Charreria National Championship 2026: Dates, Suertes and the Horses

Charreria National Championship 2026: Dates, Venue and Who Is Riding

The charreria national championship 2026, officially the LXXXII Congreso y Campeonato Nacional Charro, runs October 9 to November 1 at Arena Potosí in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The first card is Friday, October 9: team charreadas and escaramuzas from noon, the formal opening ceremony at 8 p.m. and a national coleadero round at 10 p.m. The championship closes on Sunday, November 1 with the AA, escaramuza, coleadero and AAA finals.

This is the biggest date on the charreria calendar. The September 17 draw in Mexico City set the order of competition, and the full program came out on September 23 (the draw announcement gave October 8 as the start, but the program begins October 9). The Federación Mexicana de Charrería (FMCH) set it up like this:

• Where the men's teams come from: 128 places went to teams from Mexico, 29 to teams from the United States and 14 were direct passes earned in official championships. Jalisco alone has 21.
• Who it honors: this edition carries the name of Andrés "Nito" Aceves, national charro completo champion in 1987, 1989 and 1990.
• Home riders: San Luis Potosí sends 13 teams, six charro teams and seven escaramuzas.
• Defending champions: El Soyate de Zacatecas (AAA) and Rancho El Pitayo de Querétaro (AA), who won their titles at the 2025 national in Aguascalientes, plus the escaramuza Reencuentro de Chihuahua. Four-time charro completo champion Enrique Miguel Jiménez Martínez of Zacatecas is chasing a fifth title.

The prizes match the scale. The AAA champion wins an aluminum trailer for eight horses, the AA champion and the charro completo champion each win a Ford pickup, and the national coleadero winner drives off in a Ford F-250.

This Week: Charros de Acero Crowns Its Champion in Mexico City

Before the national starts, the Charros de Acero series is holding its last elimination battles, repechaje, quarterfinals, semifinals and final from September 23 to 27 at the Lienzo Charro de Constituyentes in Mexico City. Charros de Acero is a season-long series of team charreadas that runs separately from the FMCH national championship.

Its selling point is the format. Teams meet head to head (mano a mano) in what the series calls battles, so it is easy to follow who is ahead.

• Wednesday, Sept. 23: four head-to-head battles.
• Thursday, Sept. 24: four more battles, then the repechaje at 9 p.m., a four-way battle among the teams in 10th to 13th place.
• Friday, Sept. 25: quarterfinals, with the top ten paired 1 vs 10, 2 vs 9 and so on.
• Saturday, Sept. 26: semifinals at Constituyentes.
• Sunday, Sept. 27: the four finalists meet in the final at 5 p.m., after the coleadero and caladero (cala) finals.

If you are new to the sport, this week's coverage and clips are an easy way to learn the suertes before the national begins.

What Is a Charreada? The Nine Suertes in Order

A charreada is a charreria competition: teams of charros take turns showing ranch skills with horses, cattle and ropes in a lienzo charro, a keyhole-shaped arena. Charreria grew out of the working horsemanship of Mexico's cattle ranches, and UNESCO added it to its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2016.

The FMCH rulebook lists nine suertes, also called faenas, and a team charreada runs them in this order:

1. Cala de caballo: the reining test that opens every charreada (more below).
2. Piales en el lienzo: a mounted charro ropes a galloping mare by the hind legs to stop her.
3. Coleadero (colas): a rider gallops beside a steer, takes it by the tail and rolls it to the ground.
4. Jineteo de toro: riding a bull until it stops bucking.
5. Terna en el ruedo: three riders rope a bull by the head in the round part of the arena, then rope its hind legs and bring it down. It scores as two faenas, so a team works ten scored events in all.
6. Jineteo de yegua: riding an unbroken mare until she stops bucking.
7. Manganas a pie: a charro on foot ropes a running mare by the front legs.
8. Manganas a caballo: the same, from horseback.
9. Paso de la muerte: the "pass of death," a leap from a galloping horse, ridden bareback, onto the back of an unbroken mare.

The escaramuza, the women's side-saddle drill team of eight riders, competes at the same charreadas but is scored as its own event. The charro completo does seven of the suertes alone, skipping the terna and the jineteo de yegua.

Cala de Caballo: The Test That Opens Every Charreada

The cala de caballo is where you see a charro horse's training most clearly. The FMCH defines it as a showcase of the horse's buena rienda: good control, gait, lope, full-speed run, backing up and the carriage of head and tail.

