Mexico
Much of the horse and cattle traditions of the United States comes from Spanish origins. Cattle and horses both first came to the New World with Spanish explorers. Western United States horsemanship and livestock handling evolved from the Vaqueros as did much of our horse gear.
The first photo gallery on this page contains photos from Lienzo Charro del Pedregal in Mexico City. This is an arena where charro events are held. Many Mexicans in professional businesses own registered quarter horses and participate in the traditional charro events. Several years ago we went on a consulting trip to Mexico for an hacienda in the state of Puebla called Rancho Tepe. They had a number of registered American Quarter Horses that had been imported from the United States. The hacienda lies on the edge of Izta-Popo Zoquiapan National Park which contains the active volcano Popocatepetl (photos below) that is part of the view from the rancho and a riding destination from there. Rural southern Mexico is different from the cities or border towns that many Americas are familiar with. People in the rural areas do many things in the old manner and live close to the land and their livestock. Also in Puebla is the town of Amozoc, famous for its bit and spur artisans and makers of horse gear.
Below is a photo gallery from that trip. Click on photos for larger views. Below are a number of "un-cowboy" photos from southern Mexico. Vivid colors and lots of Catholic churches.
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