What Is Doma Vaquera? Spain's Working Cowboy Riding Style After the 2026 Copa del Rey

What is doma vaquera?

Doma vaquera is Spain's working cowboy riding style: the way the vaqueros of the Spanish countryside rode while handling fighting cattle, turned into a judged arena sport. The rider holds the reins in one hand, the left, and the horse has to stop, turn and burst into a gallop with the speed and calm that cattle work demanded.

If you know Mexican charrería or Chilean rodeo, think of a Spanish cousin that also grew out of cattle work. Spain's national federation, the Real Federación Hípica Española (RFHE), runs the sport today.

Why it's in the news this week

• The 20th Copa del Rey. From September 17 to 20, 2026, the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre in Jerez de la Frontera hosted the 20th Copa de S.M. el Rey (the King's Cup) of doma vaquera, with 130 horse-and-rider pairs entered.
• Hometown pride. Local accounts from towns such as Los Palacios (Seville) and Medina del Campo (Valladolid) have been congratulating their riders on X for their placings in Jerez.
• More to come. The final of the sixth Copa Andalucía is set for September 26 and 27 at El Rocío, and the Spanish Championship is planned for October.

2026 Copa del Rey: who won and how it worked

Daniel Reyes Aldana and Platino won the Absoluta, the top division, scoring 75.405% in the qualifying test and 77.757% in Sunday's Gran Premio for 153.162 points combined. Sebastián Ponce Borrás and Eclipse (Bambino) took silver on 149.054, and Víctor Manuel Magriz Alcon and Lingrinhas In Oasis took bronze on 147.568.

It isn't the pair's first big win of the year: in June they also won the eighth Copa de España at the Caballerizas Reales in Córdoba, with 77.838% in the final.

How the week ran:

• 32 pairs were entered in the Absoluta, and the best 15 went through to Sunday's Gran Premio.
• The winner is the pair with the best average over both days, scored by five national judges.
• Young-horse classes for 4-, 5- and 6-year-olds ran alongside youth divisions from Alevines (ages 9 to 12) up to Young Riders (18 to 21).
• Tickets cost €17 for the qualifying days and €27 for Sunday's final, with 2,500 seats and live flamenco.

The Copa came just one week after the same venue hosted the seventh Working Equitation World Championship (September 8 to 13), the first ever held in Spain. Portugal won team gold, France silver and Spain bronze.

From ranch work to the arena: where doma vaquera comes from

Doma vaquera grew out of daily work with ganado bravo, the fighting cattle raised on the open pastures of Andalusia, Extremadura and Salamanca. A vaquero's horse had to cut an animal from the herd, drive it at a gallop, stop dead and turn on its hind legs, often while the rider's right hand was busy with a long pole.

• Mixed heritage. The seat blends two old Spanish schools: "a la brida," with long stirrups, and "a la jineta," with shorter stirrups and a closer leg. Castilla y León's government also cites military horsemanship.
• Field work. In tientas, ranchers test young cattle for bravery. In acoso y derribo, a pair of riders chases a young animal across open ground until one of them tips it over with the garrocha.
• Sport and heritage. The competition version was organized in the 20th century and is run today by the RFHE. Andalusia lists doma vaquera as a Bien de Interés Cultural (protected cultural heritage), and in May 2026 Castilla y León did the same, covering the costume, the tack and the saddle with its oversized stirrups.

One hand, the vaquera saddle and the garrocha

Why one hand

At the top levels the rider carries two reins attached to a curb bit (the bocado vaquero), both in the left hand, and taking the reins in both hands means elimination. The traditional explanation is practical: the right hand was needed for the garrocha. Children and young horses may start with four reins.

The vaquera saddle

• A black saddle topped with a natural sheepskin (zalea) and a long fringed blanket, the manta estribera, 1.40 to 1.60 meters long (more on saddles in our tack and equipment guide).
• Traditional vaquera stirrups in blued metal, big and enclosed, which give the rider stability and protection.
• Women may ride side-saddle ("a la amazona") in a special vaquera saddle, with a long country skirt and a short stick in the right hand.

The bridle and the serreta

The vaquera headstall carries a mosquero, a fringe that swings over the forehead, plus the serreta, a noseband built on a metal half-round. The serreta has long drawn criticism on welfare grounds, and the 2026 RFHE rules require it to be covered in leather, with a width of 1.8 to 3 cm. Using any product to hide wounds means elimination.

