If we ever forgot that mankind's first use for horses was on the battlefield this video is an "in your face" reminder. "Merlin" (formerly Orpheo) is a bullfighting Lusitano stallion (7/8's Lusitano, 1/8th Quarterhorse) from the breeder and former "rejoneador" Jacques Bonnier (the tall gray haired gentleman who greets de Mendoza before he returns to the bull). Merlin was initially trained by Rafi Dumond (seen in the opening). He is currently owned and ridden in the bullring with panache and style by Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza. Although a Spaniard, de Mendoza, fights in the Portuguese style in which the horse and rider (rejoneador) dispatch the bull rather than merely weakening the bull as the horse mounted "picador" does for the "matador" in classical Spanish Bullfighting. De Mendoza is called the finest rejoneador in the world by Bonnier. That's good enough for us. The rejoneador uses three horses in three stages. Wikipedia has a nice description of these under the definition of "rejoneador", eng-"lancer". This video was retrieved from the excellent website of Jacques Bonnier, a rare Frenchman among the ranks of the Portuguese and Spanish rejoneadors. The video is also a controversial topic on youtube where many take exception to the fate of the bull. We suggest you keep your attention on the horse and rider. As a team they transcend anything we've seen in any form of equitation including olympic calibre dressage. In fact, Merlin and Pablo are performing high level dressage movements in the face of a charging bull.
The music is by "Evanesence" , a song called "Bring me to Life". Kind of ironic from the bull's standpoint but maybe it is focused on the audience.
A post note: bloodless bullfighting on horseback is beginning to take hold in the American southwest. It may be harder on the horse and rider though as "veteran" bulls are capable of learning from their mistakes. The simple feint used here might not work on an experienced fighting bull.

If we ever forgot that mankind's first use for horses was on the battlefield this video is an "in your face" reminder. "Merlin" (formerly Orpheo) is a bullfighting Lusitano stallion (7/8's Lusitano, 1/8th Quarterhorse) from the breeder and former "rejoneador" Jacques Bonnier (the tall gray haired gentleman who greets de Mendoza before he returns to the bull). Merlin was initially trained by Rafi Dumond (seen in the opening). He is currently owned and ridden in the bullring with panache and style by Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza. Although a Spaniard, de Mendoza, fights in the Portuguese style in which the horse and rider (rejoneador) dispatch the bull rather than merely weakening the bull as the horse mounted "picador" does for the "matador" in classical Spanish Bullfighting. De Mendoza is called the finest rejoneador in the world by Bonnier. That's good enough for us. The rejoneador uses three horses in three stages. Wikipedia has a nice description of these under the definition of "rejoneador", eng-"lancer". This video was retrieved from the excellent website of Jacques Bonnier, a rare Frenchman among the ranks of the Portuguese and Spanish rejoneadors. The video is also a controversial topic on youtube where many take exception to the fate of the bull. We suggest you keep your attention on the horse and rider. As a team they transcend anything we've seen in any form of equitation including olympic calibre dressage. In fact, Merlin and Pablo are performing high level dressage movements in the face of a charging bull.
The music is by "Evanesence" , a song called "Bring me to Life". Kind of ironic from the bull's standpoint but maybe it is focused on the audience.
A post note: bloodless bullfighting on horseback is beginning to take hold in the American southwest. It may be harder on the horse and rider though as "veteran" bulls are capable of learning from their mistakes. The simple feint used here might not work on an experienced fighting bull.