There are moments — often unrecognized — that life pivots around. As I watched a man on horseback step into the Pedigroso river, I knew, I wanted to travel this country like the people who lived here. I wanted to know this place as only one on horseback could.
Ten years later, standing in the plaza of the capital city with 120 pioneers and their magnificent horses, I realized I had slipped into this place in an irrevocable way. These people were now my friends, their problems were my problems, and a long, hard fight still loomed ahead.
— Nancy Pfeiffer about Riding Into the Heart of Patagonia
A Journey into Patagonia on Horseback
As a neophyte horsewoman with a minimal command of the Spanish language, Nancy rode off across Patagonia alone on horseback. Over the next two decades and three thousand kilometers of rugged horse trail, Patagonia’s wild country and the hardy pioneers who settled there took her in and changed her. Her lessons —acceptance, tenacity, patience, contentment — ran far beyond shoeing horses and milking cows.
When a scheme to dam Patagonia’s largest rivers threatened the land and lifestyle she had come to love, Nancy joined the Cabalgata Sin Represas, a 330-kilometer protest ride against the dams, and her story became history- on horseback.
About the Author
As a lifelong adventurer and outdoor educator, Nancy Pfeiffer has traveled from Antarctica to the Arctic Ocean. Life as a mountaineering guide has given her the opportunity to experience the world’s highest summits, yet it is the landscapes and cultures encountered along the way that intrigue her most. Her published works range from poetry to scientific research, and explore subjects from the joys and frustrations of building a house as a single woman, to mountaineering for paraplegics.