CRILLO HORSES

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 15 January 1927, Page 11

CRILLO HORSES

T OVERS of horses Avill he interested in a remarkable ride that has been undertaken of Id 000 miles from Buenos .Vires to Chicago. of which .1000 miles

has already been successfully accomplished. The rider is A. F. Tsehiffelv, and he is using two Crillo horses, a famous breed of South America. lie reached Medellin, Colombia, some weeks ago, in goor, state. The Argentine Government, and its foreign representatives, are co-operntng in the undertaking.

The Grill os are the residue of the ancient Arab horses introduced to South America dtiring the Moorish rule in Spain. When Buenos Aires was destroyed, three centiiries ago, great numbers* of these horses escaped over the pampas, and became wild. Like ail wild animals, the males endeavoured to eliminate each other in mortal combat. The race became stronger, but. with the introduction of European stock, the C'riollos were adapted to the new order, and were tamed. Efforts were recently made by the Criollo Association to secure some of the purebreds from Patagonia, in order to continue the breed. About 900 were secured, and driven 900 miles to Buenos Aires. Here two of them were selected, tamed, and placed in the hands of Tschiffely.

They crossed the Andes at 10,000 ft., and reached La Paz, capital of Bolivia, after many hardships. From Cuzco, a famous cty of the Incas, they had to rise to 17,000 ft.

At Lima the C'riollos were examined Lv experts, and pronounced to be in excellent condition. 'Prom here to the border of Ecuador the route lay through hot, acrid, desert. Next floods were encountered, then another sandy desolation, unkonwn. to human, beings, but peopled by millions of sea birds.