His mild temperament and the ability to calm the most ill-tempered horse have earned Carlos Tabernaberri the nickname of "horse whisperer" and the "mounted shaman".
Mr Tabernaberri is one of Australia's most highly regarded horse trainers and known internationally for the results he achieves in handling foals, starting young horses, improving the performances of competition horses, and rehabilitating horses who have been abused.
His pedigree may have been developed over decades of performing his craft in Australia, but it was his experiences as a youngster in Argentina which led him on his path.
Mr Tabernaberri grew up in Ensenada, a city and port in Buenos Aires Province, and like many youngsters from the South American country, he had an affinity for football.
Source: SBS
But his love for the round ball was replaced during his childhood by another passion - horses.
As a child, his walk to school ventured passed a settlement where gaucho traditions, the deep-rooted customs that link Argentines with their horses, were cultivated.
Unhappy with the "traditional" practices that some trainers employed to "break in" their horses, he soon realised that more could be achieved using respect, understanding and trust - not force.
"I made a promise to a horse," Mr Tabernaberri tells SBS Spanish, adding that "if I ever got to be with a horse I would do different things so the horse wouldn't suffer so much."
For Mr Tabernaberri, traditions are traditions, but he believes it doesn't make them right.
Source: SBS
"Many things are good, but there are many things like the treatment with violence that is not."
With that promise in his heart, he and his family moved to Australia during the 1980s to start a new life in the western Sydney suburb of Horsley Park, where equines were abundant.
"People used to say 'I have a horse that's giving me problems', and as I liked horses, I would volunteer to take care of them. They left me alone with the horses [to train them] and then would later tell me that the horse was a little quieter," he says.
This is how he began, unintentionally, forging his destiny, through practice, rehearsal, error and without studying.
Only patience and passion guided him.
"When I was wrong, the horse told me that I was wrong and that's how the professional came out."
Dream come true
Eventually, Mr Tabernaberri moved to rural Victoria - first to Kilmore, where he bought a small property, and then to Whispering Acres, where he currently has land to raise horses.
The turning point in his professional life came shortly after she arrived in Victoria. He was training a horse with a difficult temperament, and after two months he was approached by an equine trainer, who had observed him through binoculars, to ask him to prepare his own horse.
Mr Tabernaberri replied that he did not train horses, but the trainer was insistent, saying he liked the way the Argentine related to the animals.
Mr Tabernaberri recalls that the trainer's horse had been suspended for knocking its rider off and had many bad habits. But after three weeks under his care, "he won seven races and was then sold to the Middle East".
After that encounter, his fame in the area grew from word of mouth and people began knocking on his door to train their horses, which was the beginning of his trade.
"Passion became work, and it's not working when it's a passion," he says.
Queen Elizabeth II attending the Royal Agricultural Society show at Newton Abbot in Devon in 1952 Source: The Illustrated London News
The Queen's letter
Over time, Mr Tabernaberri continued to train horses in Australia and other parts of the world. In the north of India, he was able to tame a black horse, and for his efforts, the people of the region began calling him the "mounted shaman".
In 2006, he wrote a book about his techniques called 'Through the Eyes of the Horse'.
He sent a copy of the book to Queen Elizabeth II, known for her love of the horse, who sent a letter back saying she was "moved" by the gesture.
"I had a letter from the Queen of England, who had read the book and liked it very much," says Mr Tabernaberri, who at first thought that "maybe they sent it by mistake".
"It was a nice letter, she had liked the book and said she had been 'moved' by the book."
The letter from Buckingham Palace Source: SBS
Australia's wild brumbies
Mr Tabernaberri has developed the unique ability to tame the brumbie, Australia's feral, free-roaming breed of horse. He says brumbies require more patience and time rather than domestic duties because they live in the wild and not used to humans.
"[But] when things are done well, they are the ones who love you the most and the first to go out to work," he says.
Mr Tabernaberri says he feels comfortable with his country life, his Greek wife and the closeness of his parents whom he brought to live in Victoria.
"When I'm with the horses I don't feel alone, my wife is a teacher and doesn't come home until the afternoon, and I spend my day doing classes. And you are with the horses, and I live in the country. I always loved it.
"If there are animals, I don't feel alone. I don't need to be."
