"Tierra de a Caballo": Tourism to preserve Aysén rural culture

In Issue 27 of Patagon Journal, our cover story featured the inaugural edition of the horseback ride “Tierra de a Caballo.” The second version of the event, held this past February and organized by the tour company Aysén Somos, brought together 100 riders, more than double the attendees of the first gathering. They demonstrated once again that tourism can be a route toward preserving the rural gaucho culture.

By Javiera Benavente

Translation by Lily Alford

Photos by Pato Díaz

Very little was known about Aysén, a southern region of Chile and located in the heart of Patagonia, until the start of the 20th century, when the process of its colonization begins. According to the memory of some still alive to tell the tale, the first people to arrive and live in the region did so on horseback. The animal was a faithful companion and a key element in writing their history.

Thanks to the horse, the settlers of Aysén were able to travel across this virgin territory for days, exploring places at once inhospitable and magnificent while often enduring harsh weather conditions. These brave Chilean gauchos, or cowboys – dressed in their blankets, berets, baggy trousers, and boots – opened new routes and cleared plots for crop cultivation and cattle ranching. The gaucho was the first light of human development in the region.

More than 100 years later, and with the goal of honoring the memory of those who inhabited Patagonia by horse, Francisca Stock and Javier Galilea, owners of the local tourism company Aysén Somos, have organized a horse-riding event called "Tierra de a Caballo” which offers the possibility of living out the rural experiences of their ancestors. Their overall objective: keep alive the rich cultural traditions of the Aysén countryside through tourism.

Francisca Stock and Javier Galilea, owners of the local tourism company Aysén Somos.

During the colonization period in the early 20th century, the horse was a great ally for crossing the Patagonian region.

The first version of the event in 2023 involved 41 horse riders and took place in Coyhaique Alto, a rural area about 45 kilometers from the capital near the Argentine border. This year, with a lot of ambition Aysén Somos was able to create an exclusive route stretching 56 kilometers that passed through 11 grazing pastures with 11 different owners for an incredible 100 horse rider participants. "We don't want the horse-riding culture to be lost, because this land has a debt to them. This ride is a way of honoring that link we have with our history, because when you look at the past, you look forward with a different perspective. You have to know where you came from to know where you are going," says Francisca.

In their desire to preserve the gaucho culture, Francisca and Javier believe it is important to continue contributing to the development of tourism in the region in a collective way, which is why they are seeking through this event to lend a hand to landowners who need to renew their business model: "Nowadays, everyone is betting on parceling up big plots to sell them, because it is much more profitable. Meanwhile, we are trying to raise this flag to say: let's do something different with the land, let's give it new life.” And it’s for that reason that these landowners not only participated in the initiative, they acted as guides in their fields in what for most of them was their first venture into the tourism business.

Tierra a Caballos seeks to honor the gauchos who first inhabited Patagonia on horseback.

One of those ranch owners is Juan Pablo Galilea, owner of the La Rioja ranch, through which passed the 100 horse-riders on the first of the three days of the event. Their mission was to direct the group through their lands, together with the guides, explaining along the way about the work that they carry out in agriculture and livestock in the Simpson Valley, an area well-known for having the largest production of red and black angus in the entire region.

However, despite being the leading producers of cattle in Aysen, they lament that the ranching industry is today in decline and is no longer profitable. As such, they have embraced this event and are eager to help boost rural tourism. "We need to change the revenue system of the countryside. We want to continue here with other activities that are tied to tourism, but at the same time not move away from cattle-ranching. In that way, the land stays for the family and isn't sold. Selling is a very attractive option, but we don't want that," explains Juan Pablo.

With the objective of deepening the links of the cooperation with a greater number of actors in the area, this year Aysén Somos also set up a collaborative system with entrepreneurs that rent out horse-back riding services in different areas of the region, dividing the participants into herds, each one led by an expert. "When rural life makes more noise, it’s a fighting flag for more people, because our lifestyle is going into decline. We want to put the value of rural life and culture into the narrative of tourism. In this way the traveler that seeks out that experience will start coming to experience it, led by local people," said Javier.

"Rural tourism is one of the things we must keep alive to maintain our traditions in Patagonia."

This year's horseback ride covered an extensive 56-kilometer route.

Participants ride about 8 hours each day.

Event participants express a lot of gratitude for this initiative. Between the eight hours that they had to work each day, the shared meals, the guitar playing, drinking wine in bota bags and camping, these horse riders, in addition to constantly admiring the nature and learning about the region's rural culture, inevitably strike up spontaneous, fascinating conversations. "We have had the chance to discover new places and a group of incredible people. One hundred souls connected by the horse, and you can feel it. I have lots of things in common with the people I got to know on the trip. This was our first time and it’s going to be our family tradition; we can't imagine missing out on another one," says Luz María Rojas, who attended together with her husband and son.

And just like the people on their backs, the horses that accompanied each of them each have their own personality. Their background, breed, age, coat, scars, and name, make each one unique and special. Some are gruff, others placid, others are rebels; some that like walking alone, others with the herd. "The horse is noble, if a horse takes you up a mountain, it could carry on until it dies, it's unable to let you down. It's capacity of dedication is total, and that makes it such a good companion to man, because it goes with him until the end," says Diego Sala, an expert guide in charge of the herd at the Establos del Río Simpson ranch.

Riders of all ages participate in the event.

"Among the shared meals, the guitar playing, drinking wine in bota bags, and camping, the horse riders, in addition to admiring the nature and learning about the region's culture, inevitably strike up fascinating conversations."

At the end of the event’s long route, there prevailed definite satisfaction among the participants, the expert guides, and the landowners. “The people who participated surprised me, how proficient they were, and the kids too with the ability to manage the horse. The mood was high with camaraderie, sharing values that rural culture gives you. It was a delight," says Francisca Stock about their labor of love.

The very last stop of the horseback ride especially left an indelible image. Throughout the central plaza of Coyhaique could be seen the 100 riders entering the center of the city raising the Chilean flag. Locals awaited them, applauding, and looking so pleased at seeing the proud gaucho life still marching on, reminding folks of the past times when horses were ever-present in this same city square.

The riders make their way to Coyhaique's central city square to finish the adventure.

"I think rural tourism is one of the few things we must keep alive to maintain our traditions in Patagonia. It also gives sustenance to all those people that try to maintain themselves in rural areas, in the extremes of our region. So, this event is really a beautiful thing and I hope that it can continue, that it can prosper and all of us who live in this place can support each other," says Marcela E. Hijos, a co-owner of the El Tirano ranch.

For their part, Francisca and Javier closed the second annual Tierra a Caballos already dreaming up plans for next year. The next objective for them is to increase participation even more, to 230 persons, and to try a new route. They will do so knowing the success this time around is a clear demonstration that the culture of horseback riding and rural life is not dead, it’s alive.