Charreada
Encyclopedia
The charreada or charrería is a competitive event similar to rodeo
and was developed from animal husbandry
practices used on the haciendas of Old Mexico. The sport has been described as "living history," or as an art form drawn the demands of working life. Evolving from the traditions brought from Spain in the 16th century, the first charreadas were ranch work competitions between haciendas. The modern Charreada developed after the Mexican Revolution
when charro
traditions were disappearing. The competing charros often came from families with a tradition of Charreria, and teams today are often made up from extended families who have been performing for up to five generations.
The charreada consists of nine events for men plus one for women, all of which involve horses, cattle or both. Some of the events in the charreada have been criticized by animal advocacy groups and some states have banned certain events. However, there is an absence of independent statistical data and unbiased recording of the injury rate of animals has not been undertaken.
to ride. However, by 1528 the Spanish had very large cattle-raising estates
and found it necessary to employ indigenous people as vaquero
s or herdsman, who soon became excellent horsemen. Smaller landholders, known as rancheros or ranchers, were the first genuine charro
s and they are credited as the inventors of the charreada.
Prior to the Mexican Revolution
, ranch work competitions were generally between haciendas. Before World War I, there was little difference between rodeo and charreada. Athletes from the United States, Mexico and Canada competed in all three countries. Subsequently, charreada was formalized as an amateur team sport and the international competitions ceased.
Following the breakup of the hacienda
s by the Mexican Revolution
, the charros saw their traditions slipping away. They met in 1921 and formed the Asociación Nacional de Charros to keep the charrería tradition alive. The advent of the Mexican cinema brought greater popularity, especially musicals which combined ranchera
s with the charro image, akin to the Western and "singing cowboy" genres in the United States.
Mexican Americans in the United States also held various charreadas during the same period, but in the 1970s, the Federación Mexicana de Charrería
(FMCH) began assisting them in establishing official charreadas north of the border. They are now quite common. The US champion team now competes in the national competition of Mexico.
The participants in the charreada wear traditional charro clothing, including a closely fitted suit, chaps
, boots, and a wide brim sombrero
. The body-fitting suit of the charro, while decorative, is also practical; it fits closely to insure there is no flapping cloth to be caught by the horns of steers. The botinas, or little boots, prevent feet from slipping through the stirrups. Spurs
are worn on the botinas.
The saddle
of the charro has a wider horn than that of a western saddle
, which helps safeguard the charro from being pitched off and from being hung up. There are two grips at the back of the saddle, in case the charro needs to hold on because of a buck
or some other unexpected act of the horse.
A charreada is held within a marked-off area of an arena called a Lienzo charro
consisting of a lane 12 metres (39.4 ft) wide by 60 metres (196.9 ft) long leading into a circle 40 metres (131.2 ft)) in diameter.
In the opening ceremony, organizations and participants parade into the arena on horseback, usually accompanied by a mariachi band playing Marcha Zacatecas. This signifies the long tradition of Charros being an auxiliary arm of the Mexican Army. The short charro jacket is remniscent of that worn by members of Villa's Army
.
The charreada itself consists of nine scoring events staged in a particular order for men. Unlike rodeos, most charreadas do not award money to the winners as charreadas are considered an amateur, rather than professional sport. Prizes may take the form of trophies. Unlike American rodeo, events are not timed but judged and scored based on finesse and grace. Charreada historically enjoys greater prestige in Mexico than in the United States.
Until recently, the charreada was confined to men but a women's precision equestrian event called the escaramuza is now the tenth and final event in a charreada. The event involves women's teams dressed in a style reminiscent of the nineteenth century, participating in precisely choreographed patterns for horses. The immediate antecedent of the present Escaramuzas were the Adelitas
, or "women of the revolution." Tradition holds that women on horseback were decoys during the Mexican revolution
. The women would ride off to raise a cloud of dust so that the Federales
were deceived into thinking an attack would come from that direction. The revolutionaries would then attack from the rear.
The women in the escaramuza are mounted "a mujeriegas", that is, in an "albarda" or sidesaddle
that is peculiar in style to the Charrería but the underlying design has also evolved over hundreds of years in both Europe and North Africa. The traditional albarda for the Escaramuza is a cut down charro saddle, with a leather seat and leg braces, U-shaped for the right leg and C-shaped for the left leg.
