Copa Feveco 2026: Venezuela's National Coleo Championship in Maturín

Copa Feveco 2026: where, when and who has won so far

The Copa Feveco 2026 is Venezuela's national coleo cup, and it runs Nov. 10–14, 2026 at the manga Ángel Núñez Morales in the Chucho Palacios fairground in Maturín, Monagas state. The first titles are decided: Guárico won the máster team title with 26 effective coleadas, ahead of host Monagas with 19 and Trujillo in third.

Those figures come from El Periódico de Monagas and La Verdad de Monagas, both published Nov. 12. The femenino, máster and supermáster divisions opened the week on Tuesday and Wednesday. The AA and ABC divisions run Thursday through Saturday.

La Verdad's preview listed 14 visiting state delegations plus the host. The event is backed by the Federación Venezolana de Coleo (Feveco) and the Monagas state government.

First results from Maturín

Monagas finished its máster run with 19 effective coleadas, 7 null ones and 3 toros de puerta. The other máster individual podium places went to Francisco Castro (Guárico) and Omar Vallenilla (Monagas).

The supermáster podium also included Omar Soto (Zulia) and Elías Rivero (Nueva Esparta). The femenino podium also included Elisa Morales (Guayana Esequiba) and Franyelis Chávez (La Guaira).

Still to come: AA and ABC

The AA and ABC divisions run Nov. 12–14. No results for either had been published when we checked on Nov. 12, so we are not listing any. We will update this page when official figures are out.

What is coleo? Venezuelan toros coleados in plain terms

Venezuelan coleo, also called toros coleados, is a horseback sport from the llanos, the cattle plains. Mounted riders called coleadores follow a bull down a long fenced lane, take hold of its tail and try to bring it down onto its side.

It grew out of ranch work, where plains riders had to stop and catch cattle in open country. Today it is a federated sport with state teams, judges, uniforms and a written rulebook.

The arena is the manga de coleo: a long, narrow corridor with high fences. The bull comes out of a gate at one end, the coso, and the far end is called the tapón.

How a turn works

These points come from Feveco's competition rulebook, as amended in March 2026:

• Four riders per turn. Teams are drawn into turns of four coleadores, each from a different state. Teammates do not ride in the same turn, except in tiebreaks and special individual competitions.
• Four minutes. Riders have four useful minutes from the moment the bull officially enters the manga. A buzzer or the central judge signals when 30 seconds are left and again at the end.
• One rider at a time. The first rider to take a firm hold has the bull. The other three must stay behind that rider's horse.
• Repeat. After a coleada, riders may contest the same bull again until time runs out.

Effective vs null coleada

A coleada is effective and worth one point when the bull goes down on its side and lifts or stretches all four legs, or rolls across its back. Any other fall is null and scores nothing.

Technique counts too. Except in supermáster, the rider must bring the bull down by pulling the tail by hand, with nothing bracing the tail against the hand. A fall achieved any other way is null and costs a point. If another rider obstructs a coleada that turns out null, it is recorded as not executed.

That is why results are given as counts, such as Guárico's 26. The team and individual tables add up effective coleadas over the days of competition, and penalties take points off. A tie for first place in the individual table is settled with an extra four-minute bull, where fewer penalties and then effectiveness decide.

A toro de puerta, or saque de puerta, is a separate credit. It goes to the rider who takes a firm, immediate hold as the bull leaves the gate, and only one is awarded per turn.

The categories: femenino, máster, supermáster, AA and ABC

Feveco groups coleadores into 12 categories by age and sex, from children's divisions up. These are the ones in Maturín this week:

ABC, called libre in the rulebook, is the open division. Each state's team combines its two best riders from category A (ages 32–39), two from B (24–31) and two from C (18–23).

What the Copa Feveco is

Each category has its own national championship during the season. The Copa Feveco is the cup held once the season ends, and the rulebook says its purpose is to recognize the season's most outstanding members.

Entry is earned. The rulebook gives máster and AA spots to the top six states from that season's category championship, supermáster spots to the top eight individuals, and femenino spots to the top 16 women in the season ranking.

The horses and the safety rules

The horse does much of the work. It has to break fast from a standstill, hold a steady line beside a running bull in a tight lane, and stay calm in a crowd of three other horses. Riders use horses of several types, including Quarter Horse lines and Venezuelan criollo horses.

The rulebook sets conditions for horses and riders:

• Health papers. Every horse needs a current Coggins test and vaccination certificates, including rabies and encephalitis. Our guide explains what a Coggins test is.
• Fit and safe. Horses must be in good physical condition, with sound headgear and saddles. Horses that kick or bite can be removed.
• Spurs and reins. Only blunt rowels are allowed, and add-ons at the end of the reins are banned.
• Helmets. Riders must wear a protective helmet with a chin strap for the whole turn. It can come off only for force majeure, with the zone judge's permission.
• Sobriety. Riders, captains and officials can be breath-tested, and anyone who has been drinking is expelled.

The rulebook also bans mistreating the horse or the bull, in or out of the manga. If a bull appears injured, a judge stops the clock so it can be checked. If it is hurt, the turn ends and the veterinarian attends to it.

Coleo vs Mexico's coleadero and Colombia's coleo

The three share a root in cattle work but are separate sports with separate rulebooks.

• Venezuela. In national championships, four riders share one bull for four minutes. A coleada is effective or null, and titles are decided by count, less penalties. The federation can also authorize private events with graded scoring or one- and two-rider formats.
• Mexico. The coleadero is one of the events of charrería. One charro tails one steer in the lane of the lienzo, and judges score the quality of the fall. See our guide to the coleadero charro.
• Colombia. Coleo is a llanero tradition with its own federation, leagues and scoring, strongest in the eastern plains.

The animal-welfare debate

Coleo is contested. Animal-protection groups object to bringing cattle down for sport, while supporters describe it as a regulated sport rooted in plains ranch work.

In Colombia, the Constitutional Court removed the legal exemption that had protected toros coleados, with a deferred effect. Our explainer on the Colombian ruling covers the dates and wording. That ruling applies only in Colombia and does not change the sport's status in Venezuela.

What to watch next

• AA and ABC titles. Both are decided between Nov. 12 and Saturday, Nov. 14. Look for team and individual tables in the Monagas press and on Feveco's channels.
• The host. Monagas has teams entered in both remaining divisions after its second place in máster.
• Official tables. Counts reported during the week can be corrected by the technical table, so treat the federation's final numbers as the record.

For more Venezuelan horse sport, read about the Clásico Simón Bolívar. To compare coleo with other ways of riding, visit our disciplines guide or the latest on the trend desk.