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 fountain of wisdom, education, good manners and kindness with a pinch of genius, that was his recipe. Eduardo never left anyone indifferent who had the pleasure of meeting him, 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 head, a tall and slender lady like few others at the time, with a careful upbringing and impeccable morals, she moulded Eduardo, who always kept her advice in mind and was undoubtedly a role model for him to follow.His father was a big cattle dealer in the area and from him he learnt this profession to which he dedicated his life and in which he put passion and intelligence in equal parts.He learnt this trade, which was more of a way of life for him, as a child, as he hardly went to school, although he had a great school of life. He was so clever that at the age of 12, he managed his first business without outside help and had the oldest trader in the area on the hook. He told this anecdote very proudly, as this trader was apparently a tough nut to crack and it was not easy to close a deal with him, but Eduardo, who was only 12 years old, did it with flying colours. All his brothers are similar in appearance, with an unmistakable stamp that identifies them as part of this great family saga: tall, slim, with a sharp face...
Don Eduardo Yebra Romero
Party in the village with Eduardo (on the right)
Before I mention Eduardo's exquisite education, I would like to emphasise one characteristic: El Largo never turned his back on anyone when he spoke, he was always polite and courteous, he had a characteristic and at the same time ancient way of greeting, He tipped his hat like a gentleman while slightly inclining his head, his gaze was firm, always focused on the eyes and showed sincerity, his handshake was firm, Eduardo's word was worth more than a paper signed in front of a notary, when El Largo shook your hand, it went to the ‘mass’, pardon the expression. In short, he was a gentleman of those who no longer exist, who harboured in his person a mixture of many things, on the one hand he had this careful upbringing and on the other he was sometimes rude and coarse, delicate for example in the care of his roses and at the same time careless with himself, he could go to the Sierra with pneumonia and a fever of 40º, he couldn't watch his diet, he could smoke a lot? He had some exquisite tastes, such as horses of great beauty and breed with high economic costs, and on the other hand he didn't mind sitting on a broken sofa every day...these mixtures made Eduardo an unrepeatable, great and unique person, and one should be wary of trying to change him, he was true to his nature, and no man has yet been born who has changed the Largo, as they say, Eduardo was ‘genius and figure to the grave’.
He was a vehement man 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 became ill, Eduardo no longer felt the way he was, he could no longer exert himself physically as he used to, and that made him very sad, perhaps he didn't express it clearly, but you could see it in his look, in his somewhat melancholy mood and in his self-esteem; he was no longer the same, yet he faced his own fears and decided to undergo this life and death transplant, and once again El Largo faced life, in the end he didn't win the battle, but you can never say that he didn't give it his all.
Antonio, Eduardo Senior, Eduardo Junior
His nickname ‘El Largo’ comes from his tall stature, he was like a small asparagus, tall and slim. He was also characterised by his beard, as you can see in the photos, often with slightly long hair, corduroy or denim trousers, shirt, often accompanied by a waistcoat... In short, a gentleman from times gone by. To give you a better idea of what Eduardo was like, I have to talk about something that is not recognisable in the photos, his voice, his voice was deep, resounding, you could easily hear it from a great distance, his animals knew it perfectly and woe betide the animal that received an order from him and didn't listen, ha, ha, ha, ha. ... his voice was a little imposing, to be honest, especially when he spoke to you in anger, but it was like the foam of beer... it rose and fell with it... he was always a small piece of bread, wrapped in a character that is typical of geniuses, there is no genius in history who has not possessed a strong character.
Eduardo works in the garden
With his roses
He was a man of simple passions: Nature, animals, roses... and above all his family. He could say all sorts of things about his children, his wife, his siblings... but he would never allow anyone to do so in his presence. The greatest of 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 with five children, which they kept together for the rest of their lives. Carmen is a beautiful blonde woman with green eyes, but apart from her physical appearance, Carmen is a great person. It wasn't easy to be in Eduardo's shadow, but Carmen always knew how to deal with it, and here the saying ‘behind a great man is a great woman and vice versa’ applies. Even though there were always difficult moments in the family and in the marriage, their bond was able to overcome all adversity, 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 puts on a good face, she has always been surrounded by men of strong character, she is undoubtedly the glue that holds the family together.
Don Eduardo Yebra Romero and Carmen Cabrera Castillo
If we look back at his beginnings, we have to say that from childhood Eduardo travelled with his cattle through all the villages in the region to sell animals to the locals, sometimes on horseback, sometimes on foot... he travelled much of the Alpujarra, 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 trader with a capital letter. Eduardo was already very clever, but his dedication to buying and selling animals undoubtedly awakened in him an extraordinary instinct and intelligence. Most of the time he managed to live well, but from time to time there were lean periods, and far from giving up, he always found a solution, there was never a shortage of food, perhaps of luxuries, but there was never hardship.
Sometimes he had to sleep in the open air on a village square or in the mountains... He did this with a fever, with a stomach ache or with some ailment, nothing could keep him from his duties. When I tell these anecdotes, it seems as if I am talking about someone who lived several centuries ago. This kind of self-sacrificing life, riding or walking from village to village, was practised by Eduardo in the 60s and 70s of the twentieth century, so for many, El Largo was the last old-fashioned trader to live in the Alpujarra, and for many, a trade, a way of understanding things and a way of life died with Eduardo. That is why Eduardo Yebra was something special and unique, because his lifestyle and way of life no longer exist today, this way of working and living has died out, hence the title: ‘The great legend of El Largo’.
Over the years he settled in Laroles, the village of his beloved Carmen, and as head of the family he focussed more on grazing in the Sierra de Laroles, but he never stopped keeping cows in the countryside, in true freedom, or doing business in villages far from his hometown... His son Antonio is the one who has followed in his footsteps in terms of his passion for livestock farming and country life, although all his children have something that reminds us of him, some with their character, a similar physique, their heart or their ability to sacrifice themselves in their work. But in this case, let's focus a little more on Antonio, who is responsible for ‘Equilibre Sierra Nevada’ and today keeps cows in freedom in the Sierra Nevada, as well as horses and mules for the routes he is so passionate about, and in a way he is the one who keeps the way of life of Eduardo, his beloved father, alive. Eduardo saw the birth of this project of equestrian routes that makes Antonio so happy, and that is why ‘Equilibre Sierra Nevada’ is so important to Antonio, for him it is much more than a business, it is a dream fulfilled, and it makes it even more special and satisfying that his father was able to see him fulfil that dream before he left.
Eduardo with his oldest granddaughter Lorena
Antonio
When you take a tour with ‘Equi Libre Sierra Nevada’, you are travelling through time and in the traditional way that Eduardo taught his children. It is much more than a tourist route, as there are so many in other places in the Alpujarra and in Spain or in the world, it is a journey into the past, but in the present, connecting you with your inner self and with nature.
It is impossible to explain in so few lines 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 want at least those who read it to have a small idea of what he and his life were like, what his character was like, his heart, his feeling as a countryman who was always connected to nature... in short, a great man who was true to his word and to 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 city was felt in the atmosphere, it was impressive to see his family at the front, with serenity and elegance, but with great pain. Despite this untimely death, because the truth is that he was too young to go, Eduardo drank life in sips, he no longer had a dream that he could not fulfil, and he enjoyed the little things, which is the secret of 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, good luck to all those who crossed the Largo on his way.
Surely he watches over his family from the sky on a white horse with a smile on his face, no doubt continuing to scold them to keep them on the right path.
Farewell Eduardo Yebra Romero ‘El Largo’.