Before the charreada starts, each rider shows his bit (the freno) and tack to the judges. From that moment he cannot change bit or horse. Then the run follows a fixed pattern:

1. Salute and lope from the main rectangle to the starting end of the arena (the partidero).
2. Carrera: from a standstill he may walk or lope the first 20 meters, then the horse must run flat out.
3. Punta: the sliding stop, placed between the 70- and 90-meter marks. Judges measure the tracks left by the hind feet.
4. Lados: spins on the hind end in a side rectangle, at least three in each direction.
5. Medios lados: half turns of 180 degrees from a standstill, both ways.
6. Ceja: backing in a straight line past the 60-meter mark, then a walk back and a final salute.

How the cala is scored

A complete cala is worth 20 points, then bonuses and penalties move that number. The stop pays the most:

• Stop in one motion: +3 points when the horse slides at least 6 meters in one clean stop (+2 for two motions, +1 for three).
• Extra slide: +1 point for every meter of tracks past six.
• Spins: +2 per spin when the horse gives six or more fast spins without leaving its center, and +1 more per spin when it keeps the pivot foot planted.
• Penalties: points come off when the horse opens its mouth outside the stop, swishes its tail, kicks out, resists the bridle or stops on its front end.

Everything is ridden one-handed. Using both hands at once disqualifies the cala, except when drawing the quirt (the cuarta), presenting the stop and hanging the quirt back on the saddle, and switching hands is penalized too. That scorecard explains what charros mean by a horse with buena boca: light, quiet and responsive to a soft rein. Protective boots and leg wraps are allowed.

Why Quarter Horse-Type Horses Rule the Lienzo Charro

Look at the arena and the answer is almost obvious. An official lienzo has a lane (manga) at least 60 meters long and 12 meters wide opening into a round end 40 meters across, so the work is short sprints, hard stops and tight turns, not long gallops.

That job rewards the Quarter Horse type: compact, deep-bodied and heavily muscled behind, with hindquarters that drive the start and carry the weight in the slide and the spin. Just as important is a calm, trainable mind around cattle, ropes, music and a crowd.

You will also see two other horses in the lienzo:

• Azteca: Mexico's own breed, developed from 1972 by crossing Andalusian, Quarter Horse and Criollo lines, largely with charreria in mind.
• Criollo mexicano: tough, sure-footed horses descended from colonial stock, prized for stamina and ranch sense.

What charros look for in a horse

• A strong, well-built hind end and a short, strong back (see horse anatomy)
• Quick speed off the mark, then a stop "on the hind end," not on the front legs
• A soft, quiet mouth that works on one hand
• A steady mind for roping and coleadero horses, which work close to cattle
• Soundness, because sliding stops and spins put heavy strain on the hind legs

That last point is why footing and routine care matter. The FMCH rules require a level, soft arena floor with enough sand, and serious barns build regular farrier visits and vet checks into the season. Compare breeds in our breeds guide.

Charreria and Horse Welfare

The FMCH rulebook sets minimum weights for the cattle and mares used in the suertes, and a rider who repeats unsportsmanlike mistreatment of animals loses that run. Judges also dock cala points for signs of a tense, fussy horse, which rewards patient training.

The piales and manganas, where mares are roped by the legs, are still debated. In the United States, California makes tripping a horse for sport a misdemeanor, and several other states have similar laws, so US charreadas have to follow the rules where they are held. Knowing both sides helps you watch with open eyes.

What to Watch Next

Here is your calendar for the next six weeks:

• Sept. 23 to 27: Charros de Acero last battles, repechaje, quarterfinals, semifinals and final, Lienzo Charro de Constituyentes, Mexico City.
• Oct. 9 (Friday): the national opens at Arena Potosí with the first team charreadas and escaramuzas, the formal opening ceremony and a national coleadero round.
• Oct. 29 to 31 (Thursday to Saturday): the semifinals, which start Oct. 29 according to the local schedule.
• Oct. 31 (Saturday): the charros completos final.
• Nov. 1 (Sunday): the AA, escaramuza, coleadero and AAA finals close the championship.

Tips for fans

• Follow the FMCH's official website and social accounts for the daily order, results and ticket news. We had not found official 2026 ticket prices as of September 23.
• Watch the cala first. Count the spins in each direction and watch whether the horse stays quiet in the mouth.
• Keep children seated and behind the barriers, and stay clear of the chutes and the pens.
• Inspired to ride western? Start with the basics in riding skills, learn how different disciplines work and read our safety guide before you try anything fast.