I t is difficult, maybe impossible,
to predict the future of
anything about bullfighting.
Peering into the murky crystal
ball of bullfighting is like trying
to drive thru one of Fresno’s
infamous winter fogs. But on
Saturday, January 6, the crystal
ball was as clear as the cloudless,
blue skies above the
Crow’s Landing hills at the
ranch of Manuel Sousa. It was a
perfect day for a tenta, and the
eighteen heifers that were tested
were brave and charged capes
and muletas readily. More importantly,
the vast majority of
these animals displayed the style
of bravery needed for successful
performances in the California
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who appear regularly in many of
the Central Valley corridas. By
this time the frosty morning was
being warmed by the sun, and,
even more importantly, there
was no “aire” (the wind that
blows the toreiro’s capes not
only destroys the artistry of a
smooth pass, but fluttering capes
can lead to tossings and even
gorings.) So we prepared our
capotes and muletas and… a
tentar!
These tentas are serious events,
since only heifers that pass the
ganadeiro’s standard are kept for
breeding. The rest go to the
slaughter house. There is an old
saying among bullfighters that
that after 15 years of consistent selection, the toiros begin to
resemble the ganadeiro. And, at
least in this case, this old saying
appears to be true. Throughout
the day, the fighting heifers displayed many of the“gracious” |
After
seven heifers were tested, ganadeiro, participants,
and visitors, broke for lunch.
Manuel had laid out a delicious
spread, and the only
thing that kept me and the
other toureiros from eating our
fill was the thought of more
vaquillas that were waiting to
be tested. While we were
eating, some of the guests
decided card games were
more important than food, and
set up tables outside the plaza.
I don’t know if these players
were as lucky as those of us
who were fighting the heifers,
but I can’t believe they were
having nearly as much fun.
With our lunch only slightly
settled, it was back to the remaining
eleven animals.
These heifers were as good as
the first seven. It is a real credit to Manuel and to his
recently deceased father that
they have achieved such a
consistency in their fighting
stock. While some were better
than others, the vast majority
of the heifers showed their
willingness to charge from
afar, to follow the cape with
their heads held low, and to
continue following the cape
rather than stopping in midcharge.
I do not know Manuel’s final decision about
which heifers would be kept
and which would go to the
slaughter house – after all
these decisions are very private
matters, something I
know well since I raised fighting
bulls in Ecuador, South
America. But I can say that
all the animals had at least
some characteristics that any
bull breeder would be anxious
to keep in herd. If it were my
ranch, I would have kept all of
the animals (providing I had
adequate pasture capacity,)
As darkness approached, we
finished the day’s work. Or
maybe I should call it “a day’s
play.” Either way, it was a satisfying
day for Manuel Sousa.
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bloodless corridas. Based on
what I saw at this tenta, I can
safely predict exciting and enjoyable
corridas wherever
Manuel Sousa bulls are fought.
The day started early. Leaving
Fresno at first light, I arrived to
the ranch at nine o’clock sharp,
Manuel was already there, busy
separating the heifers. From the
bunch of young animals, he selected
the larger ones which
ranged from about 12 to 18
months old. By the time this
work was done, the toureiros
began arriving. Two well
known matadors from Tijuana,
Cesar Castañeda and Jose Rodriguez
“Pepe-Hillo,” had driven
up from San Diego the day before.
They were followed by
Mario Teixeira and Miguel
Andrade, two local bullfighters |
characteristics that bullfighters
seek – honesty and smoothness
in their charges. The photos that
accompany this article show the
noble bravery of the animals and
the skill and artistry of the participants.
When testing, the ganadeiro
needs to have toureiros who
know how to handle heifers so
that he can observe the true potential
of each animal. And, the
professionals did an excellent
job is showing the worth of the
animals while also showing their
own skill and artistry. While at
many testings the professionals do all the work, in this
case, Manuel Sousa was gracious
and allowed Cesar Castañeda, Jose Rodriguez, and Mario
Teixeira to let this reporter also fight the heifers.
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