Regardless of the style, whether holding on to the girth with two hands, one hand, or no hands, Gomez says the secret to a good ride is getting balanced on the bull while in the chute. Although he practices all three styles, his favorite is rustic. The power of the bull is in its neck, so sitting on the neck means a much rougher ride, according to Jefferson Gomez Fonseca, age 25, from San Lazaro de Nicoya, who is a member of Los Cumiches. They might also mount the bull in the ring instead of the bull chute. Los Cumiches are an exhibition group that perform more difficult feats such as facing backwards, sitting on the bulls neck instead of its back or mounting two riders at a time. The ride is rougher and the rider must use more leg strength. In rustic style, the verijera is not used, so the bull tends to jump more with its forelegs. Los Coloniales specialize in riding rustic style, the traditional style unique to Guanacaste that which uses a spur with a seven-point star and a curved bar, which makes it more difficult to grip the bull. In some cases, the tail is also tied with a rabera. To grip the bull and hold on better, they use a gancho spur with two 7mm nails, and a rope called a verijera is tied around the flank of the bull to cause it to kick and jump more with its hind legs. As the professional group, Los Nicoyanos particpate in a championship with judges awarding them points at each event. About 45 riders participate in the three groups, some practicing more than one style. The Nicoyanos are one of three bull riding groups managed by a trio of associates in Nicoya, Mauricio Arce Villareal, Israel Flores Stoviak and Royner Villalobos Moreno. Then, many of them sit around smoking to relax before it is time to enter the bullring as a group, amidst a display of fireworks, ready to give the best show they can to the spectators. This is the name of the bull they will ride tonight. After the prayer, one by one, they draw a name out of a hat. A couple of them hold a child in their arms. Some stand, others kneel on the ground for a group prayer. In the shadows behind the bullring in Samara on January 1, the guys gather around, dressed in blue jeans and the blue and white plaid shirts that distinguish them as members of the professional bull riders known as Los Nicoyanos. Esta publicación también está disponible en: Español

Raising bulls for bull riding