A day at the Rodeo... (Un día en el rodeo...)

Dust flew into the shimmering summer air at the passing of the caballeros, riding abreast with a steer herded between them, spraying dirt clods into the stand. The crowd watched with gathering interest as the beast continued to make the circuit, completely controlled by the two riders, now one behind the other riding almost sideways, his horses breast keeping the steer at the wall, and not allowing it to run free through the middle of the ring. Round and round, they went in the football shaped part of the corral. Three times, they passed before the puerteros opened the gates on either side of the starting pen, and the medialuna was open. The steer, sensing an opportunity to flee his tormentors, burst forward when he saw the opening before him. The caballeros too picked up speed, continuing to keep the animal close to the wall. The announcer shouted, "Un punto bueno!" Around the halfmoon they went, shouting, urging the bull on. The crowd added their own shouts and encouragements, "Ay, yai, yai, yah, yah... bueno caballero!" The steer neared the padded portion of the wall, the crowd tensed, the riders set their jaws and focused all their attention on the animal. Even the live musicians paused mid-song, the harp falling silent and the guitar resting quietly in the woman's lap. Then, the bull reached the scoring area, the rider behind pulled in the reigns, showering the crowd with flying dirt. The rider to the side, the horse who had been galloping sideways next to the steer the whole way, surged forward, and the beasts bellowed as the steer crashed against the wall. The horse had pinned the animal, bringing it to a halt against the padded wall, by hitting the steer just in front of the hind legs, and then in dizzying footwork, while the steer remained still, easing in front of it to keep it from continuing forward. Now the riders had switched positions, the one who had trailed the steer now came in on the side, and the rider who had just pinned the animal, now turned it around to flee the other direction around the halfmoon to the padded wall on the other side. "Cuatro puntos buenos!" shouted the announcer, and the crowd whistled, shouted, clapped their hands and stomped their feet, as the caballeros and steer continued with the Chilean rodeo.

This is the national sport of Chile, and a term abroad here would be incomplete with out experiencing it at least once. This last weekend I went with my sister and gringo friend, Corey. Chilean rodeo is different than that of the US. It consists of only one event, which takes place in a large oval corral. The object is to get the steer running around the halfmoon part and run it into the wall at a certain point, stopping its progress and turning it around to race the other way around the edge to the same fate on the other side, and finally a return and yet another encounter with the wall. Then the steer is herded back around the halfmoon at a slower pace and out of the ring. The huasos (cowboys, country-folk) earn points (puntos) for how they stop the steer. The farther back on the body, the more points, because it is more difficult. They can earn 1-4 points for a clean hit and stop. If they do something wrong (I didn't understand what exactly), they get zero points. If the steer is able to continue forward after the hit on the wall or they loose control of it, they are deducted points.

It was interesting to see and anyone with eyes can tell it is ridiculously hard to make a horse run sideways next to a bull and then push the bull into the wall with all its strength. Still, it didn't set entirely well with me, just as the rodeo in the United States doesn't quite sit well with me. After watching numerous bulls fall to their knees and not move until prodded into action after being run into the wall, after seeing a crazed steer jump over the wall of the corral, breaking the top boards and falling to the other side, after watching a steer with rolling white eyes and foam dripping from its mouth jump into the door to the first football shaped part of the corral and break the locking piece... it just seems a bit cruel. It's not my place to pass judgment though, and it is clear that the steers are treated with some manner of respect and are looked after, well-fed, etc.

Anyway, that is the rodeo. See the pictures. Buy the ticket. Take the ride.