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Chileans kick up dirt, heels at rodeo

Chilean cowboy

April 14, 1996
Web posted at: 2:25 p.m. EDT (1825 GMT)

From Correspondent Ronnie Lovler

RANCAGUA, Chile (CNN) -- Chileans decked out in broad-rimmed hats, leather boots with jangling spurs and striped ponchos converge for a foot-stomping hoedown. (856K QuickTime movie)

It can only mean the Chilean national rodeo.

For nearly 50 years in Chile, the first days of the Southern Hemisphere's autumn kick off the rodeo championship. It's a time for Chilean cowboys -- known as huasos in this neck of the woods -- to strut their stuff while the rest of the nation gathers for a wild party.

accordions

For some, it's just good old-fashioned fun as they strum their guitars, play their accordions and sing Chilean folk songs. For huasos, it's much more serious -- often a family tradition and a way of life passed on from father to son.

Unlike many rodeos, the Chilean rodeo involves no roping or cattle riding. Instead, the huaso and his horse must maneuver the cattle into a padded corral shaped like a half moon. To perform such a feat, the horse must learn to gallop sideways -- something that involves some fancy hoofwork.

Huaso Mauricio Valenzuela says the rodeo is one of the few events that is distinctly Chilean, dating back to colonial times.

This year's champion, Jose Manuel Reyes, says he owes his victory not just to his long hours of practice but to his horse.

manuevers

Rodeo Federation President German Rodriguez says the same kind of care and thought involved in child-rearing must also be given to a horse destined for the Chilean rodeo.

And while the horses practice fancy hoofwork, Chileans use nifty footwork as they dance the cueca -- a festive handkerchief-waving national dance often performed during rodeo celebrations.

The winning huaso, in other words, must show he is as skilled at stomping his boots as he is astride his horse.


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