The charreada itself consists of a number of scoring events staged in a particular order—nine for the men and one for the women. Two or more teams, called asociaciones, compete against each other. Teams can compete to become state, regional, and national champions. The competitors are judged by both style and execution. Unlike rodeos, most charreadas do not award money to the winners as charreadas are considered an amateur sport, not professional. Under Mexican laws it would be illegal to receive a monetary reward for participating in a charreada. At times there are such prizes as saddles or horse trailers.
Various aspects of charreada have been criticized by animal welfare
groups in the United States as being inhumane. While some animal rights
organizations oppose many or all aspects of both charreada and American-style rodeo, other organizations do not oppose rodeos generally or charreada events similar to those seen in US rodeo, but do oppose specific charreada events that involve the "horse-tripping and steer-tailing. These organizations have particular criticism for mangana and piales, the heeling and two forefooting events that involve roping of horses, where they claim that the horses used will often sustain injuries, including broken bones and teeth, dislocated joints, and lacerations. There are additional concerns that horses are underfed and overused, repeatedly roped until lame, with rope burns
down to the bone.
The distinction claimed between horse-tripping and events that rope cattle, such as calf roping
, is that the high center of gravity of a horse, the longer legs and faster speed of a horse creates greater potential for injury, whereas cattle are smaller, have a low center of gravity, are slower and have sturdier limbs.
Horse tripping is not permitted in motion pictures monitored by the American Humane Association
. The California-based Charros Federation USA states that it has voluntarily banned horse-tripping in mainstream charros for over 15 years. They also note, however, that the complete capture in mangana was not stopped due to a belief that there was an unreasonable danger to the horses used, but so teams from California would not be at a disadvantage when they competed in the United States, after a 1994 California law stopped the take down in mangana. Under the Federation rules, the complete capture is still permitted in Mexico.
Nine US states, including the southwestern border states of Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona, have banned horse-tripping as a sport, although horses may still be roped and taken to the ground when required for veterinary care, identification and branding; or essentially, reasons other than entertainment. In 2011, the state legislatures of Oregan and Nevada considered but did not pass bills that would have stopped horse tripping, and, in Colorado, a bill intended to ban both horse-tripping and steer-tailing also failed.
There are also concerns about the steer tailing event, due to concerns that a steer can suffer injuries to his tail, but also his back and limbs as he rolls. Legislation to ban steer tailing, which also is an event seen in some rodeos, was introduced in at least two states.
Supporters of Charreda defend the sport, stating that there is little evidence to support claims of inhumane treatment and noting that few animals are seriously injured. The Charro Federation has stated that experienced Charros know how to properly rope a horse without injuring it. The Charros Federation USA notes that fringe groups who do not follow mainstream standards give a bad name to the whole community. Supporters point out that events sanctioned by the Federación Mexicana de Charrería
(FMCH) are held in both the United States and Mexico, and they operate under rules promulgated by the Federation. They also point to successful and highly public events such the Fiesta San Antonio, where Charreada has been an integral part of the festival for more than 60 years.
There are few hard statistics on either side of the issue. Many charreadas are loosely organized in the USA and obtaining data is a challenge. Informal reports by organizations on both sides of the issue exist. The American Horse Defense Fund claims that from 8 to 20 percent of horses leased for charreada in California were reported to be injured seriously enough to be "sent to slaughter" each week, and the president of the California Equine Council claimed to personally observe a circuit of 10 charreadas for which 78 horses were leased for a season's use, and only 2 were not sent to slaughter by the season's end. Arabian horse
s are said preferred by charros due to their lighter weight, and Arabian horse rescue organizations have reported on encountering rope-scarred animals in slaughter yards whose injuries have been attributed to charreada use by the feedlot owners.
Charro associations question the legitimacy of these reports and lack of hard data. In 2011, Charreada organizers in Texas claim to have begun keeping statistics on injuries to both animals and charros for events sanctioned by the FMCH. To date they have self-published results from 555 charreadas. 329 of which were held in Mexico, where traditional mangana, piales and cola events are offered. 226 charreadas were held in the United States, with non-traditional manganas, but traditional piales and cola. There were also an additional 6 coleaderos. To date, they have reported three injured competitors, one steer with a horn broken in cola, three steers had a tails broken in cola, a horse dying when it flipped in a bucking event.
In comparison, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
(PRCA) reports an animal injury rate of less than one percent in its sanctioned US rodeos. However, The Charro Association notes that the PRCA only sanctions about 30 percent of all US rodeos, Unsanctioned rodeos may have higher abuse and injury rates, and the ASPCA notes that rodeo practice sessions are often the location of more severe abuses than competitions. Likewise, anecdotal reports suggest the worst charreada abuses in the USA occur at events held in small venues with little public notice, and the deepest concerns are directed these unsanctioned events. The problem appears to be most often reported in California, where horse-tripping is banned, yet private "backyard" events still feature these events.
