Chilean rodeo
The greatest rider in the sport's history is considered to be Ramón Cardemil, who won the national title seven times; the last champions were Juan Carlos Loaiza and Eduardo Tamayo Órdenes [es].
Riders practice in the countryside throughout Chile,[citation needed] but the sport is most popular in the central zone.
[21] Currently, the sport is governed by strict regulation that, among other rules, says only registered Chilean horses can compete, ridden by huasos in uniform.
[25][26] The game's origins go back to Imperial Spain's colonial era (1598–1810), as part of traditional Chilean peasant festivals.
[27] The birth of the Chilean Rodeo dates back to the sixteenth century during the rule of Governor García Hurtado de Mendoza, a cavalry officer trained in the play and administration of skill games.
The goal remained the same, but the work of transferring cattle to different corrals had to be carried out by riders on well-trained horses.
[citation needed] The National Championship is held annually in April in "La Monumental Medialuna de Rancagua", the main tournament and stadium, with representation from different parts of the country.
[44][45] Although the Chilean rodeo has been declared a national sport, it is in a precarious position in terms of finances, political support and promotion.
The Chilean Rodeo Federation has been critical of the government for the lack of funds towards the sport, arguing that because in many parts of the country, due to the distance from population centres, sporting events do not take place, the local population turns to the rodeo as their primary pastime throughout Chilean countryside.
The arguments against this activity are related to the treatment the animals receive: the calf is driven near a wall and suddenly is hit by the horse's chest (a charge) in order to stop him.
[47] In 2010, a group of activists entered a medialuna in the middle of a rodeo to protest, and were violently repressed by the huasos taking part in the event.
[49] Normally, it is held on the weekend and includes activities such as craft fairs, horse shows, Chilean Creole games, and Chilean-style races.
[52] People eat typical Chilean foods such as casserole, asado, corn cakes, humitas, empanadas, etc.
[56] Later, women continued to protest and demand that they be included in the main rodeo events, creating organisations to fight for these rights.
[59] Initially the Chilean Rodeo Federation decided against abolishing article 181 that stated that bull riding can only be a men's competition.
[60] However, on 12 October 12, 2009, the first promotional women's rodeo was held at the Santa Filomena de Colina arena.
On Chile's 200th anniversary, Article 181 was abolished by President Sebastián Piñera and women were allowed to compete in federated rodeos under the same conditions as men.
[66] In 2005 the first International Rodeo Championship was held in Argentina and was won by Chilean riders Luis Eduardo Cortés and José Urrutia.
[67] That same year, the rider Alfonso Navarro obtained the title of champion in the traditional Gold Brake event which is held in Brazil.
[68] On 1 May 2009 according to the framework of the Expo FICCC, the most important Criollo horse exhibition in the history of Latin America took place.
