rejoneador

bullfighting

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July 13, 2026

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The rejoneo is a form of bullfighting where the main participant, the rejoneador, rides a trained horse. This style is sometimes referred to as the Portuguese style of bullfighting. The rejoneador uses a short, bladed spear called a rejón to engage the bull.

The rejoneo typically occurs before ground-based bullfights and involves the rejoneador performing intricate equestrian maneuvers. During these performances, the rejoneador places spears, known as rejones de castigo, and then banderillas (barbed darts) into the bull's shoulders. Unlike the horses used by picadors in traditional bullfighting, the rejoneador's horse is not padded. The objective is to demonstrate the skill of the horse and rider, and in Portugal, the bull is not killed in the ring.12

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bullfighting
Development in the modern era
…a Portuguese bullfight are the rejoneadores (lancers mounted on magnificently trained horses) and forcados (daring young “bullgrabbers” who, after the bull has been lanced, provoke the animal into charging and then, one by one from a single-file line, jump on the charging bull and wrestle it to a standstill). The…
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…a Portuguese bullfight are the rejoneadores (lancers mounted on magnificently trained horses) and forcados (daring young “bullgrabbers” who, after the bull has been lanced, provoke the animal into charging and then, one by one from a single-file line, jump on the charging bull and wrestle it to a standstill). The…
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rejoneo
…which the principal fighter, the rejoneador, is mounted on a highly trained horse and uses a rejón, a short, broad blade fixed to a shaft, to kill the bull. Rejoneo is sometimes called the Portuguese style, since fighting on horseback is a central feature of Portuguese bullfighting.
Read More
…which the principal fighter, the rejoneador, is mounted on a highly trained horse and uses a rejón, a short, broad blade fixed to a shaft, to kill the bull. Rejoneo is sometimes called the Portuguese style, since fighting on horseback is a central feature of Portuguese bullfighting.
Read More