What is the Escaramuza Charra Competition?
FORT WORTH — Escaramuza Charra is relatively new to the United States but continues to grow in popularity thanks to competitions bringing the sport to light.
The Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo hosted its fourth year of escaramuza charra competitions in 2024. It became the first major livestock show and rodeo event sanctioned by the Mexican Association of Charros Federation in 2020.
THE COMPETITION
The competition begins with the march into the arena. In the center of the arena are a box and a circle, used as guidelines for the skills performed in the escaramuza charra challenge.
The first skill in the event is 'la punta' or the point. Two members from each team make their horse reach a high speed before sliding to a stop within the designated box marked at 6 meters wide by 20 meters long (19.6 feet by 65.6 feet).
The objective of la punta is to slide your horse within the box as much as you can without too many interruptions of the slide. The distance is then converted into points which are added as a bonus to the team's overall performance scores.
This is the only part of the ecaramuza charra performed individually, with their teammates and other competitors cheering them on. The team captain will oversee the measuring to confirm the accuracy and as a show of support for their team member.
Teams then file out of the arena to prepare to perform the team routine. A routine can last anywhere from 3-7 minutes and consists of multiple coordinated tricks, such as turns, and crosses. A skill best known as 'the fan' is the most easily recognizable of these tricks.
The routine is scored by how well they perform the routine as a unit, and how synchronized the team rides. The circle marked out on the ground helps the judges, placed at varying points in the arena, determine the symmetry of movements. Points are also determined by the mannerisms of the horses and if any part of the riders' outfits or horse's dressage falls off.