Untacked

PHOTO FEATURE to Normandy. He became interested in pato as an adult and was surprised to see how few images of the game existed, so in 2005, at the invitation of the national federation, he went back to start documenting. Though he hadn't ridden seriously in a long time, he was thrilled to return to his rough and ready roots in the tack. "In Argentina, we don't say you learn to ride horses, we say you learn to fall off horses," said Ortiz. "When I was 5 years old they put me on an old horse and gave it a slap and said, 'You bring him back home!' I ended up in the middle of a bunch of sheep, cooled down the horse and brought him back home. I was so proud!" Ortiz captured many of these black and white action images of practice and an official match at Barrancas del Salado on horseback, with his Rolleiflex camera tied to one hand. Following the example of pato players, who hook a foot around the pommel of the saddle and lean way over the side to pick up the pato, Ortiz found himself dipping daringly close to the ground to get the appropriate perspective. 56 W INTER 2013 U N TAC K E D Clockwise from top left: Two veterans of the sport examine a horse. For many residents in rural Argentina, pato is as much a way of life as drinking mate tea, a South American staple. In previous centuries pato was known as an extremely violent game, but in the modern sport a full squad of referees, some mounted and some on foot, watch carefully to be sure the rules are followed. Pato matches at official clubs culminate in the national championship every year in December.

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