An additional issue separate from the animal welfare debate is concern from some people within the Hispanic community that bans on charreada are a form of cultural discrimination. Supporters of the mangana and piales events argue that catching horses by their legs has been and is a legitimate method of animal husbandry. Therefore, it is properly part of a celebration of traditional ranching methods of Mexico. This is evidenced by the veterinary and ranch work exemptions in the California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas statutes. They also note the inclusion of mangana and piales in Charreada rules promulgated by the FMCH as proof of the tradition of catching horses by their legs.
On the other hand, others argue that horse-tripping is not a traditional part of Mexican culture. Prominent individuals within the Mexican-American community such as Cesar Chavez
have come out in opposition to inhumane treatment of animals being justified on cultural grounds. Chavez, who became a vegetarian and had concerns for the welfare of animals in general, had written a letter in 1990 to Action for Animals stating his view that legislation was needed to ensure the humane treatment of animals at rodeos and explaining that violence was linked with racism, economic deprival, and various animal sports, including dog fighting, cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeo. This letter did not specifically mention charreada, though Chavez drew particular attention to rodeos where no veterinarian was required to be present.
The legislative debate in California in 1994 brought this issue to the forefront. When the bill banning horse-tripping passed, there was concern that the legislation was part of an overall anti-immigration climate that the voters in California were generally favoring at the time.
When horse-tripping legislation was debated in California, the sponsor of the original bill was Joe Baca
, an Assemblyman of Mexican descent who went on to become a member of the U.S. Congress. When the initial bill was submitted by Baca, it was criticized as discriminatory by other Mexican American Assembly members such as Richard Polanco
. The original bill was defeated, but was resubmitted during an emergency session of the legislature. Assemblyman Baca did not sponsor the resubmitted legislation, instead it was sponsored by a non-Hispanic member, John Burton
. However, during the debate leading to the ban enacted in 1994, the California Equine Legislative Counsel presented testimony that individuals such as Cesar Chavez
and organizations including the Mexican American Political Association
opposed horse-tripping as a "cruel cultural anachronism."
(PRCA) distances itself from charreda by specifically opposing horse-tripping events. The California-based Charros Federation USA states that it has voluntarily banned horse-tripping in mainstream charros for over 15 years. There is only one non-charreada event in the United States that ropes horses by their front legs, the non-PRCA Jordan Big Loop Rodeo in Oregon.
During the 2011 legislative debate in Nevada on legislation to ban the horse-tripping events, some opponents of a ban expressed concern that it would also undermine rodeos. However, this was disputed by supporters of a ban: "Horse tripping is not a recognized event in any form of sanctioned rodeo...This issue has absolutely nothing to do with rodeos nor is it some back door attempt to attack rodeo and livestock events..."
On the other hand, supporters of charreada point out that some rodeo associations initially opposed the California horse tripping ban, pointing out that when the original bill was submitted, supporters such as Eric Mills were also seeking to ban calf roping
, "steer busting" and bulldogging
. After the bill failed, the California Equine Counsel, who was not opposed to those events, stepped in as the main spokes group for the resubmitted bill. Once Mills no longer took an active role in the legislation, the Rodeo Associations decided to remain neutral, and the bill passed. In 2011, SB 613, a bill to stop “horse tripping” was submitted in Oregon. This was opposed by the United Horsemen. “They were joined by other SB 613 opponents, including the American Quarter Horse Association
, the Oregon Quarter Horse Association, and the PRCA. Other opponents included the directors of the Pendleton Roundup plus other rodeo directors and supporters. The bill did not pass.
The PRCA also worked with the Charros' groups to stop a bill to make steer tailing illegal, and to stop legislation that would have required two weeks advance notice of rodeo events.
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
and was developed from animal husbandry
Animal husbandry
Animal husbandry is the agricultural practice of breeding and raising livestock.- History :Animal husbandry has been practiced for thousands of years, since the first domestication of animals....
practices used on the haciendas of Old Mexico. The sport has been described as "living history," or as an art form drawn the demands of working life. Evolving from the traditions brought from Spain in the 16th century, the first charreadas were ranch work competitions between haciendas. The modern Charreada developed after the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
when charro
Charro
Charro is a term referring to a traditional horseman from Mexico, originating in the central-western regions primarily in the state of Jalisco including: Zacatecas, Durango, Guanajuato, Morelos, Puebla...
traditions were disappearing. The competing charros often came from families with a tradition of Charreria, and teams today are often made up from extended families who have been performing for up to five generations.
