Dancing Horses, Charro Riders to be featured at Onion Fest

The vivid costumes of Mexico, magnificent charro talents, and grace and beauty of well groomed champion horses will once again be a featured event at the Texas Rio Grande Valley Onion Festival on April 5^th in the Cricket Charro Arena.

The ‘dancing horse’ show, as it is called, will include two new performances from San Antonio, Texas. The Flores family will demonstrate their outstanding roping talents performing the floreo de reata. A flurry of beautifully adorned young women riding sidesaddle will race into the arena and demonstrate the Escaramuza techniques. Sebastian Zarate of the Rancho Caballo de Pura Raza Azteca (formerly known as Mid Valley Stables) and his team of charro riders will also perform with their prized Azteca and Andalusian horses. These are traditional performances from the Mexican charreada, or rodeo. They will perform to the precision Mexican music of Mariachis Siete Lejuas.

The horse shows, a highlight of Onion Fest, will be held at 1 pm and 4 pm. Zarate’s performers take to the arena at 1 pm with a variety of new feats. They will perform again at 4 pm and be joined by the Flores family and the Escaramuzas. The entire group just returned from a ‘standing-room’ only performance at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Victoriano Flores and his family are skilled charro riders that specialize in the Floreo de Reata, which translates to ‘making of flowers’ or the circling of the rope in a flower pattern around the rider and horse. They will amaze the crowd with rope tricks while standing on their horses.

An Escaramuza troupe (skirmish in English), will overtake the arena with a rush of color and speed. Escaramuzas are women on horseback riding sidesaddle performing daring maneuvers in formation. The girls race towards one another at high speeds, calling out in Spanish and kicking up dust. The entire performance is like a fast-moving ballet. The women riders wear traditional matching Mexican dresses and bloomers with their hair slicked back and tied with colorful ribbons. The legend of the Escaramuzas began during the Mexican Revolution when women on horseback would follow soldiers, carrying food and supplies. In an effort to distract the enemy, the women would ride in different directions and cut their horses back and forth, kicking up dust and luring the enemy away.

The Cricket Charro Arena is a place you must be on Saturday, April 5^th at 1 pm and 4 pm. This is the only festival in the Rio Grande Valley that provides such an event, an event that teaches and demonstrates the wonderful culture of our neighbor to the South, Mexico.

For more information, call the Weslaco Chamber of Commerce at (956) 968-2102 or visit www.weslaco.com.