What are the horses Gato and Mancha known for?

In the 1920’s two horses and one teacher undertook a journey that made them celebrities all over the world. Aimé Tschiffely, born in Berne, Switzerland had been working as a teacher in Buenos Aires and aged 30, having decided his life needed some adventure, he decided to ride two horses from Buenos Aires to New York.

The horses he chose, Gato (Cat) and Mancha (Spot) were 15 and 16 years old respectively. Both were wild Criollo horses, direct descendants of the horses brought to Argentina by the Spanish in the 1500s.

Tschiffely set off with his two sturdy companions on the 24th April 1925 equipped with a rifle, a pistol and silver coins to pay Indian guides he would meet along his way. Gato fell lame in Mexico after being kicked by a mule but Tschiffely and Mancha continued onwards and 3 years, 4 months and 6 days after leaving Palermo, they arrived on 5th Avenue in New York on the 20th September 1928 (the date is now National Horse Day in Argentina) to a heroes welcome.

Gato and Mancha lived out their well-deserved retirement in Argentina and they died aged 36 and 40 respectively in the 1940s.