The charreada consists of nine events for men plus one for women, all of which involve horses, cattle or both. Some of the events in the charreada have been criticized by animal advocacy groups and some states have banned certain events. However, there is an absence of independent statistical data and unbiased recording of the injury rate of animals has not been undertaken.
History
Charrería, a word encompassing all aspects of the art, came to Mexico from Salamanca, Spain in the 16th century. When the Spanish first settled in Colonial Mexico, they were under orders to raise horses, but not to allow Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
to ride. However, by 1528 the Spanish had very large cattle-raising estates
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
and found it necessary to employ indigenous people as vaquero
Vaquero
The vaquero is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that originated on the Iberian peninsula. Today the vaquero is still a part of the doma vaquera, the Spanish tradition of working riding...
s or herdsman, who soon became excellent horsemen. Smaller landholders, known as rancheros or ranchers, were the first genuine charro
Charro
Charro is a term referring to a traditional horseman from Mexico, originating in the central-western regions primarily in the state of Jalisco including: Zacatecas, Durango, Guanajuato, Morelos, Puebla...
s and they are credited as the inventors of the charreada.
Prior to the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, ranch work competitions were generally between haciendas. Before World War I, there was little difference between rodeo and charreada. Athletes from the United States, Mexico and Canada competed in all three countries. Subsequently, charreada was formalized as an amateur team sport and the international competitions ceased.
Following the breakup of the hacienda
Hacienda
Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate. Some haciendas were plantations, mines, or even business factories. Many haciendas combined these productive activities...
s by the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
, the charros saw their traditions slipping away. They met in 1921 and formed the Asociación Nacional de Charros to keep the charrería tradition alive. The advent of the Mexican cinema brought greater popularity, especially musicals which combined ranchera
Ranchera
Ranchera is a genre of the traditional music of Mexico originally sung by only one performer with a guitar. It dates to the years of the Mexican Revolution in the early 20th century. It later became closely associated with the mariachi groups which evolved in Jalisco. Ranchera today is also played...
s with the charro image, akin to the Western and "singing cowboy" genres in the United States.
Mexican Americans in the United States also held various charreadas during the same period, but in the 1970s, the Federación Mexicana de Charrería
Federación Mexicana de Charrería
The Federación Mexicana de Charrería regulates charrería events in Mexico. Charrería, officially the National Sport of Mexico, consists of a series of Mexican equestrian events rooted in the horsemanship brought over from Spain during their conquest of the New World...
(FMCH) began assisting them in establishing official charreadas north of the border. They are now quite common. The US champion team now competes in the national competition of Mexico.
Performance
Chaps
Chaps are sturdy coverings for the legs consisting of leggings and a belt. They are buckled on over trousers with the chaps' integrated belt, but unlike trousers they have no seat and are not joined at the crotch. They are designed to provide protection for the legs and are usually made of leather...
, boots, and a wide brim sombrero
Sombrero
Sombrero in English refers to a type of wide-brimmed hat originating in Mexico. In Spanish, however, it is the generic word for "hat", which originates from "sombra", meaning "shade"....
. The body-fitting suit of the charro, while decorative, is also practical; it fits closely to insure there is no flapping cloth to be caught by the horns of steers. The botinas, or little boots, prevent feet from slipping through the stirrups. Spurs
Spurs
Spurs are tools worn on the heel of a boot, used when riding horses.Spurs can also refer to:* The Chancellor's Spurs, a traveling trophy awarded to the winner of the college football game between Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin...
are worn on the botinas.
The saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
of the charro has a wider horn than that of a western saddle
Western saddle
Western saddles are used for western riding and are the saddles used on working horses on cattle ranches throughout the United States, particularly in the west. They are the "cowboy" saddles familiar to movie viewers, rodeo fans, and those who have gone on trail rides at guest ranches...
, which helps safeguard the charro from being pitched off and from being hung up. There are two grips at the back of the saddle, in case the charro needs to hold on because of a buck
Bucking
Bucking is a movement performed by a horse or bull in which the animal lowers his head and raises his hindquarters into the air, usually while kicking out with his hind legs. If powerful, it may unseat the rider enough so that he falls off....
or some other unexpected act of the horse.
