PHOTO FEATURE
A
RGENTINEAN EQUESTRIANS
have a reputation for trouncing the
rest of the world on the polo field,
but at many ranches across the South
American countryside, a homegrown
team sport is king.
The first written accounts of pato
trace back to 1610, when riders from
neighboring ranches would meet at
the border between the farms. A
rather unlucky duck ("pato" in Spanish) tucked into a basket would be dropped between the
two groups of horsemen, who would fight to carry the
duck back to their ranch. The game earned a reputation
for being dangerous, with squabbles between players
turning violent and others trampled underfoot.
48
W INTER 2013
U N TAC K E D
Above: The
"pato" that
players
use now is
similar to the
ball used in
horseball.
