The Yeagers’ Experiences

Fans of bullfighting tend to liken it to a beautiful dance, or a match of wills, or a fiesta nacional (national party) etc etc. having witnessed it first-hand, I can say that there are some aspects that are fascinating, exciting, and maybe even beautiful; however, the bulk of it is just gory and indefensible. For an obviously biased, but very informative article detailing the in’s and out’s of this “art”, go to this site: http://www.lostgeneration.com/article6.htm

Joe and I arrived at the bullring very excited. We knew that bulls die at the end of a fight, but we didn’t really consider this as we waited for it to start. Call it willful ignorance. We were carrying on, taking pictures, remarking on what good seats we had. I told Joe a little bit about the 3 different “acts” of a bullfight. There are pretty names for these, but it really boils down to teasing, wounding, and killing.

Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of a bullfight is the first part of the wounding sequence. Two horses enter the ring completely decked out in what look like heavy quilts. These quilts sure come in handy, because the bull is encouraged to attack these horses. The quilts apparently provide protection from the bulls horns, but the bulls can be so strong that they actually lift the horses off their feet. I wouldn’t exactly call these horses willing participants, since they are blindfolded, have their ears plugged, and may even be lightly sedated. Apparently in years past the horses didn’t get any padding, and frequently died. We saw two horses fall over from the force of the bull’s attack, which can be really dangerous for both the horse and the rider. The point of this whole exercise is to get the bull close enough that the rider spears him in the back. This serves to weaken the neck muscle and tire out the bull, which obviously gives the matador an advantage.

Basically 2/3 of the bullfight is designed to weaken and tire the bull so it is not as dangerous for the matador to do his capey thing. Yes, they actually do use a red cape, but by this time the bull is so tired that sometimes it wouldn’t even run at it. When the bull is heaving and about to collapse, the matador gets a different sword and thrusts it through the bull’s back and pierces the heart. When done improperly, the sword punctures a lung and the bull drowns in its own blood. Apparently fans of bullfighting look down on this because the bull deserves respect and is entitled to a “quick, painless death”. I’m sorry, but how exactly is a 20 minute spectacle quick, and how exactly are the multiple injuries sustained painless?

I have never really seen a large animal die; it was horrific. By the end of the first fight I had tears in my eyes and wanted to leave. Unfortunately 5 other bulls met the same fate that day. By the end I was hardened to the grim realities, and I could even still enjoy the first 2 acts. I never got over my disgust with the third act though.

We have pictures set up in a separate album for the bullfight. Don’t say I didn’t warn you: there is lots of blood and it made my stomach turn just to edit these.

Obviously you can see where I stand on this issue. In the end, I am glad I went because some parts of it are indeed fascinating, and it was educational to say the least. I would never classify myself as an ardent animal welfare activist, but I will never, EVER go back to another bullfight.