AP Archive
Gaucho breaks horses with no more than a whisper
(17 Jun 2014) LEAD IN:
The deep bond between a cowboy and his horse has been romanticised in old Hollywood westerns for decades.
But Argentine, Martin Tatta is taking that union to new levels.
From handstands on the horse's back, to resting on the animal's stomach, the rancher showcases his distinct talent - all with just a soft stroke and a whisper.
STORYLINE:
There is no whip in sight nor a firm hand on the rein, no loud shouting or sharp jabs.
Yet ranchman, Martin Tatta has a horse on its back completely still, with its hooves curled inward as he performs a type of handstand on the animal's chest.
Merely through soft touches, gentle coaxing and a few tender nuzzles, Tatta seems to sway his horses to do just about anything.
It's through acts like this that the 33-year-old has come to be known as the horse whisperer.
Tatta was born and raised on a ranch in the small town of San Antonio de Areco, a 100 kilometres (62 mile) outside of the capital Buenos Aires.
Tatta is self-taught and claims he has shared this bond with his childhood companions for as long as he can remember.
"What I do, for me it's something natural, no one taught me. I taught myself. The truth is I never had a professor or someone saying, 'Martin, go and do this.' Or, 'Martin put the horses leg like this, now put it upright.' No, all of these things came from me, I thought them up," he says.
It was this innate ability that drew the attention of a local farm owner.
Soon after, Tatta was asked to showcase his finesse in a performance for the hundreds of tourists that visit ranches each year.
That was 11 years ago.
Now Tatta has travelled throughout Argentina, Latin America and overseas to perform in shows.
Yet, the gaucho turned showman mainly stays in his hometown where here he performs with his beloved Milonga, one of his most experienced horses.
Behaving more like a dog, than a horse, the animal gently falls to its knees and rolls over on its side, seemingly all on its own.
Tatta is then able to lie flatly on top of the horse with his arms outstretched.
Keeping his horse calm using gentle strokes, Tatta's soft hums never rise over a whisper.
It is because of these intimate aspects of his performance that Tatta jokes he gets along better with his horses than with women.
The cowboy says the majority of his standard 20-minute performances are often times improvised, but for Tatta, the act itself isn't even half the workload.
The real "whispering" begins in taming the animals.
While his horses are not are not completely wild, taming is an almost two-year process that begins while they are still a young buck.
The key, he says, is in building mutual trust.
An obvious element as Tatta walks confidently behind his companion, and then crawls and lies underneath her when all the while she idly chews on a piece of grass.
It is this deep-rooted assurance in one another that Tatta says is the reason he will not use any horses in his shows that he has not personally trained.
While the cattleman has trouble in specifically explaining his technique, he insists there are no secrets.
He says anyone is capable of producing the same effects and that the best way to learn is by watching.
Yet for Veteran gaucho, Alberto Nally, it is not that simple.
At 70 years, Nally is one of the most experienced gauchos in his community and has known Tatta, and his particular craft, since he was born.
In his experience he has seen others produce similar results with their horses, but he says always through force, where as Tatta is subtle and composed.
This culture runs deep in the gaucho heartland of San Antonio de Areco.
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