A charreada is held within a marked-off area of an arena called a Lienzo charro
Lienzo charro
A lienzo charro is an arena where charros hold the events of charreada, torneo de colas and bull riding. A lienzo has two areas: one and a second, circular area in diameter. Charreada is a team competition in which teams go head-to-head to win points in different competitions. The team with the...
consisting of a lane 12 metres (39.4 ft) wide by 60 metres (196.9 ft) long leading into a circle 40 metres (131.2 ft)) in diameter.
In the opening ceremony, organizations and participants parade into the arena on horseback, usually accompanied by a mariachi band playing Marcha Zacatecas. This signifies the long tradition of Charros being an auxiliary arm of the Mexican Army. The short charro jacket is remniscent of that worn by members of Villa's Army
Pancho Villa
José Doroteo Arango Arámbula – better known by his pseudonym Francisco Villa or its hypocorism Pancho Villa – was one of the most prominent Mexican Revolutionary generals....
.
The charreada itself consists of nine scoring events staged in a particular order for men. Unlike rodeos, most charreadas do not award money to the winners as charreadas are considered an amateur, rather than professional sport. Prizes may take the form of trophies. Unlike American rodeo, events are not timed but judged and scored based on finesse and grace. Charreada historically enjoys greater prestige in Mexico than in the United States.
Until recently, the charreada was confined to men but a women's precision equestrian event called the escaramuza is now the tenth and final event in a charreada. The event involves women's teams dressed in a style reminiscent of the nineteenth century, participating in precisely choreographed patterns for horses. The immediate antecedent of the present Escaramuzas were the Adelitas
La Adelita
"La Adelita" is one of the most famous corridos to come out of the Mexican Revolution. It is the story of a young woman in love with a sergeant who travels with him and his regiment....
, or "women of the revolution." Tradition holds that women on horseback were decoys during the Mexican revolution
Mexican Revolution
The Mexican Revolution was a major armed struggle that started in 1910, with an uprising led by Francisco I. Madero against longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz. The Revolution was characterized by several socialist, liberal, anarchist, populist, and agrarianist movements. Over time the Revolution...
. The women would ride off to raise a cloud of dust so that the Federales
Federales
Federales is a short term for the Mexican Federal Police or any of its predecessors, including the Federal Investigations Agency or the Federal Preventive Police. The term gained widespread usage by English-speakers due to popularization in such films as The Wild Bunch, The Treasure of the Sierra...
were deceived into thinking an attack would come from that direction. The revolutionaries would then attack from the rear.
The women in the escaramuza are mounted "a mujeriegas", that is, in an "albarda" or sidesaddle
Sidesaddle
Sidesaddle riding is a form of Equestrianism that uses a type of saddle which allows a rider to sit aside rather than astride a horse, mule or pony. Sitting aside dates back to antiquity and developed in European countries in the Middle Ages as a way for women in skirts to ride a horse in a modest...
that is peculiar in style to the Charrería but the underlying design has also evolved over hundreds of years in both Europe and North Africa. The traditional albarda for the Escaramuza is a cut down charro saddle, with a leather seat and leg braces, U-shaped for the right leg and C-shaped for the left leg.
Events
- Cala de Caballo (ReiningReiningReining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. All work is done at the lope and gallop; the fastest of the horse gaits...
); Literally the demonstration of the horse rein, the horse is required to show its talents in the canter, gallop, slide stop, spins on its hind legs as well as backing. Is one of the hardest events to master and also the most elaborately scored, it is possible to score more negative points than positive ones. - Piales en Lienzo (Heeling); a horseman must throw a lariatLariatLariat can refer to:*A rope in the form of a lasso*Lariat chain, a science demonstration*A professional wrestling move, a variation of a clothesline*A genetic structure in Splicing *Double Lariat, a popular song sung by Luka Megurine...
, let a horse run through the loop, catching it by the hind legs. Three opportunities are given. Points are awarded for distance needed to stop the mare. This is done in the rectangular portion of the arena; - Colas en el Lienzo, or Coleadero (Steer Tailing) similar to bull doggingSteer wrestlingSteer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by twisting its horns. Like all rodeo events, there are concerns from the animal rights community that the competition...
except that the rider does not dismount; the charro rides alongside the left side of the bull, wraps its tail around his right leg, and tries to bring the bull down in a roll as he rides past it. Points are given for technique, time, and roll of the bull. - Jineteo de Toro (Bull ridingBull ridingBull riding refers to rodeo sports that involve a rider getting on a large bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal attempts to buck off the rider....
