The Monumento a Alberto Larraguibel y caballo Huaso ("Monument to Alberto Larraguibel and the horse 'Redneck'") is a sculpture located on the beach in Vina del Mar. It commemorates Larraguibel's record, set in 1949, for the equestrian high jump. Capital Larraguibel, an army officer, set the record in competition, with a 2.47 meter (8.1 foot) jump, and the record has remained unbroken to this day. The name of the hourse, "Huaso", is a self-deprecating Chilean term that would mean something akin to "cowboy" or just "redneck".
None of which I knew the first time I saw the statue. Life sized, and set in a fountain and pool where beach goers play, the statue shows Larraguibel at the arc of his jump, supported by a winged figure, presumably Nike, Goddess of Victory. Without knowing the story, it looks like a terrible accident, in progress. In context, it is a dynamic and optimistic statue, perfect for the sunny, pleasant beach.
The sculpture to me also, like other monuments in Chile, shows an interesting relationship of Chile to its past. Although modern Chillenos might feel that the country's rural past is irrelevant to them, and some people might be antipathetic to the military, a man on a horse jumping is still something people want to remember.
Brevity Quest 2020