Backstage at a bullfight Rejon

This post is not a discussion on the morality of bullfighting. My interest here, as a horseman, is the horse and the part it plays in bullfighting. This post is for those who seek education to bring more quality to future debates.

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18^th April 2022, 8.30 am, on a tiny piece of grass surrounded by parked cars & people, behind the arena of Arles, horses were warmed up by their respective owners: Rui Fernandes, Guillermo Hermoso De Mendoza & Diego Ventura.

R Fernandes & D Ventura warming up

H De Mendoza warming up

These riders are known as Rejoneadores. This term comes from Rejon which is a knife attached to a spear. A bullfight Rejon always involves horses. Furthermore, in a bullfight where a Rejon is used, the bull will always be killed in the arena as opposed to somewhere else. 

Circled in blue is the Rejon.
In this picture, the bull has just entered the arena.
At this stage of the bullfight, the Rejoneadore is riding a horse with exceptional endurance to run.

To recapitulate, a bullfight Rejon involves 1 Spanish bull, 4 to 6 horses ridden one after the other by a rider called a Rejoneadore, and a Rejon. 

For two and a half hours i watched the horses getting prepared and warmed up ahead of the fight at 11am. i remained backstage for the duration of the whole event which lasted two hours. From there, i watched grooms at work, horses getting mentally ready, horses going to the arena and the horses coming back from the same place. The grooms started work at 1am.

 At 19 y o, this Lusitano was the oldest of the string at Diego Ventura's stable.
Head-groom, Paco, described him as 'THE best'.

The 19 y o Lusitano getting last minute prep ...

... before being lead to the arena.  

This 6 y o Lusitano was the youngest of Diego Ventura's string. 

This is a Lusitano X Arab. A fast and endurant horse which is ridden during the first stage of a bullfight. The different stages are explained further below. 

Horses calmy waiting.

Each Rejoneadore had a string of about 10 horses. 80% were entire of which 50% at stud. Each stable had them tied up close to each other to the lorry, saddled and ready to go. 30 horses at very close proximity to each other, there was a lot of testosterones. There were some opinions expressed but, not one kicked or bit another. To me this is a first indication that these horses have a purposeful life. They know the rules and what is expected of them. There was good energy about them.

The majority of horses were males. The few mares around were kept well separated.

Grooms at work at Rui Fernandes's stable.

Entire horses kept at close proximity of each other, not one kicked or bit another.

i looked closely and none of these horses had a scratch mark on them. This is an indication that the program of selection is rigorous & that they are ridden well.

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All horses were Lusitanos or Lusitano-crosses. All of them athletes with muscles in all the right places. Muscled hind quarters, muscled top line & self-carriage with pole higher than the withers.

H De Mendoza warming up all his horses at the walk.

A horse for bullfighting is selected equally for his physical ability as for his mental disposition. The Rejoneadore looks for the ambitious type of horse which is willing to learn and to learn fast.

The training of a bullfighter is dressage all the way. To repeat Paco’s words in the order he delivered them  ‘Dressage, dressage, dressage’. They train every day for 45 mins.

The way they move is powerful. These horses are trained at the highest level. 

In France, Spain & Portugal, bullfighting season spans from February to the end of November.

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A bullfight Rejon has 3 parts - 

The first part is called Tercio de Salida. This is when the bull comes out into the arena and the Rejoneador uses the Rejon. For this first part, the horse is chosen for its stamina to run.

The second part is called Tercio de Banderillas. The Rejoneador uses his more advanced horses with more spectacular dressage movements.

The last part is called Ultimo Tercio or Tercio de Matar. This is when the bull is killed.

Each horse is ridden between 2 to 3 mins whilst in the arena.

From the moment the bull enters the arena to the moment it dies, an average of 15 mins has elapsed.

From this point, in Arles, a team of two Comtois driven side on, goes to work. The Comtois is one of the nine heavy horse breeds of France. Nowadays, they come in a variety of sizes depending on their activity. The smaller ones are ridden in dressage and the taller ones are usually driven.

Comtois having a last conversation before going to work.

Once dead, the bull is dragged at the trot out of the arena through an ancient long curved narrow tunnel in the shape of an L.

The taller Comtois in the team was 17h. 

i was invited into the tunnel to appreciate the intricacy of the operation into this narrow 

L-shaped tunnel . A lack of momentum and the horses would get stuck in the 90 degrees turn and too much speed and the outer horse would cut the corner and prevent the other one from going through.

This is the tunnel of reference.

In my circle of horseman friends, almost all those who own and work cattle also love them, take them to slaughter, eat them and love bullfighting. It is a fact and there is no ambiguity about it.

The picture above was, i believe, taken at the end of the third part of a bullfight a.k.a. Ultimo Tercio. i see a horse which is listening and relaxed. For this to happen, in my experience with horses, there must be true understanding between the rider and the horse. This implies consistency, excellence and fairness. Without consistency, the horse will be scattered. Without excellence, the horse will physically not make it. Without fairness, the horse will break down. 

i leave you with this last thought. The current evolutionary theorist’s view of life on earth is that there is one ‘single tree of life’. All species are genetically related to all others. A banana and a human have approximately 50% overlap in their DNA.

