Charreada: Bone-Breaking Cruelty

Every year throughout Mexico and the American Southwest, horses and cattle are injured or killed during charreadas or charrerias (Mexican rodeos). The Mexican charreada has followed much the same historical track as the American rodeo: Once a contest among charros (Mexican horsemen) to show off riding and roping skills on horses, bulls, and calves, the charreada has degenerated into what is essentially a series of bullying circus acts showcasing “skills” that no cowboy would ever use on a ranch.

Torturous Spectacle
In charreadas, there are about a half-dozen events that are purportedly designed to test “horsemanship.”(1) The “step of death” involves leaping from the back of one horse onto the back of a wild horse and riding until the animal becomes exhausted from trying to buck the person off.(2) “Roman riding,” or “death jump,” calls for a charro to straddle two horses and force them to gallop toward and leap over a parked car.(3)  During the terna en el ruedo, which is the equivalent of team roping in a North American rodeo, riders must rope a calf as quickly as possible, one by the neck and the other by the hind legs.”(4) The victimized calves may suffer from paralysis, throat and neck injuries, and broken bones.

A few municipal bans have been imposed on an event called “steer-tailing” (coleadero), in which a steer is prodded to run at full speed down a long chute, pursued by a charro on horseback who grabs the steer’s tail, wraps it around his boot and stirrup, then veers off, slamming the steer to the ground.(5) Sometimes the legs of both the steer and the horse are broken, and the steer’s tail is broken or torn off.

“Horse-tripping” is the focus of two events: the manganas, in which horses are roped by their front legs and yanked to the ground, and piales, in which the animals are roped by their back legs and crash to the ground.(6) Horse-tripping has been banned in a handful of states, including California, Maine, New Mexico, and Texas, but it is classified as a misdemeanor. While the threat of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine has largely curtailed the practice of horse-tripping at large charreadas, at many small “backyard” events, the practice has decreased but not stopped.(7) For horse-tripping to end, it must be classified as a felony.

Some charreadas also include bullfighting, other rodeo events, and activities that are illegal in the U.S., such as cockfighting.(8) 

Where the Horses Come From—and Go
Many of the horses used in charreadas are leased from slaughter buyers, who generally acquire them from former owners who have no idea what their fate will be. The horses are run until they are too injured, cut up, and battered to go on, with rope burns often cutting down to the bone. They are then consigned to slaughter to supply horse meat to Canada, Europe, and Asia, or they may simply be abandoned in the wild. Within a two-month period, four injured and starving horses were found wandering in a California recreation area; one had such a severely broken leg that euthanasia was the only option for the horse’s relief. Local residents told the Pasadena Star-News that they suspected the animals were victims of horse-tripping in backyard charreadas.(9)

What You Can Do
If you plan to visit the American Southwest or Mexico, tell your travel agent that you oppose cruelty to animals and refuse to attend a charreada. If you are aware that a charreada will be taking place, send a letter of complaint to the mayor of that city.

Start a campaign to ban horse-tripping and/or steer-tailing in your area. For more information on horse-tripping and how to get it banned in your area, contact:

Equus Horse Sanctuary
Box 9
Ravensdale, CA 96123
530-930-0108
mustangsb@direcway.com

Cathleen Doyle
California Equine Council
8625 Lookout Mountain Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
savethehorse@earthlink.net
 
References
1) Lola Sherman, “Equestrian Group Is Pursuing a Home Base in Oceanside. Local Charros Ride High in the Mexican Tradition,” San Diego Union-Tribune 18 Jul. 2002.
2) Shelia Hotchkin, “Another Way to Rodeo: Participants of Charreria Compete in a Storied Tradition,” San Antonio Express-News 23 May 2004.
3) Ellen Sweets, “Keeping Tradition Alive in the Historic Mexican Charreada. Stock Show Event Combines Elements of Rodeo, Fiesta,” The Denver Post 8 Jan. 2004.
4) Marc Ramirez, “Sweet Lariat. Charreria, Hacienda-Bred Rodeo, Is Threatened From Without by Animal-Rights Activists and From Within by Shortsighted Leadership,” Phoenix New Times 29 Sep. 1994.
5) Lakiesha McGhee, “Rodeo Rides Into Town. Four-Day Latino Event Emphasizes Style Over Thrills,” Sacramento Bee 23 Jul. 2004.
6) Ramirez.
7) Denis Cuff, “Mexican Rodeo Sparks Clash Over Tradition, Animal Rights,” Contra Costa Times 16 Aug. 2004.
8) George Knapp, “Cockfighting: Hidden in Plain Sight,” KLAS-TV, 16 Feb. 2005.
9) “Horse’s Death Sparks Outcry: Owner of Animal Is Being Sought,” Pasadena Star-News 22 Dec. 2003.