) similar to the rodeo event. Bulls are smaller, between 990 and 1320 pounds, and are ridden until they stop bucking. Two hands can be used on the bullrope. Points are given for technique. The charro cannot fall off, he must dismount and land upright. After the charro dismounts the bull he must remove the bullrope and bellrope so the Terna en el Ruedo can follow. This event has its roots in an earlier form known as JaripeoJaripeoJaripeo is a form of bull riding practiced in Mexico that developed in the 16th century. Originally it was a form of bull fighting where the rider rode the bull to death, but evolved into a form where the rider simply rode the animal until it stopped bucking...
. - Terna en el Ruedo (Team Roping); a team roping event in which three charros attempt to rope a bull - one by its neck, one by its hind legs, and the last then ties its feet together. They have a maximum of 6 minutes. Points are awarded for rope tricks and time.
- Jineteo de Yegua (Bareback on a wild mare); similar to Bareback bronc riding. Yegua means mareMareFemale horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
. An untrained horse, often a mare, is ridden with a bullrope. Two hands are used and the legs are held horizontally to the ground. - Manganas a Pie (Forefooting) a charro on foot (pie) has three opportunities to rope a horse by its front legs and cause it to fall and roll once. The horse, usually a mare, is chased around the ring by three mounted charros or hazers. Points are awarded for time and rope tricks as long as the horse is roped and brought down. Extra points are given for the tirón del ahorcado (hanged pull) in which the rope is around the charro's neck, like a noose, and he uses his body to cause the mare to fall and roll. Points for all three attempts are cumulative. Eight minutes are given.
- Manganas a Caballo or (Forefooting on Horseback); a charro on horseback has three opportunities to rope a horse by its front legs and cause it to fall and roll once. The horse is chased around the ring by three mounted charros. Points are awarded for time and rope tricks as long as the horse is roped and brought down. Points for all three attempts are cumulative. Eight minutes are given. In the U.S. the horses are not rolled, they are released as soon as they are roped.
- El Paso de la Muerte (The pass of death) a charro riding bareback, with reins, attempts to leap from his own horse to the bare backBareback ridingBareback riding is a form of horseback riding without a saddle. It requires skill, balance, and coordination, as the rider does not have any equipment to compensate for errors of balance or skill....
of a loose, unbroken horse without reins and ride it until it stops bucking. The most dangerous part of this is if the charro performing the pass falls under three other mounted charros that are chasing the loose horse round the arena ring. This is done backwards at times for show. - Escaramuza (English: "skirmish") is an event added in 1992 for teams of women who perform precision equestrian displays riding sidesaddle and garbed in Adelita dress. It is usually held between the Coleadero and the Jineteo de Toro.
Animal welfare issues
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the physical and psychological well-being of animals.The term animal welfare can also mean human concern for animal welfare or a position in a debate on animal ethics and animal rights...
groups in the United States as being inhumane. While some animal rights
Animal rights
Animal rights, also known as animal liberation, is the idea that the most basic interests of non-human animals should be afforded the same consideration as the similar interests of human beings...
organizations oppose many or all aspects of both charreada and American-style rodeo, other organizations do not oppose rodeos generally or charreada events similar to those seen in US rodeo, but do oppose specific charreada events that involve the "horse-tripping and steer-tailing. These organizations have particular criticism for mangana and piales, the heeling and two forefooting events that involve roping of horses, where they claim that the horses used will often sustain injuries, including broken bones and teeth, dislocated joints, and lacerations. There are additional concerns that horses are underfed and overused, repeatedly roped until lame, with rope burns
Friction burn
A friction burn is a form of abrasion caused by friction when a person's skin rubs against a surface. It may also be referred to as "skinning", "chafing," or called by the surface which caused the burn...
down to the bone.
The distinction claimed between horse-tripping and events that rope cattle, such as calf roping
Calf roping
Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by...
, is that the high center of gravity of a horse, the longer legs and faster speed of a horse creates greater potential for injury, whereas cattle are smaller, have a low center of gravity, are slower and have sturdier limbs.
Horse tripping is not permitted in motion pictures monitored by the American Humane Association
American Humane Association
The American Humane Association is an organization founded in 1877 dedicated to the welfare of animals and children.The AHA's Film and Television Unit has monitored the welfare of animals during the production of films and television programs since 1940. They are the source of the familiar...
. The California-based Charros Federation USA states that it has voluntarily banned horse-tripping in mainstream charros for over 15 years. They also note, however, that the complete capture in mangana was not stopped due to a belief that there was an unreasonable danger to the horses used, but so teams from California would not be at a disadvantage when they competed in the United States, after a 1994 California law stopped the take down in mangana. Under the Federation rules, the complete capture is still permitted in Mexico.
