Rejoneo

Rejoneador (Spanish pronunciation: [rexoneaˈðor], pl. rejoneadores; "lancer") is the name given to a bullfighter who fights the bull on horseback. The rejoneador should not be confused with the picador, who is just an assistant of the matador. The rejoneo is a form of bullfighting in Portugal and in Spanish bullfighting.

Classic bullfights may also exhibit a rejoneador spectacle preceding the main event but if the corrida is made up exclusively of rejoneadores, it is called a rejoneo or corrida de rejones. Corridas mixtas are also popular, where a rejoneador and two matadors (or a rejoneador, matador and novillero—an apprentice matador) perform.

The point of the bullfight is to demonstrate the skill and nerve of the rider in controlling both the bull and the horse.

A rejoneo has a scheme identical with the one of classic bullfighting. It has three stages named tercios:

Rejoneadores often use several horses during a performance. They are of various single and mixed breeds. Typically the rider has at least one of each of the following horses:

The horses are trained and skilled in dressage. A rejoneador's usual costume consists of a dark waistcoat (usually brown or grey), brown leather chaps and a broad, straight-brimmed hat.

Accidents are rare. Occasionally a horse is injured or even killed. Recently (April 2007) the renowned rejoneador Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza broke his leg in a cogida in Osuna (Andalucia) that prevented him taking part in the Festival of San Isidro, which, along with Seville's Feria de Abril, is one of the art's most important fairs. The horse was not injured and he is expected to recover fully.

Cavaleiros (horsemen) are mounted bullfighters in a traditional Portuguese bullfighting. For the Portuguese corrida de touros does not follow the scheme of the Spanish bullfighting, they only stick the bandarilhas on the bull's back. Then, they will leave the ring for the performance of forcados. However, Portuguese cavaleiros are also named "rejoneadores" in Spain. When a Portuguese rejoneador performs in Spain it will take the form of the Spanish bullfight. The only discernible difference is the costume. Cavaleiros are the stars of a standard Portuguese bullfight as opposed to Spain, where in the standard corrida the matadores are the most prominent bullfighters. (In a 'corrida mixta' (mixed bullfight) or a 'corrida de rejones' (horseback bullfight) the rejoneador whose turn it is the star). The costume of the cavaleiros is a flamboyant one, reminiscent of the clothing of 18th century aristocrats. The breed of horses they use is Lusitano. Since bullfighting is seen mainly as an equestrian event in Portugal, cavaleiros have developed their work into an art.

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