Meandering in Mesa: Doma Vaquera

My husband really would like to see a bull fight but that isn't allowed. For one thing, they are held on Sundays. For another, they are violent and the spectators tend to indulge in alcoholic refreshments. Generally not considered missionary appropriate. However... in the last few years, bull fighting has fallen in popularity even here in Spain. The Spaniards have found other uses for the bull rings. Fuengirola sent an email on an event to be held in the Plaza de Toros, so Saturday we went to the bull ring. We weren't sure what it would be as the words in the name weren't in the dictionary at least in this usage. Turns out it was a horsemanship show/demonstration. I LOVED it. Lots of the skills that were displayed we had seen at the Royal riding school in Jerez, but here we were closer and photos were allowed!!! I may have had to cull photos for an hour to get the number down to just a hundred or so. Here are some of the best. Certain of you will be subjected to the short videos I took, but since I don't know how to put them on this blog, the majority of you will be spared.

Behold the inside of a bull ring!
I rather thought it was a competition to start, but it was simply a demonstration. The shrubs formed the limits of the show ground. It was elegant and lovely. The signals to the horse are almost never seen by the audience. It seems as though the horse just decides to do them on his own. There was music along with each performance and a running commentary from the stand. I couldn't understand much. The specialized vocabulary is my excuse.

The horse moves at a controlled trot most of the time, changing leads, crossing feet, moving in diagonal lines, sometimes in tight circles and sometimes marching in place.

It was beautiful. The second rider did similar moves but using this long pole as part of the performance.

Sometimes the rider carried the pole, sometimes he dragged it on the ground.

Here he laid it on his shoulder and the horse trotted in a circle without dislodging the pole.

Here the horse moves in a tight circle with the end of the pole stationary.

Here the horse jumps moving his head under the pole to change directions in the circle.

See his forefeet off the ground? I was so impressed!

This lady oozed elegance!!!

Notice, only one foot is touching the ground at this moment.

The feet just seem to float between steps.

I kept wishing to see the horse just get to run a little. The next horse did just that. There were only short bursts of gallop followed by stopping short, but there was no hauling on the reins like we do in western riding. The horse just seemed to sit on his haunches and stop. The power in the hind quarters of this breed of horse is what makes them able to perform like this. That power also made them valued as war horses and there was a time when the 'pure Spanish breed' almost died out.

See how he is crossing his front legs? It looks so cool.

After his performance he was joined by his son, I believe they said he is 6 years old.

He was able to do demonstrate many of the same skills. Notice the stirrup. About half of the riders used this type of stirrup.

Each rider seemed to have a particular trick they did best. This horse would turn in a circle with his hind legs in one place and the front stepping around. Then he did just the opposite, keeping the front in place and moving the back legs in a full circle.

I think this was the prettiest looking horse partly because of his style and smoothness of movement and partly because his coat looked like burnished silver.

He was so focused!

He was also very good at the sudden stop and he loved marching in time to the music.

Can you tell that somebody never really out grew her adolescent horse loving stage?

I loved the color of this horse too.

Very good at moving backwards and quick stops.

Somehow this horse looks like a Barbie horse to me. All the amazing skills of the other horses but just the reins and quirt to signal changes. This was an excitable, nervous seeming horse.