Horses That Dance
HORSES ARE REALLY BIG IN PUERTO AND ON THE OAXACA Coast. Ranchers need them to herd their cattle, of course, but they also like to show them off in local processions and parades. You may have seen them marching on the highway. Beyond that, there are horses that are bred solely to dance. You can see them at the Expo in Río Grande, Tututepec every May and at other events.
Pancho Santos of Caballos de Melquiades has been training horses at his ranch in Cozoaltepec for 18 years. The most common are a mix of the Creole with the American Quarter Horse, which is used for racing and cattle herding. He also trains a mix of Azteca with Andalucian horses. Typically he trains one or two horses at a time for six or seven months, during which time he teaches them to dance at local fiestas, quinceañeras, and weddings.
Higher up the ladder are the thoroughbred Andalusian, Azteca, Friesian and Portuguese horses, from Nayarit and Campeche, which are trained to perform in major horse shows. Arrendador Heber Feria Aponino specializes in training these horses. He told us the horses are not ready to be mounted until they are three years old. Then it takes around three months to tame, two months to rein, and another five months to teach it to dance.