The rider's outfit

Expect a wide-brimmed hat in black, gray or brown, a short jacket, a white shirt, optional leather zahones (chaps) with tall boots, and spurs, which are mandatory. The rules make a certified helmet mandatory for minors in the warm-up arena and at the vet inspection, recommend one for everyone else, and say wearing one never lowers a rider's presentation score.

The garrocha

The garrocha is a long wooden pole with a steel tip, used in the field to guide and test fighting cattle. It is central to vaquera culture and exhibitions, but it is not carried in an RFHE doma vaquera test: the rules ban whips and garrochas in the competition arena. Acoso y derribo, the garrocha contest, was dropped from the RFHE's list of official disciplines in 2010.

How a doma vaquera test is judged

A test is ridden in a 20 × 60 meter arena, the same size used in dressage. Three or five judges score each movement from 0 to 10, key movements count double or triple, and the final result is a percentage.

The Gran Premio lasts up to 8 minutes, is ridden to music and is open to horses aged 7 or older with riders aged 16 or older. Here is the surprise for dressage fans: the top tests have no trot at all. Everything is walk and canter, although the tests for the youngest children do include a working trot.

Movements to watch for:

• Paso castellano: a brisk, energetic walk with a livelier tempo. It is the signature gait, and in the Gran Premio it is the only movement with a coefficient of 3.
• Vueltas sobre las piernas: full 360° spins on the hind legs at the canter, in no more than five strides.
• Volver y revolver: a 180° turn out of the gallop, leaving on the same lead with no pause.
• Arrear, templar y doblar: burst forward, rate the speed, make a U-turn and burst again.
• Arrear y parar a raya: from a flat-out burst to an instant, square stop, with the hind legs sliding in parallel.
• Paso atrás con salida en arremetida: back up, then launch straight into a gallop.

Doma vaquera vs dressage, working equitation and US ranch riding

Doma vaquera vs dressage. Dressage riders use both hands, and their top tests include demanding trot work such as piaffe, passage and extended trot. Vaquera riders use one hand, drop the trot at the top level and add speed: bursts, sliding stops and spins that would be out of place in an Olympic test. More styles live in our disciplines section.

Spanish working equitation. Working equitation was created so that traditional working styles from different countries could compete together, and Spanish riders bring the vaquera tradition to it. It has four phases: dressage, ease of handling (an obstacle course with gates, bridges and similar tasks), speed and team cattle work. At the Jerez worlds, the cattle phase settled the final podium.

US ranch riding and reining. Reining shares the most moves with doma vaquera: spins, sliding stops and rollbacks. But a reining horse works on a loose rein in a western saddle, while a vaquera horse stays "on the bit" (en la mano), collected, with light contact. Ranch riding classes judge a relaxed, willing ranch horse at the walk, trot and lope, so there the trot is back in.

What to watch next and how to get started

Dates to watch

• September 26–27: final of the 6th Copa Andalucía de Doma Vaquera at the Caballos del Rocío arena in the village of El Rocío (Almonte, Huelva).
• October: the 2026 Spanish Championship at the Gran Hipódromo de Andalucía in Dos Hermanas (Seville). It moved there from Coín (Málaga) after a disagreement between Coín's town council and the organizing company; check the RFHE calendar for exact dates.
• November 17–22: SICAB 2026 in Seville, the big Pura Raza Española horse show, with ANCCE Cup doma vaquera classes.
• The Copa del Rey posted its start times and results on Equipe (equipe.com); check there and on the RFHE calendar for upcoming shows.

If you want to try it

1. Build a solid seat first. One-handed riding only works when your balance doesn't depend on the reins. Start with our riding skills guide.
2. Find a vaquera instructor. Outside Spain, working equitation clubs are the easiest way in; the Jerez worlds drew pairs from 22 countries, including the US, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil.
3. Know the age ladder. RFHE youth categories run Alevines (9 to 12), Infantiles (12 to 14), Juveniles (14 to 18) and Young Riders (18 to 21). Adults compete from age 16 at the Intermediate and top levels.
4. Horse age matters. Horses in the youth and top categories must be at least 7. Four-, five- and six-year-olds have their own young-horse classes.
5. A cost benchmark. At the elite end, the Copa del Rey rules cap the entry fee at €100 and a stable at €80.
6. Safety first. Wear a certified helmet on every ride, and leave cattle and garrocha work to professionals. Review our safety basics.

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