Minden rider trains for 310-mile Gaucho Derby across Patagonia

Press-Herald.com - Full Article

written by Amber McDown
Jan 11, 2026

A Minden woman and active-duty U.S. Air Force member is preparing for one of the most demanding equestrian endurance events in the world, a 10-day, 310-mile race across the Patagonian wilderness of Argentina known as the Gaucho Derby.

Cat Rafanello, who moved to Minden in 2022 after being stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, has been offered a bid to compete in the 2027 Gaucho Derby, an extreme test of horsemanship, navigation and survival that requires riders to switch horses throughout the race while traveling through rugged and remote terrain.

“My husband and I moved to Minden in March 2022 from Montana … when I got orders to Barksdale,” Rafanello said. “We brought our three horses, three dogs, three cats, and a plethora of chickens and geese with us to our beautiful little plot in Minden.”

Since then, she said, her family has put down roots in the community.

“My husband opened a mechanic shop, my sister and her husband have started a farm and are involved with the Minden Farmer’s Market, we are here to stay,” Rafanello said.

That sense of permanence, she said, has given her a strong base as she prepares for an international challenge that began with a simple moment of inspiration.

“I was listening to a Podcast about an Endurance Rider that I really look up to, and she had run in the Gaucho,” Rafanello said. “Someone whispered in my ear just then ‘Why don’t you just apply and see what happens?’”...

Read more here:
https://press-herald.com/minden-rider-trains-for-310-mile-gaucho-derby-across-patagonia/