Charreada of Fiesta San Antonio

I am so excited to tell you that we attended a charreada this afternoon and to share a few photos with you. The Escaramuza was my favorite event. I've enjoyed a lifelong love of horses; there is no more beautiful, powerful, hard working, graceful, and devoted animal than a horse in my opinion. It was thrilling to spend an afternoon watching these magnificent animals perform...oh yeah, their riders too!

Here is a brief description of a charreada from Wikipedia:
The charreada is the original rodeo developed in Mexico based on the working practices of charros or working hands. The participants in the charreada wear traditional charro clothing. In the opening ceremony, organizations and participants parade into the arena on horseback. The charreada itself consists of nine scoring events staged in a particular order for men. 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.

For a description of the events in a Charreada please click here.  We saw eight of the nine men's events and three different Escaramuza teams. I took a number of videos for Mom to see because she would have loved being here with us today.
 
After we arrived at Charro Ranch, we walked back to some of the stables.  

 
These beautiful saddles were displayed at a vendor booth...

 
The saddles were quite different from American western saddles.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In addition to being beautiful, the large platter-size saddle horns on a Mexican saddle provide a stronger place to dally a rope when taking down a steer or a horse.










This is a side saddle like the ones ridden by the women in the Escaramuza.

 
Who will most enjoy seeing this adorable white pony with the pink tinted mane and tail; pink and purple saddle blanket; and the gold sparkles on its rump...Mom, Amber, or Shelby?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Two of the three little girl folkloric dancers...they were so adorable and loved posing for photos in the stadium before their performance.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The opening ceremonies included a parade of the participants led by the Fiesta King El Rey Feo, and the presentation of the flags. See how the colorful layered dresses, called Adelitas, worn by the Escaramuza riders lie on the backs of their horses?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
Looking back again at the photos taken today, it appears that there were only a couple taken of the events, the rest was either movie or me just watching...what the heck? The event pictured here is called Coleadero (Steer Tailing) where the rider grabs the steer's tail and wraps it around his own leg to bring the steer down. This particular steer, as well as two of the bulls that were ridden, put on shows of their own when they refused to leave the ring...very entertaining for the audience.

 
This charro performed amazing rope tricks while standing on his horse...  

The San Antonio Charreadas is held today and next Sunday as part of Fiesta and nine additional dates throughout the year. If you visit San Antonio, please check their schedule. Maybe you'll get lucky like we did and just happen to be in town to see this magnificent display of horsemanship and charro skills.

Lovin' Life ~~ And Horses

Bev