The free ranging wild horses of Patagonia are called criollos. They were brought to Argentina in 1535 by Spanish settlers and were bred from Andalusians. Hundreds now roam wild on the Patagonian Steppe and are considered native to Argentina.
My husband and I were out exploring one day deep into the steppe on a dirt road when we faced a herd of oncoming traffic moving at great speed.
We stopped the car and I got out as the criollos streamed around us and I got these shots. It was a thrilling sight!
The criollos have the best long distance endurance of any breed next to the Arabians.
They are hardy and able to live in harsh conditions and withstand the severe Patagonian winters.
By nature they are said to be tractable, intelligent and sensible.
We saw herds of them all over the steppe, sometimes at great distances. It was wonderful to see such beautiful horses wild and free!
Cheers to you from the horsey Holler!
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cindyknoke.com 
Reblogged this on Mungai and the Goa Constrictor.
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Oh, this is so kind of your and so very appreciated! Thank you and cheers~
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My pleasure, Cindy. I can never fail to be drawn to horses running wild. Thank you for your wonderful images 🙂
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🙂 🙂
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They are absolutely beautiful, Cindy. Wonderful action shots 🙂
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I thought it quite nice of the horses to set up these shots for me!!! LOL~
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Ah, Cindy, my homeland caballo criollo!. They are beautiful!. You have captured them so lovingly, la Patagonia is a land of wonder!. Thank you!
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Patagonia is like heaven! So indescribably beautiful. To have grown up here would be such a privelege. We have been twice and all it does it make us want to go more!! I am so happy you think I did justice to the incredible criollos! Muchas gracias mi amiga y mucho gusto tan bien~
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De nada, querida amiga! 🙂
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Hello! Beautiful photos, beautiful blog! Warm Greetings from cold and snowy Poland.
http://marciento.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/virtual-exhibition-of-photography/
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My grandmother was Polish and I have never been and must visit! Her last name was Piontek! Cheers to you and thank you my friend~
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Thank you! Wonderful photos. How lucky you were!
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And you ARE, as you are still nearby! Safe and wonderful travels my friend~
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Thanks. Where are you off to next?
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Funny you should ask…..we leave Wednesday for Puerto Rico, St Croix and Tortola. We’re going to park in each place and spend some chunks of time on each island~
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Sounds heavenly, swoon 🙂 Have a great time!
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🙂 🙂
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What beautiful creatures! And those mountains–breathtaking!
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The incomparable Patagonian Andes! Thank you so much~
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I just have to make it to Patagonia,Cindy. Beautiful horses and beautiful scenery. Have you read “In Patagonia” by Bruce Chatwin? –Curt
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Yes!! Loved it! As I love Patagonia. It is impossible not to love it. You MUST go and take photos.I want to see them! We have been twice and want to go again!
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How can I resist. 🙂 –Curt
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🙂
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what a beautiful post, I just love horses, beautiful photos like always!
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So kind and so appreciated! Cheers to you Doris~
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Glorious!
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They are magnificent aren’t they! So happy you agree~
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Reblogged this on Going To The Dogs and commented:
I simply can’t come up with one sound reason why humans would want to slaughter anything so glorious.
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This comment never posted! I just found it on my dashboard! Thank you so much for this honor and for your defense of the horses!
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ok I wanna go there!!!!
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I hope you do!! You will just want to go back though……but it is well worth it!
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It was cool. It was lucky for you to encounter such beautiful creatures.
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Yes very lucky indeed and I am so glad you enjoyed them! Cheers to you~
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beautiful animals so strong and free.
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I am so glad you appreciated them and I agree with you!!! Cheers~
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Willkommen auf meiner Seite.Danke,freut mich,dass du mir folgst.
Da sind ja tolle Aufnahmen.Mein Hobby ist die Naturfotografie.
lg aus der Suedsteiermark Alois.
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Danke! Ihre Fotos sind schon und ich liebe deinen Blog!
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Cindy
Are you and The Holler safe from those fires?
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Temporarily yes, but we are in extreme fire risk and most of the orchards around us are dying….thousands of trees are dead. The worst drought in recorded history. Not good at all. Thank you for thinking of us~
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You know of course prayers are in the air on the way?
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You are a gift on this earth Sachem~
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Absolutely wonderful, both photos and the story!! I’ve only met a couple Criollos in real life, they both were excellent riding horses.
