Women Will Be Stars at the World Coleo Encounter in Villavicencio

Thursday, 17 September 2009 00:00

The city of Villavicencio, known as “the gateway to the Colombian plains”, will be one of the most visited destinations during the long weekend of Columbus Day, when the XIII World Coleo Encounter will take place between October 9 and 12, 2009, with participants from Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and Uruguay.

This year, as a novelty, representatives from Spain will perform an exhibition of acoso y derribo, (the art of running and bringing down a bull using a cattle lance) - the Iberian version of coleo.

What is the coleo about?

More than a sport, the coleo is considered an activity that involves a bull, a horse, and a horseman and is part of the daily chores of plains cowboys when they must go in search of cattle escaped from their herds.

Precisely, during the World Coleo Encounter, the main competition shows how a horseman rides across a manga (field of sand) in pursuit of a bovine until he manages to fell it by grabbing its tail.

The coleo field is divided into several areas: starting, finishing, and lateral bleachers for attendants, who will have the chance to experience the traditions of the plains. Besides the sport event proper, the World Coleo Encounter provides traditional music, like the joropo, and traditional food, mainly mamona llanera, milk-fed veal roasted over an open fire.

Women in Coleo

In addition to the traditional competitions, one of the most attractive events is the participation of women in various types of rodeo races: lasso, post, and barrel. With their beauty and horseback riding skills, they constitute another powerful reason for travelers to come in close contact with the culture and customs of the people of the eastern plains of Colombia.