Nine US states, including the southwestern border states of Texas, California, New Mexico and Arizona, have banned horse-tripping as a sport, although horses may still be roped and taken to the ground when required for veterinary care, identification and branding; or essentially, reasons other than entertainment. In 2011, the state legislatures of Oregan and Nevada considered but did not pass bills that would have stopped horse tripping, and, in Colorado, a bill intended to ban both horse-tripping and steer-tailing also failed.
There are also concerns about the steer tailing event, due to concerns that a steer can suffer injuries to his tail, but also his back and limbs as he rolls. Legislation to ban steer tailing, which also is an event seen in some rodeos, was introduced in at least two states.
Supporters of Charreda defend the sport, stating that there is little evidence to support claims of inhumane treatment and noting that few animals are seriously injured. The Charro Federation has stated that experienced Charros know how to properly rope a horse without injuring it. The Charros Federation USA notes that fringe groups who do not follow mainstream standards give a bad name to the whole community. Supporters point out that events sanctioned by the Federación Mexicana de Charrería
Federación Mexicana de Charrería
The Federación Mexicana de Charrería regulates charrería events in Mexico. Charrería, officially the National Sport of Mexico, consists of a series of Mexican equestrian events rooted in the horsemanship brought over from Spain during their conquest of the New World...
(FMCH) are held in both the United States and Mexico, and they operate under rules promulgated by the Federation. They also point to successful and highly public events such the Fiesta San Antonio, where Charreada has been an integral part of the festival for more than 60 years.
There are few hard statistics on either side of the issue. Many charreadas are loosely organized in the USA and obtaining data is a challenge. Informal reports by organizations on both sides of the issue exist. The American Horse Defense Fund claims that from 8 to 20 percent of horses leased for charreada in California were reported to be injured seriously enough to be "sent to slaughter" each week, and the president of the California Equine Council claimed to personally observe a circuit of 10 charreadas for which 78 horses were leased for a season's use, and only 2 were not sent to slaughter by the season's end. Arabian horse
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
s are said preferred by charros due to their lighter weight, and Arabian horse rescue organizations have reported on encountering rope-scarred animals in slaughter yards whose injuries have been attributed to charreada use by the feedlot owners.
Charro associations question the legitimacy of these reports and lack of hard data. In 2011, Charreada organizers in Texas claim to have begun keeping statistics on injuries to both animals and charros for events sanctioned by the FMCH. To date they have self-published results from 555 charreadas. 329 of which were held in Mexico, where traditional mangana, piales and cola events are offered. 226 charreadas were held in the United States, with non-traditional manganas, but traditional piales and cola. There were also an additional 6 coleaderos. To date, they have reported three injured competitors, one steer with a horn broken in cola, three steers had a tails broken in cola, a horse dying when it flipped in a bucking event.
In comparison, the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is an organization whose members compete in rodeos throughout North America, primarily in the United States. The PRCA sanctions rodeo venues and events through the PRCA Circuit System. Its championship event is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo...
(PRCA) reports an animal injury rate of less than one percent in its sanctioned US rodeos. However, The Charro Association notes that the PRCA only sanctions about 30 percent of all US rodeos, Unsanctioned rodeos may have higher abuse and injury rates, and the ASPCA notes that rodeo practice sessions are often the location of more severe abuses than competitions. Likewise, anecdotal reports suggest the worst charreada abuses in the USA occur at events held in small venues with little public notice, and the deepest concerns are directed these unsanctioned events. The problem appears to be most often reported in California, where horse-tripping is banned, yet private "backyard" events still feature these events.
Cultural concerns
On the other hand, others argue that horse-tripping is not a traditional part of Mexican culture. Prominent individuals within the Mexican-American community such as Cesar Chavez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
have come out in opposition to inhumane treatment of animals being justified on cultural grounds. Chavez, who became a vegetarian and had concerns for the welfare of animals in general, had written a letter in 1990 to Action for Animals stating his view that legislation was needed to ensure the humane treatment of animals at rodeos and explaining that violence was linked with racism, economic deprival, and various animal sports, including dog fighting, cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeo. This letter did not specifically mention charreada, though Chavez drew particular attention to rodeos where no veterinarian was required to be present.
The legislative debate in California in 1994 brought this issue to the forefront. When the bill banning horse-tripping passed, there was concern that the legislation was part of an overall anti-immigration climate that the voters in California were generally favoring at the time.