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Oh how lucky you are! What a treat~
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It’s a beautiful sight, seeing horses running free…must be rare these days. 🙂
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It certainly was a rare and wonderful sight for me! So happy you enjoyed it & cheers to you~
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Cindy–I’m with you, the free range is such a delightful anomaly–where it should be the norm. You capture the beauty and feel of the animals and place–the rushing freedom…a world class photographer, you should work for 60 minutes or something. One of the big ones.
Also–can you see that I have clicked the LIKE widget? i am having the **** time with my widgets and visits and oh my I am sick of it. I do like this, even if WP misses that mark…:)
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Oh yes about 25% of the likes I post on people’s blogs get erased and I am sure it goes both ways. VERY frustrating! The wild and free horses of Patagonia were miraculous. Sad that it is so rare these days isn’t it? Thank you so much for your kind words. They mean a lot to me. Hugz to you~
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What a magical experience this must have been, wow!
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Magical is a good descriptor for Patagonia! Cheers & thank you too!
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We will be visiting Patagonia in January 2015; thank you for a stunning preview!
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The best month to go and you will be in paradise! I can’t wait to hear about it!
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Beautiful!
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Mil grazi!
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You never cease to amaze me with your talents.
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Visa versa 2 U X 2!
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Beautiful horses….would love to have been there!
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I wish you were!!!!
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Very handsome horses.
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Gracias!
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The animated film “Spirit” comes to mind. Great shots. 🙂
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I will have to google it but thanks much until I can! (In Puerto Rico right now with poor internet!)
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I know the feeling of coping up with slow internet connection.
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Beautiful shots of these gorgeous, wild creatures, Cindy! Such a moment to have them all come thundering toward you!
For this and many other reasons, Patagonia is definitely on my bucket list…preferably by motorcycle.
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Patagonia by motorcylce would be incredible and there are bloggers who blog about them. Check em out and I hope you not only GO, but blog about it!
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These are absolutely beautiful ! Wonderful post!
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You and very kind and most appreciated! Thank you~
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woooww oh wooow, this is my dream come true!! You are sooo lucky Cindy!
But we are as well because you are sharing it with us 🙂
Thanks so much! xox
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Awwww you are so nice, thank you! I hope you get there very soon and I look forward to traveling along with you too!!
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How beautiful !
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It is a beautiful part of our world! Thank you~
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How lucky !
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Hope you come soon!
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Pingback: Cometh the hour, cometh the horse…. | silkannthreades
Truly outstanding shots, Cindy. Thank you for sharing them with us.
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So appreciative of your kind words! Thank you!
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Reblogged this on Voices and Visions.
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Oh so very kind and so very appreciated! Thank you much and cheers to you from Tortola, island of outdoor wifi!
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you slammed this one out of the ballpark! wow, the images are stunning! this is one of my favorites!
with slow internet i’ve missed so many great posts, but i am so glad that new zealand gallivanta spotlighted your post!
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WOW!!! Thanks so much! I am out on the patio in Tortola fending off the bugs to try and connect to wifi and I have no idea what you are talking about but I will try and find out…..if the iffy wifi holds on! Thanks again! Very kind~
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http://silkannthreades.wordpress.com/2014/02/02/cometh-the-hour-cometh-the-horse/ 🙂
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I love horses. These are beautiful photos! They are incredible creatures! Thank you for sharing!
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So happy you enjoyed and welcome!
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Beautiful beautiful photos! 😀
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Patagonia is just a beautiful place filled with gorgeous horses! Thank you~
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Reblogged this on Sound as a Crystal and commented:
So beautiful!
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Patagonia is beyond beautiful and you are beyond kind to reblog! Your kindness is so appreciated! Cheers & all the best to you~
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Hi, Glad you liked our post. If you love reading then visit our Reading page:
http://cabraseniorlibrary.wordpress.com/reading-writing/
Cheers
STB
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Well welcome and I am pleased to meet you! Look forward to following your blog and seeing your posts. Cheers & thank you!
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When I initially commented I clicked the “Notify me when new comments are added” checkbox and now each time a comment is
added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove people from that service?
Thanks a lot!
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Yes! That is so annoying and I have done the same thing before! Go to ‘manage your blog’, ‘blogs I follow,” find my blog and untick the box that says notify me of any comments and you will stop receiving these!! Hope it works~
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