Toros Coleados

The weekend wasn't a total lost. I went to see this most interesting sport that is quite indigenious to Veneuela. Toros Coleados I think translated it will be Bulls Tail. Something to that affect. The object of the sport is like this. Four fellas on horses wait at the gate for the bull to be released in a long rectangular ring. Once the bull is release, they try to grab his tail. The first one to grab the tail get points. Then they chase the bull on horseback and try to flip him over. Another set of points. see photo to the left. After they get him flipped, then they take the bull and break his tail. Game over. gruesome and curel, but such is life of a bull I guess. Then the bull is pursuaded to return to the pen by another set of guys. One way to get him back in is by administering a series of electric shocks to the toro. The bull is then carted off to the slaughter house the next day.

What a sport huh. Quite premitive. No seating, just go the the ring, sit on the rail up above the ring and watch the sport. Several times we had to hastily rise up our feet a the raging bull was getting too close for comfort. Believe it or not, this is quite an attaction grabber, the main social event for the area. Guaradian National wa there for security and the likes. This seemed to be the event of events to attend. It was interesting to say the least.

Attending this kind of sporting event did give us an insight as the to lives of the people. Their thinking, their mentality, their way of socializing. The guys on the horses were professionals, guys as young as maybe 17/18 in full control of those horses and that bull. masters of their skills. The other amazing thing was the young guys taking the bull back to the pen. A young boy about 12/13 yrs old. If you see how he maneuvered and controlled that bull. absolutely amazing. It was dark and hence the poor quality of the photos. Another amazing thing we saw was another little kid, no more than 7 yrs skillfull riding a horse and no small horse either.

I guess he was practicing for his turn in a few years to get into the ring with the bull. Life for some people! It had rained earlier in the day, so the field was muddy and quite a mess. We enjoyed being in the environment. People in the ring running to see what happening and runing back as soon as they see the bull heading in their direction with galloping stallions behind them. The hubby included. Something like the Pampalero running of the bulls in Spain.

Next on our list a real bull fight.