The Horseman

In a small town in Argentina, there lived a famous horse. Bragado was his name.

When Argentina was first forming as a nation, there was conflict around the country. The government had an army that brought law and order to the population of Argentina. The army all rode horses, of course that was the mode of travel in those days. The army pretty much took all the horses they wanted from the people who owned them.

When the army was installing a local government in that small town I mentioned, they saw the beautiful horse - Bragado. They told his owner they wanted him for their General to ride. The owner said he was not for sale. So, of course the army demanded the horse. The owner saddled up Bragado and raced away. He was such a superior horse that he easily outdistanced the army. For days they tracked and followed him. Finally cornering the Horseman and Bragado. They demanded he turn over the horse to the army. Instead he turned and rode off a high cliff. Both horse and rider were killed.

The rest of the townspeople took a lesson from the Horseman and ran the army out of town and formed their own government. Most of Argentina followed suit. They renamed the little town after the great horse.

I had the pleasure to stay at a ranch there, El Malibrigo (The Saddle Blanket).

It was just outside the town of Bragado.