Doma Vaquera: Working Equitation and Doma Vaquera simply explained

By Edwin Van Der Vaag

The Doma Vaquera is a particularly intense riding technique, which was used in the seventeenth century by Spanish shepherds to brave the rough and often dangerous terrain of Andalusia. To this day, it has become a technique that, more than any other, proves how strong the bond can be between two individuals and, consequently, between riders and their horses. The work riding style has become a dance that equally delights spectators all over the world with a particularly wild and yet so elegant technique that cannot be seen anywhere else.

But how exactly can this way of riding be learned, which today finds more and more enthusiasm and accordingly more and more interested people? Which horse breeds are particularly well suited for the quite difficult work and which expression is really the right one? Is it worth buying a traditional Doma Vaquera saddle, and what are the rules to be observed at a tournament?

The contents of the book are as follows:
- Historical background
- Doma Vaquera - the traditional riding technique
- The right horse
- The equipment
- Tournaments and events
- Working Equitation

This book is written for all those who find interest in reviving this old working equitation. However, this can raise some questions and especially young riders who have really fallen in love with this technique are often left in despair.

To ensure that this is not the case, this book aims to answer all the necessary questions and encourage riders to throw themselves into this fascinating world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986469641

Book preview

Table of contents

Table of contents

Introduction

Historical background

Doma Vaquera - the traditional riding technique

The horse

Ideal physique

Horse breeds

The equipment

The equipment of the horse

Tournaments and events

Excursus: Working Equitation

Closing words

List of sources

Introduction

Doma Vaquera is one of the most traditional riding techniques formed in the history of riding. Originating from Andalusia in southern Spain, this special riding style represents a demanding yet harmonious riding technique that brings about a very special bond between man and horse. This alliance between rider and horse has given rise to one of the most beautiful disciplines in Europe, in which one rides with only one hand while the other hand holds a three-meter-long wooden pole to playfully present obstacles in the form of a choreography. Originally a substitute for the shepherd dog in high Andalusia, whose plains and hills are difficult to overcome on foot, said wooden pole is no longer used to herd sheep or to separate young animals from their group or even to catch them again, but rather this traditional technique has become a discipline full of control, but above all full of trust between man and animal, which today is still shown with much pride in large and well-known tournaments.

Riding one-handed - and in most cases with the non-dominant hand, since the garrocha and thus the wooden pole is traditionally held in the right hand - is sometimes very difficult even for experienced experts. Therefore, it requires not only confidence in one's own ability and also a good measure of self-confidence, but above all it requires a pronounced connection between the rider and his horse. In our time, the Doma Vaquera has therefore become a disciplinary exercise in which it can be shown what control a rider really has over his horse and whether his mount follows him unconditionally in every movement.

The question of whether this particular riding style is really right for the horse should accordingly be asked by every prudent rider even before the first training session or before becoming acquainted with a garrocha. Not every mount is made to overcome hurdles and obstacles particularly elegantly. Meanwhile, the actual freestyle of the Doma Vaquera resembles more a dance than what it actually used to be. The aspect that has changed accordingly is that not almost every horse can be used for this work. It must be paid attention to the breed as well as to the actual characteristics of the animal.

From the original working riding style has become an official tournament discipline around 1987. A particularly flying change between walk and canter is demanded, in which elements of strong acceleration with quick stops, changes of tempo and backward direction, sidewalls and vaquera turns are shown. It has thus become a competitive riding that almost resembles a choreographed dance, which is why the horse is also considered by many riders more as a dance partner than as a riding or even working animal. Among other things, the Doma Vaquera is also a very demanding riding style, which should not be taken lightly.

Due to the choreographic part of this discipline, it is often a matter for both sides to learn the right steps by heart and then, of course, to reproduce them skillfully. A dance has to be rehearsed. For this reason alone, not every horse is made for the demanding riding technique. In the actual working horsemanship, there was no need for memorizing or reproducing special steps or a change between walk and canter that was precise to the point. Instead, unpredictable situations arose whenever an animal separated from the or when an unforeseen change in weather occurred and the herds had to be driven on. Nevertheless, not only the freestyle part is demanding, but there are many other factors that make the riding style a very special technique, where even a professional must admit that one or another problem can occur.

Equestrian sport in itself is a thoroughly dangerous sport in which unsightly injuries can occur, because ultimately a rider is balancing his weight on a wild animal weighing several hundred kilograms, which continues to have a will of its own and could therefore at any time also, for example, climb onto its hind legs. In addition, horses are particularly sensitive to loud noises and thus also to music, for example, which is often played during choreographic freestyle. The entire confidence of the rider lies on the back of a tamed animal, which must be kept under control. The right riding equipment, for example, is therefore just as important as the safe and established connection between rider and vehicle. Injuries can still occur at any time, even if both hands are on the reins. However, this is not the case with this particular riding technique. The Doma Vaquera needs another aid besides the rider and the horse. Therefore, both hands cannot be left on the reins in this demanding riding technique.

Instead, the garrocha is traditionally held in the right hand, which can be used to poke into sandy ground, around the center of which the riding horse must be led in a choreographed freestyle. At full gallop, even though such a tight turn around the garrocha usually involves going down to walking pace, this means, among other things, that there is precisely not only an additional weight in the form of the wooden pole in one hand - which also cannot be folded or reduced in size, creating an inevitable obstacle for the rider as well - but it also means that more reliance must be placed on footwork and thus on weight shift.

The Doma Vaquera should therefore be approached particularly slowly, as the horse must first become familiar with the garrocha, which represents a foreign object for the animal. It needs accordingly a quite special habituation phase, since said Garrocha will be a constant companion beside the actual rider. Taking enough time right from the beginning to get used to new objects, and thus the new equipment, can therefore achieve some great advantages in the later stages of training.

This book is intended to give an insight into the complex yet fascinating way of riding the Doma Vaquera, and thus help especially those who are themselves looking for an entry point into this field full of confidence and passion. After all, with the right help and a few tips, this is possible for absolutely any rider. All that is needed is to find the right horse, but it is also possible for one's own friend and four-legged friend of many years to make it into this difficult field of dressage. How exactly this works and how best to build a perfect connection between rider and horse will now be discussed.

Historical background

The Doma Vaquera was not always a discipline at tournaments, in which graceful movements can be shown by the rider how much he can defy nature-related obstacles, or in which gymnastic choreographies are used to impress the audience by adorning the horse so that it can show itself from its best side. Instead, it was a working way of riding that helped the shepherds in their everyday life more than three hundred years ago and, accordingly, was anything but choreographic and dance-like. The working day was hard and long, both for the rider and for his vehicle.

This famous working riding style,