October 30, 2018 - This is la cala, one of nine events that comprise the charreada. Charreada is a Mexican horse sport dating back to the early 17th century. Colonial Spanish estates held competitions where farmhands demonstrated horsemanship by gamifying their daily activities like cattle roping. In la cala the horses slide over twenty feet on their hind legs in an act known as reining. A qualifying slide is longer than 19.5 feet and can be scored by the judges. The horses also perform other behaviors in la cala like pivoting on one foot in circles. The sport is steeped in Mexican tradition and has many cultural references, especially when it comes to wardrobe. Recently, the sport has come under the fire of animal rights groups, who pushed to get some events banned from California. Many fans and participants of the charreada feel unfairly targeted. They feel their events resemble many authorized US rodeo activities.