Pure pampering and luxury I tell you. It was quite chilly as well and it was lovely to have had some body protection from the icy wind that played around my head (no wooly hats provided!).

During the day I was put in a corral on my own (Miss M thought you could never be too sure around strange horses and I guess there is always the envy-thing I have to deal with from time to time) with the warm sun baking my back. In the evenings I was taken into the stable and fed with some alfalfa and maize. Some of the other horses were fed oats as well but Miss M was a bit concerned that this might give me colic or some indigestion and I had to stay without.

So while I was having a chilled-out time at the polo club Miss M stayed with the Castellanos who were extremely hospitable and friendly. They really wanted to help and made numerous phone-calls and enquiries to see where Miss M could find a good Criollo. A friend of the Castellanos called Miki offered to take Miss M to see some potentially suitable horses and they traveled about 140km one day but no luck. Miss M had certain specifications and true to her nature wouldn´t lower her standards. The next Mise had to have good hooves (black and not cracked), must be a pure Criollo, had to be tamed and used to her/his feet being handled. Horses who bit and kicked needn´t have applied. And she wouldn´t even give a Criollo with a cut tail a second glance. Some of the Gaucho´s in this area thought it fashionable to cut our tales and it blows my mind how anyone can do this. I don´t want to underestimate my audiences´ intelligence and probably don´t need to remind you that us horses have tales for a reason and the main one is that we use it to fend of little insects and flies who bother and tickle us. It really is that simple a reason.

So the search continued. Until a man called Eduardo (he has a polo school at El Galpon) mentioned that there is a Criollo on the grounds of El Galpon. He spoke to the owner who after being told why we might be interested in his horse, agreed to sell her should we think that she is The One. When Miss M arrived the next morning, the mare was already saddled up, looking around through her long black fringe that covered most of her eyes. A wild thing I thought but she had attitude. I watched as Miss M mounted her and off they went on a lively pace and I guess when Miss M returned a short while later with a happy look on her face I knew that our Mise had been found!

Mise and I hit it off straight away and it was a great feeling to have a companion again and the fact that she was a girl was kind of the cherry on the cake…. I hate to admit this but it´s true. And I thought she was very pretty. Huge eyes full of expression (if not a hint of sorrow?) covered with the long strands of hair, a good body - athletic and healthy, nice bum (she´ll kill me if she knows I said this!) and even I couldn´t help but to notice her thick and luscious tail. But most important of all… she was nice. Under all that attitude and energetic bravado she was slightly shy. Shy but friendly. She was a winner.

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