gun, ... just doesn't have, well, the image.

From more than 20 metres, an RWS/Diana or similar can sure look like the real deal, and since nobody wants a .177 pellet in the braincase, there can be a bit of respect involved. Around here the loose dogs definitely recognise the, um, image, and the memory of applied kinetic energy can be lasting even in a street-dog brain.

Red wrote:

Shame you have to spend time on public highways; ..

This is a good opportunity to destroy some notions of those who have never been to Chile: Just about any part of the country you'd want to see, or that can be productive land, is already fenced, except for the Atacama and steep/inaccessible terrain, some of the Palena, and the southern islands you can't get to anyway. Much of the southern patagonia is subdivided and fenced already, if it has any productive value. Some people from outside Chile apparently have it in their heads that the country is wide open for the walking or riding or other use. That's generally not the case. There are even parts of Torres del Paine national park that are fenced, though the travel/guidebook writers are too blind/mendacious to mention this. The organisations that offer horsie rides for tourists usually have arrangements with property owners that allow them entry through the locked gates so that you don't have to take the dust bath along the roads.

Red wrote:And speaking of dogs, Chile is rife with them. If I were horseback down there (and had pack animals and a dog with me) I'd be packing a .22 or something like that.

Or you could just use a whip, like the huasos do.

patagoniax wrote:

Red wrote:

Shame you have to spend time on public highways; ..

This is a good opportunity to destroy some notions of those who have never been to Chile: Just about any part of the country you'd want to see, or that can be productive land, is already fenced, except for the Atacama and steep/inaccessible terrain, some of the Palena, and the southern islands you can't get to anyway. .

Yep, was possibly guilty of this a bit, before coming. Our host explained it within about twenty minutes of quitting the airport. But the definition of public highway is pretty broad, and we have the intention of staying on the smallest 'roads' possible. We have found some good 'uns here, barely capable of taking a motorbike but still - technically - a 'public highway'. And hey, they all lead somewhere, right? It's not like we're doing the trip against the clock (apart from in the case of the border crossing where we'll have five days from the issue of the export certificate, but never mind... )

scaron wrote:

Red wrote:And speaking of dogs, Chile is rife with them. If I were horseback down there (and had pack animals and a dog with me) I'd be packing a .22 or something like that.

Or you could just use a whip, like the huasos do.

The gauchos down here have the whips as well. Mostly useless for discouraging the dogs when you are in the saddle. The dogs quickly figure out how far you can reach with that thick whip.

GreatHorseTrip wrote:

patagoniax wrote:

Red wrote:

Shame you have to spend time on public highways; ..

This is a good opportunity to destroy some notions of those who have never been to Chile: Just about any part of the country you'd want to see, or that can be productive land, is already fenced, except for the Atacama and steep/inaccessible terrain, some of the Palena, and the southern islands you can't get to anyway. .

Yep, was possibly guilty of this a bit, before coming. Our host explained it within about twenty minutes of quitting the airport. But the definition of public highway is pretty broad, and we have the intention of staying on the smallest 'roads' possible. We have found some good 'uns here, barely capable of taking a motorbike but still - technically - a 'public highway'. And hey, they all lead somewhere, right? It's not like we're doing the trip against the clock (apart from in the case of the border crossing where we'll have five days from the issue of the export certificate, but never mind... )

Concur with px on the fencing, etc. The more productive the land, the more fences and the fewer landowners who want to see you traverse their fields. Now, in the Norte Chico, there were some reasonable stretches of land where fences were both more scattered and in poorer repair (leading to easier passages through).

Trouble with horse travel is that to really feel the magic of it- which to me is: covering ground/sitting up high for the view/letting the animal do the majority of the work so you can relax and take it all in- all that is compromised if you're constantly watching for traffic, locating gates, dismounting to open the gate and so on. (and if you think that is a long sentence, you should read one of px' Hemingway-slayers). Others can shed more light on this, but from what I recall of Chile, you may find yourself on regular paved roads more than you like.

I knew a guy who trained his mule to jump fences (with him dismounted). another option is to cut and then repair the fence. But that's a dodgy proposition for obvious reasons. Again, others can advise you on this, but the best bet is to find trails through public land. I don't think Chile has much of that.

OK, a pellet gun it is. But no whips- probably put someone's eye out

Red wrote:
. But no whips- probably put someone's eye out

OK, coincidentally I was at Cancha Carrera yesterday (no, you don't know where that is) and snapped this of a local gaucho rounding up a tropilla. My earlier post was thinking of the shorter rebenque that the local gauchos and their wussy northern huaso counterparts use (and often wear as part of the show costume). But I'll correct that earlier observation and add that the one in use here is commonly part of their kit but I'd only seen it used on the ground. There is probably a name for that, possibly a látigo.

Red wrote: Again, others can advise you on this, but the best bet is to find trails through public land.

Public land? Qu'est-ce que c'est "public land"? You are applying North American concepts.

Red wrote: ...and if you think that is a long sentence, you should read one of px' Hemingway-slayers

You get points for recognising the style.

Given that we'll have a packhorse on the end of a bit of string each, we'll probably not go for swinging a long bit of leather around. So far we've found that the majority of dogs bugger off when you ride at them - I suppose we'll deal with the minoritu when we get to them.
As for the roads issue, we're getting by OK by asking people if we can ride over/through their bit of land. Lots of fruit farms round here and nobody's refused yet.
Quite agree on the fact that it's less 'horse-travel-y', though.