SAN ANTONIO – Escaramuza is a national sport of Mexico, known as ballet on horseback.
The San Antonio Charro Ranch hosted an escaramuza and charro event on Sunday called “Feria de San Antonio.” The event is a fundraiser for a local team trying to get to a major competition in Mexico.
The team hosting the event, Las Coronelas de San Antonio, in anticipation of a competition in Mexico that will take place within the next two years.
The girls on the team, ages 8 to 21, put hours into practicing their routine, dealing with the heat while wearing extravagant costumes.
Alexa Chapa, 15, says every little move counts.
“It has to be really synchronized, because if one girl is just a little off,a lot can happen, there can be a crash, someone can fall,” Chapa said. “You have to be really synchronized for this to work out.”
The team hopes to raise at least $10,000 to be able to travel to Mexico. The sport isn’t cheap. It costs at least $12,000 a year for each team member to pay for training, costumes, travel and horse upkeep.
Chapa said it’s also a lot of responsibility.
“We have to practice two to three hours per practice, plus after we are done, we have to stay here another hour to bathe the horse, feed it and make it cool down,” Chapa said.
Jackie Ayala, 16, says she hopes more little girls that come out to their events get inspired to join the team, so they can continue to pass down the tradition and art to future generations.
“It feels pretty good because we are carrying our culture on our back,” Ayala said.