Travel The ITALIAN COWBOYS of Tuscany

Jessica Morton goes cattle herding in Tuscany with the iconic butteri IMAGES BY JESSICA MORTON

44 NZ & PONY December 2019 NZ HORSE & PONY December 2019 45 Travel

FROM BELOW LEFT The long-horned cattle are symbolic uncino. This ancient tool is utilized for of the many different tasks such as opening and region, and are traditionally tended closing gates, directing cattle and training by the butteri. The young . Italian ‘coyboys’ We set off through the stockyards, ride with one hand on the reins, and meeting the first herd of long-horned use a tool called an cattle that are to be moved to a different uncino for many different tasks, pasture. The butteri position us on the including opening road to stop any cattle escaping and gates and directing slowly drive the herd from behind, the cattle whistling and yelling. “We need to cover a huge area of land here. Cattle are roaming big areas and some of them are very rough. We need horses to get into those areas to find the cattle. You couldn’t get in there any other way,” Stefano says. A wild land tourism and sustainable farming to butteri are preparing the horses for the Famed Italian poet Dante described the ensure that their culture and traditions morning work. Challenges of Maremma as a place where “the brute do not die out forever. The butteri use two types of : the cattle farming Harpies make their nest”. With Italy leading the worldwide trend treeless Bardella, and the Italian military Two wild boars shoot out in front of us In Dante’s time, the Maremma was an for traceable meat and slow food, the saddle known as the Scafarda, which and run off through the thicket. The horses inhospitable marsh, rife with malaria. Maremmana cattle are no longer in became popular after World War II. It is are undisturbed. Ottoman pirates raided from the coast, danger of extinction. Supporters heavy, weighing around 18kg, and has The Maremma is famous for its while feudal lords tore the land apart maintain that their beef comes from large panels stuffed with horsehair to wildlife. Typical fauna includes deer, from the inside. happier, healthier cattle than distribute the rider’s weight evenly on the badgers, hares and foxes. Bigger animals Virtually deserted during the Middle commercially-farmed alternatives. horse’s back. It’s also comfortable and such as boars and wolves are also present. Ages, for a long time the land did little Riding Maremmano horses with the well-padded, with rolls in front of the leg Even more dangerous are the wolf-hybrids more than endure. butteri is a wonderful way to discover to hold the rider in a firm position when roaming the woodlands. “This winter we The Ombrone river flooded the Tuscan ranching traditions here in the chasing down cattle. lost three steers,” Stefano says. marshes and malaria became an endemic wild Maremma, whilst sustaining them Stefano Pavi has soft blue eyes and a Our next task is to find a herd of cattle killer. In fact, the word malaria comes at the same time. kind smile. He has the weathered hands hiding somewhere in an enormous from the Italian words mal and aria, or of a real cowboy and has worked as a pasture next to the Ombrone river ‘bad air’. It was originally thought that the The butteri today buttero for over 30 years. He walks me mouth. Laurel, myrtle and juniper scrub disease came from vapours in the The Azienda Agricola di Alberese is a over to meet Nobile, a compact 15hh create a strange orange-tinted wo animals are symbolic of Maremma swamps. state-owned property located in the Maremmano horse that was raised here underbrush. the Maremma region of The only people that managed to Maremma national park. Protected by the on the property. He tells me that I should We spread out in a line to cover as Tuscany, Italy: long-horned survive in this hostile land were those with Tuscan Regional Government, the last always hold the reins with one hand and much ground as possible. Stefano waits bulls and powerful nothing to lose. Brigands, poachers and teams of Italian cowboys raise horses and keep a loose contact. with his horse by the gate, ready to open horses. ex-mercenaries drifted to the area, using long-horned cattle over 5000 hectares of The butteri ride their horses with one it for the cattle once we find them. TUnlike the rest of Tuscany, this wild their horsemanship skills to earn their wild countryside. hand, and in the other hand carry a long “The horse can hear and see so much region remains a land full of legends. keep. They were soon known as butteri, a We arrive at the parking lot of the thin wooden stick with a hook on one better than us,” fellow buttero Alessio Local herdsmen, known as butteri, have term that comes from the Ancient Greek Azienda as the sun begins to rise. Four end and fork on the other, called an explains. “When we’re trying to find tended the cattle on these marshes since term ‘botér’, meaning ‘herdsman’. ancient Etruscan times. The cattle roam To Dante, the Maremma was a crude free on the wide-open ranges, rocky and desolate landscape. Today, things are THE MAREMMA CATTLE slopes and orange-coloured swamps. very different. The history of this land is linked to an During the fascist regime, Mussolini The long-horned cattle of the thrived in the Maremma. indisputable spirit of survival, and the successfully drained the swamps of the Maremma are one of the oldest Unlike the way beef cattle are raised butteri are representative of this struggle. Maremma and eradicated over 2000 years breeds in the world. Archeological digs and kept in many countries around Wearing white shirts, vests, moleskin of malaria. around Vetolonia and Caere prove the world today, the Maremma cattle trousers and distinctive felt hats, these Unfortunately, the re-population and that they are descendants of cattle roam the grasslands free in herds, with iconic horsemen step out of the realm of land reclamation act put the local cattle at brought to Italy from Turkey by the very little stress and a completely legend into real life on the last working risk of extinction by taking away their Etruscans. They are robust, rustic cattle natural diet. ranches of the Maremma. Intrepid natural habitat. Without cattle to herd, that cannot be kept in any stockyard. As we ride past, I admire their glossy, equestrians can spend a morning the butteri lifestyle was also threatened. Resistant to the harshest of climates healthy coats and the spark they have rounding up cattle and discovering their Today, only a handful of butteri are left and geography, they have always in their eyes. These are happy cattle. intimate and little-known traditions. in the Maremma. Many are utilising

