Rob,
As Fernando said, it is a "facon caronero". The absence of a hand guard allowed it be more easily pinned under the saddle.
The designation "facon"applies to large fixed blade knives in general and "the "carona" is the gaucho version of a saddle.
Modern writers have narrowed down the definition of what a facon is, but as far as popular usage is concerned, the above definition remains in use.
These large knives, often made from swords, were primarily used to bring down wild cattle from horseback on the flat-lands known as Pampas. And if the situation required it, they were also be used as weapons.
For the sake of completeness, the semi nomadic gauchos depended for sustenance on the wild cattle and horses found in large numbers on the Pampas. This lifestyle largely disappeared by around 1850 with the settling and commercialization of the flat-lands.
Whilst the provenance of your facon is undoubtedly linked to the River Plate regions, I am a tad suspicious by the excellent state of the blade and the elaborate plaited sheath which I have not seen on 19th century specimens. I say this because there are folks in that part of the world who cut down old bayonets and remount them as facons, selling them as genuine antiques at an elevated price that the bayonet would not have fetched.
Cheers
Chris
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