Equi libre
Sierra Nevada
The Great Legend of ‘El Largo’ (The Long One)
Don Eduardo Yebra Romero, better known as ‘El Largo’, was an insignia in the Alpujarra, to know him was to drink from an inexhaustible source of wisdom, education, good manners and kindness with a pinch of genius, that was his recipe. Eduardo never left anyone who had the pleasure of meeting him indifferent and this letter is addressed to those who did not have the honour of knowing him.
Eduardo grew up in the bosom of a humble family, with a great matriarch at the helm, a tall and slender lady like few others at the time, with a careful education and impeccable morals, she left her mark on Eduardo who always kept her advice in mind and was undoubtedly an example for him to follow. His father was a great cattle dealer in the area and from him he learned this trade to which he dedicated his life and in which he put passion and intelligence in equal parts. He learnt this profession, which for him was more like a way of life, as a child, as he hardly went to school, although he did have a great school of life. He was so clever that when he was only 12 years old, he made his first deal without anyone's help and managed to ‘hook’ the oldest dealer in the area. He told this anecdote very proudly, as that dealer was apparently a tough nut to crack and it was not easy to win a deal with him, but Eduardo, at only 12 years old, came out of it with flying colours. All his brothers are of similar appearance, showing a distinctive stamp that makes them stand out as belonging to this great family saga, tall, slim, with a sharp face...
Don Eduardo Yebra Romero
Village party with Eduardo on the right
Before I mentioned Eduardo's exquisite education, a quality I would like to highlight, El Largo never turned his back to anyone when he spoke, always gentlemanly and courteous, he had a characteristic and at the same time ancient way of greeting, taking off his hat like a gentleman and at the same time slightly ducking his head, his gaze was firm, always directed at the eyes showing sincerity, his handshake was firm, Eduardo's word was worth more than a paper signed before a notary, if El Largo shook your hand, that went to ‘mass’ with pardon the expression. In short, he was a gentleman of those who are no longer left, harbouring within his person a mixture of many things, on the one hand he had this careful education and on the other he was rude and rough at times, delicate for example in the care of his roses and at the same time careless with himself, he could go with pneumonia and a fever of 40º to the Sierra, he could not take care of his diet, he could smoke a lot? He had some exquisite tastes such as horses of great beauty and breed of a great economic cost, and on the other hand he did not mind having a broken sofa to sit on every day... these mixtures made Eduardo someone unrepeatable, great and unique, and be careful with trying to change him, he was faithful to his way of being and no person has yet been born to change the Largo, as the saying goes Eduardo was ‘genius and figure to the grave’.
He was a vehement person who defended his honour and that of his family, as well as his ideas and way of thinking, tooth and nail.... It was precisely because of this vehemence that he sometimes got into trouble, but nothing and nobody could ever get Largo down, except illness. When he fell ill, Eduardo no longer felt the way he was, he could no longer make the physical efforts he made, and this made him very sad, perhaps he did not express it clearly, but it was noticeable in his look, in his mood, somewhat melancholic and in his self-esteem; He was no longer the same, nevertheless, he faced his own fears and decided to have that life or death transplant and once again El Largo stood up to life, in the end he did not win the battle but it can never be said that he did not give it his all.
Antonio, Eduardo Senior, Eduardo Junior
His nickname ‘El Largo’ comes from his great stature, he was like a little asparagus, tall and thin. He was also characterised by his beard, as you can see in the photographs, often with slightly long hair, corduroy or denim trousers, shirt, often accompanied by a waistcoat... in short, a gentleman like those of yesteryear. So that you can better imagine what Eduardo was like, I have to talk about something that cannot be appreciated in the photographs, his voice, his voice was deep, resounding, it could be heard from a long distance with ease, his animals knew it perfectly and woe betide the animal that received an order from him and did not listen, ha, ha, ha, ha.... his voice was a bit imposing, to be honest, especially if he addressed you in anger, but it was like the foam of beer... it rose and fell with the same... he was always a little piece of bread wrapped in a character typical of geniuses, there is no genius in history who has not possessed a strong character.
