Doma menorquina

Doma menorquina is the traditional style of riding of the island of Menorca.

[1]: 21 Horses and riders are at the centre of local festa celebrations, in a tradition that may go back to the fourteenth century and incorporate elements of Christian, pagan and Moorish ritual.

[1]: 18  Riders pass through the crowds, executing caracoles and repeatedly performing the bot; the more often it is performed and the greater the distance travelled, the greater the applause of the crowd.

At Ciutadella three types of contest of skill are also held: the ensortilla, in which the rider armed with a lance attempts to take a small ring suspended from a cord; the rompre ses carotes, a jousting contest in which one rider attempts to break a hand-painted circular wooden shield held by the other; and the most dangerous, córrer abraçats, "running embraced", in which two horses gallop with their riders arm-in-arm.

[2] The elevade, in which the horse beats the air with the front hooves, is also a part of the ritual of the festa.