When horse-tripping legislation was debated in California, the sponsor of the original bill was Joe Baca
Joe Baca
Joseph N. "Joe" Baca is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2003. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, numbered as the 42nd from 1999 to 2003, is located in southwestern San Bernardino County and includes Fontana, Rialto, Ontario and parts of the city of San...
, an Assemblyman of Mexican descent who went on to become a member of the U.S. Congress. When the initial bill was submitted by Baca, it was criticized as discriminatory by other Mexican American Assembly members such as Richard Polanco
Richard Polanco
Richard G. Polanco is a former California State Senate Majority leader and member of the California State Assembly. He is known for his significant efforts in increasing Latino representation in the California Legislature.-Background:...
. The original bill was defeated, but was resubmitted during an emergency session of the legislature. Assemblyman Baca did not sponsor the resubmitted legislation, instead it was sponsored by a non-Hispanic member, John Burton
John L. Burton
John Lowell Burton is the current Chairman of the California Democratic Party. He is an American politician who served as a Democratic California State Senator from 1996 until 2004, representing the 3rd district. From 1998 until he was forced out of office by term limits in 2004, he served as the...
. However, during the debate leading to the ban enacted in 1994, the California Equine Legislative Counsel presented testimony that individuals such as Cesar Chavez
César Chávez
César Estrada Chávez was an American farm worker, labor leader, and civil rights activist who, with Dolores Huerta, co-founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers ....
and organizations including the Mexican American Political Association
Mexican American Political Association
Mexican American Political Association is an organization that promotes the interests of Mexican-Americans, Mexicans, Latinos, Chicanos, Hispanics and Latino Economic Refugees in the United States.-History:...
opposed horse-tripping as a "cruel cultural anachronism."
Rodeo and charreada
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys AssociationProfessional Rodeo Cowboys Association
The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association is an organization whose members compete in rodeos throughout North America, primarily in the United States. The PRCA sanctions rodeo venues and events through the PRCA Circuit System. Its championship event is the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo...
(PRCA) distances itself from charreda by specifically opposing horse-tripping events. The California-based Charros Federation USA states that it has voluntarily banned horse-tripping in mainstream charros for over 15 years. There is only one non-charreada event in the United States that ropes horses by their front legs, the non-PRCA Jordan Big Loop Rodeo in Oregon.
During the 2011 legislative debate in Nevada on legislation to ban the horse-tripping events, some opponents of a ban expressed concern that it would also undermine rodeos. However, this was disputed by supporters of a ban: "Horse tripping is not a recognized event in any form of sanctioned rodeo...This issue has absolutely nothing to do with rodeos nor is it some back door attempt to attack rodeo and livestock events..."
On the other hand, supporters of charreada point out that some rodeo associations initially opposed the California horse tripping ban, pointing out that when the original bill was submitted, supporters such as Eric Mills were also seeking to ban calf roping
Calf roping
Calf roping, also known as tie-down roping, is a rodeo event that features a calf and a rider mounted on a horse. The goal of this timed event is for the rider to catch the calf by throwing a loop of rope from a lariat around its neck, dismount from the horse, run to the calf, and restrain it by...
, "steer busting" and bulldogging
Steer wrestling
Steer wrestling, also known as bulldogging, is a rodeo event in which a horse-mounted rider chases a steer, drops from the horse to the steer, then wrestles the steer to the ground by twisting its horns. Like all rodeo events, there are concerns from the animal rights community that the competition...
. After the bill failed, the California Equine Counsel, who was not opposed to those events, stepped in as the main spokes group for the resubmitted bill. Once Mills no longer took an active role in the legislation, the Rodeo Associations decided to remain neutral, and the bill passed. In 2011, SB 613, a bill to stop “horse tripping” was submitted in Oregon. This was opposed by the United Horsemen. “They were joined by other SB 613 opponents, including the American Quarter Horse Association
American Quarter Horse Association
The American Quarter Horse Association , based in Amarillo, Texas, is an international organization dedicated to the preservation, improvement and record-keeping of the American Quarter Horse. The association sanctions many competitive events and maintains the official registry...
, the Oregon Quarter Horse Association, and the PRCA. Other opponents included the directors of the Pendleton Roundup plus other rodeo directors and supporters. The bill did not pass.
The PRCA also worked with the Charros' groups to stop a bill to make steer tailing illegal, and to stop legislation that would have required two weeks advance notice of rodeo events.
External links
- Federación Mexicana de Charrería (Spanish)
- Nacional de Charros (Spanish) with descriptions and pictures of each event and clothing.
- Official Rulebook (Spanish)