Eduardo working in the garden
With his roses
He was a man of simple passions: nature, animals, roses... and above all, his family. He could say anything wrong about his children, wife, siblings... but he would never allow anyone to do so in his presence. The greatest of all these passions was undoubtedly his wife, Carmen, whom he affectionately called ‘la Cabreras’. They met when they were almost children and soon formed a large family of five children, and they stayed together all their lives. Carmen is a beautiful blonde woman with green eyes, but beyond her physical appearance, Carmen is a great person, it was not easy to be in Eduardo's shadow and yet Carmen has always known how to handle it and here the saying ‘behind a great man there is a great woman and vice versa’ is true. Although as a family and marriage there were moments of difficulty, their union was always able to overcome all adversities, Carmen was Eduardo's hands and feet, he ate the world precisely because he had her by his side, she gave him the strength and drive to get out of any situation, nobody knew Eduardo like she did. Carmen is a tireless worker, a person who gives her life for her family and always with a good face, she has always been surrounded by men with a lot of character, she is undoubtedly the glue that keeps the family together.
Don Eduardo Yebra Romero and Carmen Cabrera Castillo
Going back to his beginnings, we have to say that since he was a child, Eduardo travelled through all the villages of the region with his livestock to sell animals to the local people, sometimes on horseback, sometimes on foot... he travelled much of the Alpujarra, at first with his father and when he was older, but still a child, he began to do it alone, he was what was called a cattle dealer with capital letters. Eduardo was already very clever, but without a doubt his dedication to buying and selling animals awakened in him an outstanding instinct and intelligence. Most of the time he managed to make a good living, but from time to time there were lean times and far from giving up he always found a solution, food was never lacking, luxuries maybe, but need never happened.
Sometimes he had to sleep out in the open in a village square or in the mountains... he did so with a fever, with a tummy ache or with any ailment or affliction, nothing made him give up his duties. In telling these anecdotes it seems that I am talking about someone who lived several centuries ago, this kind of sacrificed life, going from village to village on horseback or on foot, was carried out by Eduardo in the 60‘s and 70’s of the 20th century, that is why for many people El Largo was the last old-fashioned trader who lived in the Alpujarra and for many, with Eduardo died a trade, a way of understanding things and a way of life. That is why Eduardo Yebra was special and unique, as his lifestyle and way of life no longer exist today, that way of working and living has become extinct, hence the title: ‘The great legend of El Largo’.
Over the years he settled in Laroles, the village of his beloved Carmen, and as the head of the family, he focused more on grazing in the Sierra de Laroles, but he never stopped having cows in the countryside, in true freedom, or making deals in villages far from his own... His son Antonio is the one who has followed in his footsteps in terms of his passion for livestock and country life, although all his children have something that reminds you of him, some with their character, a similar physique, their heart, or their capacity for sacrifice in their work. But in this case we will focus a little more on Antonio who is in charge of ‘Equilibre Sierra Nevada’ and who keeps cows in freedom in the Sierra Nevada today, also horses and mules for the routes that he is so passionate about and in some way he is the one who keeps alive the way of life of Eduardo, his beloved father. Eduardo saw the birth of this project of horse riding routes that makes Antonio so happy and that is why ‘Equilibre Sierra Nevada’ is so important for Antonio, for him it is much more than a company, it is a dream fulfilled and it makes it even more special and satisfying the fact that his father could see how he fulfilled this dream before he left.
Eduardo with his oldest granddaughter Lorena
Antonio
When you do a route with ‘Equi Libre Sierra Nevada’ you make a journey through time and in the traditional way, as Eduardo taught his children, it is much more than a tourist route as there are so many in other places in the Alpujarra and Spain or the world, it is a journey into the past but in the present that makes you connect with your inner self as well as with nature.
In so few lines it is impossible to explain how and who Don Eduardo Yebra Romero was, there are hundreds of anecdotes to tell as well as teachings and wise advice... but with this letter I would like at least those who read it to have a slight idea of what he and his life were like, what his character was like, his heart, his feeling as a country man always connected to nature... in short, a great man who stood by his word and things well done.
Eduardo left us in the summer of 2021, his funeral was almost a state funeral, hundreds of people followed the coffin and the pain of an entire town was palpable in the atmosphere, it was imposing to see his family at the front with composure and elegance, but with great pain. Despite this premature death, because the truth is that he was too young to leave, Eduardo drank life in sips, he had no dream left to fulfil and enjoyed the little things which is the secret to happiness, as he always said, he was a great teacher of life for many of us who knew him and to know him was undoubtedly to love and admire him, great luck to those who crossed the Largo on his way.
Surely from heaven he watches his family on a white horse with a smile on his face and no doubt continues to scold them to keep them on the straight and narrow.
Farewell Eduardo Yebra Romero ‘El Largo’.
