The San Antonio Charros/Charras (horsemen and horsewomen) have been on the banks of the San Antonio River near Mission San Jose since 1947. This year, 2022, marks their 75th anniversary of passing along their love for the charrería, the grandfather of rodeo.
The charreada, held on April 10, 2022, was an official Fiesta San Antonio event, and it earned a visit from King Antonio XCIX and his entourage. Gates opened at 11 a.m. and the stands around the ring filled quickly.
Puro South Side
King Antonio wasn’t the only San Antonio royalty in the arena. I spied Roberto Livar and Cruz Ortiz and their families in the crowd. Miss Fiesta was also in attendance.
The South Side event kicked off with lively folklórico dancing by little bitties and trained professionals. Hats off to all of the parents, grandparents, tias y tios who spend the time and money maintaining this art form.
Horses, horses and more horses
Dancing horses were up next. The size of the horses were tremendous, much like Clydesdales. For giant brutes, they sure were light on their feet.
Las Tejanitas followed on stick horses, learning the ropes before they graduate to the real thing. Super cute and great exercise.
Trick ropers, floreo de reata, wowed the crowd with their impressive moves. Have you ever stood on the back of a horse while spinning a lasso?
Female horsewomen riding sidesaddle demonstrated escaramuza, synchronized riding that made my heart stop. Watch the video above to see why. Talk about having to trust your teammates!
No extra charge for drama
Charros grabbing a cow by its tail made me squeamish, especially when one cow fell over and would not get back up. I imagined the worst. I thought the cow was hurt and could not get back up.
It didn’t help when the guy sitting next to me said, “Well, the tail is attached to the spinal cord.”
I thought we had a quadriplegic cow on our hands. A team of charros prodded and pulled, and after about five minutes, the poor beast finally got up.
Frito pies and cervezas bien frías
Aside from horsemen and horsewomen galore, the charreada grounds had food, drink and arts & craft booths for attendees’ enjoyment. My day was made when I found the Frito pie stand and a cold Modelo.
We sat next to a nice couple from Los Angeles, California, who were attending their first charreada. We had fun exchanging stories in between the performances.
Follow the Asociación de Charros San Antonio on Facebook to stay in the loop for future charreadas. Don’t let another 75 years pass by before you attend one!
Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., author of “San Antonio’s Passport to Fun,” has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been her home ever since. Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to curate a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!