 

Riding The Peddar's Way

    A friend suggested i should record my 4-day trek on the Peddar’s Way à la Tschiffely. i am not so immodest as to compare riding 80kms in flat Norfolk with riding 10,000 miles from Argentina to New York in 2.5 years, but i can draw his inspiration!

My horse, Autan, and i travelled on the old Roman road of the Peddar’s Way at the beginning of January 2022.

    The remark most often expressed by my fellow riders is that January is cold and therefore uninviting. Most riders seem to have written January off. How can this be possible? For me January is the perfect month to ride out.  No-one ventures out except for hardy outdoor lovers, dedicated dog owners, bambis, pheasants, foxes, geese and hares, all of which i find excellent company.  The cold weather is exhilarating. It whips you for the first few minutes but then kisses you warmly all over as you and your horse get moving.  In January, the sun shines often and it rains far less than in August in the UK.  Last but not least, those who let you have a stable for a tired horse in the middle of winter, are people worth riding out to meet. They have been, without exception, outstanding hosts and i am glad to have saddled up.

Flock of geese in inverted V formation.
For safety, this is the shape riders should form when 3 or more horses travel on the road. 

     It was my third time riding the Peddar’s Way in January but it was the first time riding alone with my horse. Riding alone versus riding with others is a different ball game altogether. And, in my opinion, often a better one. Over the years i have heard my mentor say that a horse that does not back up well is guaranteed to not do well at everything else. Along the same line of experience, riding with people who are consistently poor at time keeping are guaranteed to be balls and chains along the way. Choosing whom to trek with requires careful consideration.

    Trekking starts with a mental & a physical effort but on day 3 or 4, horse and rider change mode. A switch happens and it feels like everybody is managing better and everything is balancing itself out.  It is worth trekking for four days, at least, to notice this switch. For Autan & me, it happened on the third day. The further you ride, the freer you become. Furthermore, the Way makes you happy.

    Trekking is discovering how much you trust your horse and how far he trusts you back. This is an integral part of trekking. Pretty soon, you do not need to tie your horse up when you stop for lunch. In the saddle, one follows the other and wise versa.

This was during a lunch break. Autan could have gone anywhere he liked. Yet, he stayed by me.
i walked away a few steps and he followed a few steps.
Then, Autan & i carried on each with our lunch.
Lovely feeling!

    On a more practical side of trekking, the following are prerequisites ~ Make sure your horse ties up confidently alone ~ Make sure you have a few knots in your repertoire to tie your horse safely & not to damage the saddlery when doing so. i have four knots i do regularly so that i don’t forget them. They are the half-hitch knot, the bow line knot, the bank robber knot & the Buckaroo square knot to tie up my scarf neatly ~ Horse and rider wear reflective gear. It is guaranteed to cramp your style but on UK roads it is essential for the safety of all involved ~ And fourthly, ride with an open mind as you will need it when you arrive at your daily destination.

Here Autan is tied up using 3 knots.
The horseman bridle becomes a halter when knotting a half-hitch & a bow line.
If the horse were to pull, this knot combination prevents forces exerted on the bit.
The third knot used is the Bank Robber knot to tie the horse to the stable bars.

Day 1 – 14kms in 3hrs  We started in Wretham. On the first day of the trek, there is often this desire to hit the road fast and furious. i don’t. Instead, we rode all the way at the walk; slow, medium, fast, collected and elongated walks under a frosty and sunny winter day. Autan met a llama for the first time. It was a stand off between them. Both head-high, they looked at each other like two statues in Le Jardin Des Tuileries.

Silvery start with frost underfoot.

Day 2 – 22kms in 4hrs30  This section of the Peddar’s Way is mainly tarmac and being a Roman road, it goes in a straight Northerly fashion. This is perfect for dressage exercises. There were a few obstacles along the way in the shape of kissing gates, a very narrow bridge and a knee-high ford. The sun shone for us all day.

Day 3 – 14kms in 1hr50  Being a short ride & off-road all the way, the intention was to go for speed. Under heavy rain and strong wind, off we went and we loved it! It was a smooth ride by judging at the unbroken state of two eggs i carried in my saddle bag.

This ride was dedicated to Olivier Faure, a French horseman friend, who left us. 

Day 4 – 29kms in 4hrs20  Autan was dancing & prancing in his stable ready to go. This is the day where everything comes together, weather wise too. It was another crisp and sunny day. We reached the North Sea at 1.30pm at Holme-Next-The-Sea. We closed our ride with cantering the infinity symbol on the beach. Aaahhh! Corny i know but nonetheless this is what we did.

In all, we rode 80kms in four consecutive days in the glorious Norfolk countryside.