- Title: ARGENTINA: Rodeo riders in Argentina show their grit.
- Date: 8th March 2011
- Summary: VARIOUS OF PEPO RUNNING OUT ONTO RING PEPO RIDING BRONC PONY PEOPLE APPLAUDING PEPO RIDING AROUND THE FIELD WITH THE ARGENTINE FLAG IN LAP OF HONOR
- Embargoed: 23rd March 2011 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Argentina, Argentina
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: Entertainment,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
- Reuters ID: LVAAXUQTE9WGX104CV72YSA20NK0
- Story Text: In an unusual and dangerous rodeo event in Argentina, riders of all sizes compete.
An Argentine gaucho festival is usually a very macho affair and a contest on Sunday (March 06) in the small town of Baradero, to the north of Buenos Aires, was no different.
Men with large knives strapped into their belts watch on as the bronc riders struggle to keep a grip on their wild, bucking mounts.
If they stay on for the allotted time, two mounted helpers rush in and instantly sweep the rider off the horse's back.
Many of the riders don't even make it that far.
Their horses rear and kick, slashing about dangerously with their hooves as the rider is dumped onto the ground.
Gaucho, or cowboy, festivals started in Argentina when farm workers hanging around on their days off challenged one another to ride "unbreakable horses."
Today there are large cash prizes, famous horses and a great pride in being the best bronc rider.
"There is a lot of pride, especially when there is an undefeated horse and the rider who gets his number and has the luck or the ability to defeat him is immensely happy, as if he was the world champion in boxing or soccer. But the riders do it for their love of tradition more than for the money," rodeo manager Cacho Ledesma said.
In such a traditional festival it was an unexpected twist to see two little people preparing for a contest on wild, miniature ponies.
Federico Manuel Schreibr - or Pepo for short - came out to compete first.
He has been performing in Argentine rodeos for nearly three years.
Once the bell sounded, his pony was released from the holding pole and he was off - but just for a few seconds.
Though Pepo's luck was down this time round, he says the spectacle is more important than his success in the ring.
"A lot of the time it is really sad and unfortunate to see a boy fall off and beaten up during the ride. So it is nice to the see the people with a smile watching a show with people like me, a little person - old in age but small in height - and to see them smiling and happy. Because it isn't nice to leave a rodeo feeling sad," Pepo told Reuters.
Pepo's competitor Luicito Rivadeneira was up next.
He managed to stay on for a respectable time before being thrown off his own pony.
The miniatures, Luicito says, are a lot more dangerous than the larger horses and thrash around like stuck pigs.
"A man with long legs has to ride out the pony no matter how long his legs are, because they have an incredible strength in their backs. You have to have guts to get on a small pony like that. People say, 'It is so little,' but it's not easy. I grew up doing this and I know how to do it. But there are people who don't know about horses or riders that can get on and with the strength [the ponies have in their jaw or in their backs and they start bucking and they take off and you are caught up in the air. There are people who can't hold on," Luicito said.
After a hard day in the ring, the gauchos wind down with real cowboy food: mountains of sizzling beef.
There is no salad or vegetables on offer, just meat and bread, often swallowed down with just a few gulps.
And just as any good story ends, the event was finished off with dance, or a Chamame folklore jig to be exact.
Because in the Argentine pampas it is just as important to be able to strut your stuff on the dance floor as it is to take on the day's most dangerous bucking horse. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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