A horse named Serranita

Posted on February 18, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

One of my best friends is named Serrana. Imagine my delight and surprise when all of a sudden there was a little potranca, a filly, named Serranita! She is very cute!

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Posted in Campo | 1 Comment

We have a new chef! He is amazing…

Posted on February 9, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

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Big title

Posted on January 27, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

I came to Argentina not really knowing how long I would stay, and having signed on only for three months. I always thought I wanted to stay a little bit longer than that, and now I think I will – I am now the hotel manager! It was a rather quick move from assistant to manager, and it is a lot of work, but it is also a new exciting challenge! There are so many little details to think about, but I hope that I will do OK… I also hope that I will have time to keep riding, because that is of course one of the main reasons that I am here.

Posted in Hotel, Personal | 4 Comments

The práctica went well!

Posted on January 20, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

So the practice went OK! Of course I was the worst player by far but I had a great time. I played all four chukkers (each one is supposed to be 7 minutes but we didn’t actually time anything so they were probably more like ten minutes), two of them with Erik, my favorite horse. Will try to post photos later.

Posted in Polo | 3 Comments

My first práctica!

Posted on January 18, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

I am terrified! I am playing four chukkers this afternoon at 17:30… Four horses, 4×7 minutes (probably more because in these friendly practices time is not kept too strictly.) I don’t feel ready but they needed somebody… We’ll see how it goes!

Posted in Polo | 5 Comments

Prácticas

Posted on January 16, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

We have practice games on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and other days as well if we have a lot of guests who play polo. Practices can be slow or fast depending on who is playing. Sometimes we have more than one; one for club members, pros and experienced players, and one for more beginners. Practices are always fun! Here are a few shots to give you an idea of a relaxed summer practice.

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Posted in Campo, Polo | Leave a comment

Purita

Posted on January 14, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

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One of my favorite horses, Purita. She has a long stride for a polo pony but she is very comfortable to ride and just beautiful. Here with Matias, one of the petizeros (grooms.) There are about 45 horses that belong to Puesto Viejo and are used for polo guests and trail rides, plus something like 150 other horses belonging to the club members.

Posted in Campo, Polo | 1 Comment

On the Horse

Posted on January 13, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

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I need some more horse photos so here is one of me on Rosilla! I had been doing some taqueo (stick and ball) and was happy to be back on a horse! I really want to improve so now I will try to ride five times a week or so. Will see if I can find the time… We have three pitches and one practice ground for stick and ball and sometimes a mini practice, which is where I usually ride. I also go for trail rides sometimes, it is flat here but still pretty. Plus of course the horses enjoy a good canter in the country side, without having to chase a ball.

Posted in Campo, Polo | 2 Comments

Day in the City

Posted on January 11, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

A few times a week we receive guests who come for the day, either for Polo Day or Day in the Countryside. (Soon we are getting more Norwegians, yay!) The guests come to enjoy the horses and a nice relaxing day away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I, however, do it the other way around – on my day off, I sometimes head to Buenos Aires for a Day in the City. That involves a selection of what the city offer – restaurants, shopping, friends, going to the salon, partying, dancing, walking and watching the life of the city. On Friday, I had a Day in the City, which started with shopping and ended with a delicious dinner and a night in a hotel. It was the first time I stayed in a hotel since I started working here and I felt a special bond with the people working there! I am happy to say that I have always been a respectful and easy hotel guest (the kind who is embarrassed to leave an untidy room) and I now have even more respect for these people. This was a large hotel and in a way they have it harder – I think that people who come to our estancia treat it with a certain amount of respect because it does feel sort of like a home. In a large hotel, there is less of a personal connection and unfortunately people are not always as respectful.

Posted in Buenos Aires, Personal | 1 Comment

Musings

Posted on January 8, 2013 by noruegaenargentina

I wrote about our guests the other day, and after I wrote that I started thinking more about the effects all these different people have had on me. The vast majority have been wonderful, but of course there have been a couple of not so great ones. But in a way, those people have made me feel better about myself. I am happy that I am not like them. I am happy that I don’t complain about everything, that I am not obsessed with money, that I don’t care what brand my boots are, and most of all I am happy that I, most of the time, try to be a decent person and treat other people in a nice way. I feel sorry for these individuals – I would never want their lives.

But, as I said, most guests are wonderful and some have become real friends! The Brit and the Australian reading this might know who I am talking about…

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