The horse is spinning, which certainly doesn't seem like something a horse can do. Eight mares and geldings pirouette in place, the cobalt skirts of their jockeys' floaty dresses fanning out like irises in the wind.
“It's a different tradition. You don't see it everywhere,” says Dania Hernandez, 17. She practices escaramuza, a traditional Mexican sport, from the age of 11 to the 17-year-old Bonita-based team of equestrian athletes, Las Reinas del Sol. She is one of the members.
Escarumza is often compared to synchronized swimming, but on horseback. Participants ride side-saddle wearing long dresses with puff sleeves. “It takes a lot of core strength,” says Andrea Barragan, 17-year-old captain of Las Reinas del Sol.
It remains a lesser-known sport, and even many people of Mexican descent don't know about its existence, as it is one of two competitions for women in the chareda, Mexico's version of rodeo. Las Reinas del Sol is one of only three teams in San Diego.
Nevertheless, contests are held throughout California from April to September. Teams perform individual routines and present 12 exercises. Lack of precision, or worse, a collision will result in a loss of points.
Marcela Gomez helps her cousin Dania Hernandez prepare for her performance.
And just living a regular life is not enough. The entire team must also be visually aligned. Every detail must be exactly the same, from the strap of the hat to the color of the leather boots. Points will be deducted for violations.
“They're very strict in scoring, but that's what makes it interesting,” said Las Reinas del Sol coach Neftali Aquino, 24. “It has to look almost perfect.”
Neftali Aquino, team coach, 24 years old.
Aquino was born and raised in an equestrian family in the South Bay. When she was five years old, her father heard about San Isidro's Escaramuza team and invited her Aquino to join. “They didn't expect me to like it as much as I did,” she says.
She rode bikes for most of her childhood, but when she was 17, her longtime team disbanded. She wants to change the rules,” she says. She said, “I want to do things my own way and have a family.''
Dania Hernandez, 17 years old.
Aquino, who had just graduated from high school, began looking for a rider. Some of the members had male relatives who had participated in charedas, but none of the young women had experience with escaramuza.
“It was a challenge,” Aquino says. “I knew how to do things, but I didn't know how to teach. So they learned with me and I learned with them.”
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To go to Mexico and play there. “That was the awakening of the group,” Aquino says. “It showed them that they had potential.”
However, due to the short schedule between competitions (the team had clinched first place at the California competition in June, and the Mexican national championship was scheduled for August), costs proved prohibitive, and the girls were unable to participate. Judy Aguilar, mother of team member Aaliyah Nario, 12, explains that in addition to paying for her travel and lodging, she also has to rent her horse and saddle.
The Mexico-based team brings its own horses, so Las Reinas will be at a disadvantage as he will be riding an unfamiliar horse with which he has not practiced. “But that's their dream,” Aguilar added. “Play in Mexico at least once.”
Leslie Martinez, 17 years old. She will soon reach her age and will be out of the “toddler” bracket at Las Reinas and will need to join an adult team to compete.
With that goal in mind, the girls practice twice a week from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., year-round, and also spend several hours each week riding and caring for their horses. (“I finish my homework on Thursday,” explains high school senior Leslie Martinez.)
At team practices, parents stay near the paddock, chatting as they watch their daughters run neat diagonal lines. “It takes a village,” Aguilar says. “They have to work together, they have to work together, and we have to work together. All parents take care of not only their children, but all the girls.”
Additional support helps mitigate the sport's inherent dangers hidden by elaborate visuals. Aquino himself fell from a horse and broke his hip, and has only recently recovered from necessary surgery. “You have to look as feminine as possible, but you have to be tough because the horses can kill you,” Aquino says.
Many girls admit that the juxtaposition is attractive. The dress drew them to Escarumza, but the adrenaline rush is why they work so hard to be the best.
The wide skirt covers the rider's legs, so it's easy to forget that you're sitting precariously on one side of the saddle.
“At some point, that's what you live for,” Aquino says. “You don't care [about] It's cold. I don't care if your foot is bruised, if you have a blister on your butt, if you can't feel your toes, if you break a nail, it's because your horse fought with you. I don't care if I go to bed late and wake up really early. it doesn't matter. I just do it because I love it. ”
