What Is Charro Completo? The One-Rider Charrería Title Decided Oct. 31

The 2026 Charro Completo Final: Three Riders, One Saturday Night

Charro completo is charrería's individual championship: one charro performs seven suertes alone instead of sharing them with a team. The LXXXII Congreso y Campeonato Nacional Charro in San Luis Potosí now has its three charro completo finalists. Fifteen charros completos rode the qualifying round at Arena Potosí on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and the Federación Mexicana de Charrería (FMCH) confirmed the top three on Oct. 29.

The final is Saturday, Oct. 31 at 19:00 at Arena Potosí, the last charreada of the day after two AAA team semifinals. The championship ends on Sunday, Nov. 1.

• Coss y León posted the best score of the round in the afternoon session, coming from behind by completing all six manganas and the paso de la muerte.
• Jiménez Martínez is the four-time defending champion seeking a fifth. He has won every title since 2022, the latest in Aguascalientes in 2025, where he beat Aceves 218 to 179. He set the early mark of 258 in the first session.
• Aceves, riding in his home state, is an eight-time champion. The FMCH's own archive shows he won his eighth crown in 2021 in Aguascalientes, his seventh in a row.

That gives Saturday a clean storyline: a newcomer, the reigning champion and the sport's most decorated charro completo, all in one charreada. We won't guess the winner. As you'll see below, the format makes the qualifying order a weak guide.

What Is Charro Completo?

Charro completo is charrería's individual championship: one charro performs the suertes alone, instead of splitting them among the members of a team. He rides seven of the nine suertes himself and skips the two that need several people or a separate rider, the terna en el ruedo and the jineteo de yegua.

The seven suertes, in the order you'll see them:

1. Cala de caballo: the reining test (run, sliding stop, spins, backing).
2. Piales en el lienzo: roping a running mare by the hind legs from horseback to slow her to a stop.
3. Coleadero (colas): galloping beside a steer, taking its tail and rolling it.
4. Jineteo de toro: riding a bull until it stops bucking.
5. Manganas a pie: roping a running mare by the front legs while standing on foot.
6. Manganas a caballo: the same, from the saddle.
7. Paso de la muerte: leaping from a galloping horse, ridden bareback, onto the back of a loose mare.

One rule gives the event its rhythm. At charro completo charreadas, the escaramuzas (the women's side-saddle teams) ride after the jineteo de toro, so the competition pauses before the roping finale.

How It Differs From a Team Charreada

In a team charreada (the AAA and AA divisions), a squad of charros shares the work. One may specialize in the cala, others in piales, bulls or the paso de la muerte, and the team's total decides the result.

The charro completo has no specialist to hand off to. The same man has to:

• Show a finished reining horse with a quiet mouth in the cala.
• Throw accurate loops from the saddle and on foot.
• Ride a bull, then switch to the rope a few minutes later.
• Finish with the most athletic leap in the sport.

That range is why the charrería world treats it as the hardest individual test. A brilliant roper with a modest cala horse can't hide, and a great rider who misses his loops can't make up the points elsewhere.

He isn't completely alone, though. Under the FMCH's 2024 national rules, a charro completo can name his own helpers and arreadores (the riders who drive the mare), and they don't have to belong to his association. To reach the national at all, he needed at least 180 points in the regional rounds.

How Charro Completo Is Scored

The judging uses the same FMCH rulebook as team charreadas, so we won't repeat every rule here. Our explainer on how charrería is scored walks through bases, bonuses and penalties suerte by suerte.

What's specific to this event:

• Five judges, middle three count. At the 2024 national (also at Arena Potosí), five main judges scored each faena, the highest and lowest marks were dropped and the middle three were averaged.
• The final starts from zero. In 2024 the three best qualifiers met in a final that began at zero points, with the order of riders drawn by lot. We could not find the 2026 call, but if the same rule applies, Coss y León's nine-point edge over Jiménez won't carry over.
• Manganas come last. Under the 2024 rules, all three finalists did their manganas a pie first, then all three did their manganas a caballo, so the title is decided rope by rope.

Why the manganas matter so much

Look at Coss y León's qualifying card, published by the FMCH: 36 in the cala, 22 in piales, 36 in coleadero, 16 on the bull and 21 in the paso de la muerte. His manganas added 68 on foot and 68 on horseback.

That's 136 of his 267 points from the two mangana suertes, more than everything else combined. A charro who misses a loop or two drops out of contention fast, and one who lands them all with bonuses can come from behind, which is exactly what he did.

Why the paso de la muerte can swing it

In the charro completo, the paso de la muerte is done with one arreador or none, and going alone pays more. Under the 2024 rules it starts from 20 points with one arreador on the first lap (15 on the second) and from 25 with no arreador (20 on the second), plus bonuses for distance and bucking.

It's also the suerte most often missed. In the 2024 final, which Jiménez won with 246 points to Aceves's 156, no charro completed the paso. In 2021, when Aceves beat Jiménez 244 to 237, the FMCH wrote that the paso de la muerte decided it.

The Horses Behind One Rider

It's one charro, but the seven suertes ask very different things of a horse:

• Cala: a reining horse with a strong hind end for the sliding stop and quick, centered spins.
• Piales and manganas a caballo: a steady, rope-wise horse that keeps a straight line while the charro throws.
• Coleadero: speed and nerve to run right alongside a steer.
• Paso de la muerte: a fast, honest horse ridden bareback that holds its line next to the mare.

Most of these are Quarter Horse types, with the Azteca and the Criollo mexicano also common. Our national championship guide explains why the lienzo favors that build. You can also compare types in our breeds guide.

Welfare rules worth knowing

The FMCH's 2024 national rules included several protections for animals and riders:

• Mares for the charro completo's manganas and paso are supplied by the organizing committee, and in the 2024 qualifiers each mare could be used for at most two manganas.
• Every competitor must pass a medical exam before riding, and the champion must accept an anti-doping test.
• Horses may not be warmed up in the ruedo during the faenas, and the organizers supply water and security for horses in the stables throughout their stay. Transport, care and vet bills remain the owner's responsibility.

The roping of mares by the legs in piales and manganas is still debated. Several US states, California among them, restrict horse tripping, so charreadas held there follow local law. For what a sound working horse needs, see our health basics.

What to Watch on Saturday

The final is the 19:00 charreada on Saturday, Oct. 31. Here's how to follow it:

1. Check the official channels. The FMCH posts results on its website and social accounts; check them for live coverage.
2. Watch the cala horses. A long, clean stop and centered spins set the early tone.
3. Count the loops. In the manganas, track how many each rider lands on foot and on horseback. That's where most of the points are.
4. Watch the paso. A completed paso de la muerte, especially without an arreador, can change the order in seconds.
5. Remember the stakes. The FMCH says the charro completo champion wins a new Ford pickup.

Whatever happens, Saturday ends with either a first-time champion, a fifth straight crown or a ninth title. We'll update this page with the official result after the final. Meanwhile, learn the rope tricks charros show off between suertes in our floreo de soga explainer, or look ahead to the 2028 national in Saltillo.