46 NZ HORSE & PONY December 2019 NZ HORSE & PONY December 2019 47 Travel

when to worry, and when to relax,” cowboys to a contest of skill and allegedly ABOVE AND RIGHT The Stefano says. beat the Buffalo Bill troupe in a RIDE DETAILS butteri’s are well-padded and heavy, When we arrive at the paddock, the horsemanship challenge in front of more If you would like to ride a but are comfortable for cattle are split and sent into separate fields. than 20,000 spectators. Maremmano horse with the butteri both horse and rider FAR RIGHT The author and her The butteri are excellent horsemen and Back at the stockyards, we untack the in Tuscany, contact Azienda mount Nobile efficient cow handlers. The agile and horses. The butteri don’t lead them out to Regionale Agricola di Alberese at quick-thinking Maremmano horses show pasture. They simply open the gate over www.alberese.com. as much cow-sense as any quarter horse. the road and let the horses take Only experienced riders are cattle, it’s usually the horse’s ears that steers have taken to the undergrowth. In fact, one story goes that in 1890 when themselves out. permitted to take part, and good point at something in the bush, and we He urges his horse into the scrub to find US showman Buffalo Bill took his Wild These horses seem to genuinely enjoy fitness is important as the ride lasts look to see where he’s looking.” them. We hear yelling, cursing. A grunt West company to Italy, the butteri were what they do, and it is a pleasure to watch around four hours. We ride quietly, noticing any followed by a crash, and a bewildered unimpressed. They challenged his team of them as they roll in the grass. ■ movement or shadows that may indicate steer emerges. the missing herd. Alessio’s horse notices “Over here”, yells Luca. He indicates movement in the distance, and he and where I should position my horse with another buttero, Luca, ride their horses in his hand. Then we wait… the direction of what turns out to be the Eventually, the other cattle are chased elusive group. out of the bushes and run back to the rest AN ANCIENT HORSE For an instant, everything seems too of the herd. Alessio emerges from the easy. The cattle stand and appear to be undergrowth and we start the Maremmano horses trained and taking their cue to move in the direction group towards Stefano. raised by the butteri are still held in very high esteem, both around Italy and internationally. Some of the yearlings we see grazing on the The horses’ intuition keeps us from getting property will be sold to private hurt. They know when to worry.” buyers. Others will go on to become “ work horses. The Maremmano horse is relatively rare, with less than 3000 of the gate. Unexpectedly one stops, Once the cattle are moved out of the individuals registered in Italy. pauses, then makes a break to the right field, we drive them past the estuary to Descendants of Eurasian horses and begins to run. The rest of the herd another pasture. Due to the narrow trail Star CamperCare is NZ’s leading RV Insurance that the Etruscans brought to Italy follow. on top of a steep bank, we are required to provider because we provide our customers from the Asiatic steppes, horses The butteri charge forward towards the ride in a line. Occasionally, one of the with the right kinds of policies. bred from this region have been bolting cattle, yelling at us to move FAST! cattle will try and run down to the river If your horse truck includes accommodation, it qualifies as an RV with all our famous benefits, including free 24-hour Roadside Assistance. sought-after since the first chariot Nobile and I are on the far end of the mouth, requiring one of us to duck out of No, we won’t charge you the same as an 18-wheeler either. horses won against the ancient line. Up until now, he has been steady as line, ride down, round up the rebellious Call Star CamperCare, the leading truck Greeks. The small-headed and a rock. As soon as the cows run, he flicks individual and get back up on the bank. Insurance provider. fine-boned horses were later mixed into cowpony mode. Although the terrain One repeat bovine offender is enjoying with Spanish, Neapolitan and is full of ditches and thick scrub, he the game a little too much. Horses are Find us online: Call us: Arabian bloodlines to produce the doesn’t break his stride once. patient and relaxed about having cattle so starinsure.co.nz 0800 250 600 hardy workhorses we see today. We manage to get behind the cattle and close behind them. “The horses’ intuition

Alessio calls to us to stay still. Three keeps us from getting hurt. They know ALAMY ADDITIONAL IMAGES:

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