Coleo Colombia Ban? What the 'No Más Olé' Ruling Says

Is there a coleo Colombia ban? Not exactly, and not in 2027

The short answer: Colombia's Constitutional Court did not ban coleo in ruling C-312 of 2026. That ruling, announced in the Court's communiqué of Sept. 23, 2026, upheld Law 2385 of 2024 (the "No Más Olé" law), which ends bullfighting from July 22, 2027. Coleo's legal change comes from an earlier ruling, C-374 of 2025, and its clock runs differently.

Some social posts and outlets around Oct. 4 recast the news as a "coleo ban" ending in 2027. The primary text is more precise, so here is what it actually says.

What the court text says

Law 2385 of 2024 prohibits corridas de toros, rejoneo, novilladas, becerradas y tientas. Coleo is not on that list. But paragraph 4 of article 3 originally said the ban did not extend to everyday cattle-ranching practices, and that "quedarán excluidas de la prohibición las cabalgatas, las actividades sobre los toros coleados, las corralejas y las peleas de gallos."

In C-374 of 2025 (Sept. 4, 2025), the Court struck down only the phrase "las actividades sobre los toros coleados, las corralejas y las peleas de gallos." Its effects were deferred three years, counted from that decision. In C-312 of 2026, the Court said it was bound by C-374 on that point and left the exclusion unchanged.

Two details matter for horse people:

• Cabalgatas were not struck. The word stayed in the paragraph, so horseback rides remain outside the bullfighting ban.
• Routine ranch work was not touched. The paragraph also excludes the rest of daily livestock activities and practices.

Timeline

The September 2028 date is our reading of the Court's wording ("tres años contados a partir de esa decisión"), not a figure we found stated in a headline. Some Venezuelan and Colombian coverage says 2027 for everything, and that is not what the text supports. Check any later regulation before treating a date as final.

What striking the exemption does and doesn't mean

The Court removed the carve-out. It did not write a new article listing coleo as a banned activity, and we found no implementing rules for coleo yet.

Some coverage reads the decision as the end of coleo as a public spectacle, and Infobae reported that in 2025 the Court rejected cultural tradition as a defense for animal mistreatment. Supporters of coleo, including coleo leagues in Casanare according to Últimas Noticias, argue it grows out of daily work on the plains. Expect debate about how the rules will be applied to organized events, and treat claims about enforcement as unconfirmed until they are published.

What is coleo? The llanero horse tradition

Coleo is a horseback event of the llanos, the plains of eastern Colombia and Venezuela. Riders on cattle horses chase a bull released down a lane (manga), take hold of its tail and try to topple it. It grew out of the ranch work of the llanero, the plains cowboy, who had to bring down and catch cattle in open country.

It is a true llanero horse tradition. Good coleo horses are quick off the mark, balanced at speed and steady beside cattle, and riders train them for years. In Colombia it is strongest in Casanare, Meta and Arauca, and it is just as well known in Venezuela.

Coleo is a bull-and-rider contest, so it is also what animal-protection groups criticize. Both views are part of the story, and the Court's reasoning centered on animal welfare.

Coleo vs Mexico's coleadero charro

Mexico has a similar-sounding event, but it is a different tradition.

Our explainer on the coleadero charro covers the Mexican version. The Colombian ruling has no effect on charrería in Mexico.

What to watch next

• Regulation. Whether the government or Congress writes specific rules for coleo before the deferral ends.
• Labor transition. Law 2385 requires economic and labor conversion programs for people who depend on the activities; watch how those are defined for coleo communities.
• Challenges. The Court has now answered several challenges, so new legal moves would likely be about implementation.
• Cabalgatas. Horseback rides are still outside the ban. Our guide to what a cabalgata is explains the tradition.

If you ride or follow Colombian horse culture, the practical takeaway is simple: bullfighting ends in 2027, the coleo exemption has a later deadline, and cabalgatas and ranch work are not what these rulings target. For the breed side of Colombia's horse culture, see the Paso Fino. To explore more riding traditions, visit our trend desk.