Doma vaquera

Doma vaquera

Spanish vaquero saddle

Serreta or serrated cavesson used in Doma Vaquera for training horses

The Doma vaquera (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈdoma βaˈkeɾa]) is the traditional working riding discipline of Spain created in the 1970s.^[1] It is based upon two distinct riding styles: "a la Brida", an ancient riding school in which the rider rode in long stirrups, with his legs straight, on a saddle with high pommel and cantle; it was the typical riding technique of heavy cavalry. And "a la Jineta", an Arab^[2] or African^[3] riding method in which the rider rode with shorter stirrups, with his legs bent, allowing the rider a more direct and precise contact of the "lower aids" with the horse's sides, sitting firmly in the center of the saddle, keeping the feet firmly resting on the stirrups; it was the typical riding method of light cavalry.^[4]

Beside these distinctions, the other main difference between these two riding schools were their teaching or breaking methods, as Brida horsemanship teaches and trains the horse with severity and violence, using the serrated cavesson or serreta and other punishments like the martingale; while Jineta only relied on the use of the bit and a lot of pulse, care and consideration of the hand on the reins to teach the horse.^[5] Spanish doma vaquera, like its predecessor "La Brida", relies heavily upon this harsh method by using the serrated cavesson or "serreta" to train horses.^[6] The use of the serreta gave rise to an old Spanish tradition that believed that on a horse "a bloody nose made a good mouth", indicating that using a serreta made a good obedient horse.^[7] Many horses trained in Doma vaquera have scars on their noses as a result of the serreta.^[8][9]

Along with rejoneo and acoso y derribo, it is distinct from the classical Spanish haute école or doma clásica.^[1]: 19

References

1. Julia García Ráfols (2008). La doma vaquera. Del campo a la pista de concurso (in Spanish). L'Hospitalet, Barcelona: Hispano Europea. ISBN 9788425517754.
2. Estébanez Calderón, Serafín; Lameyer, Francisco (1847). Escenas andaluzas: bizarrias de la tierra. Madrid: Baltazar González. p. 190. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
3. Museo Militar. Barcelona: J. Agustí. 1883. p. 259. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
4. ""A la brida" and "a la gineta." Different riding techniques in the late Middle Ages 
and the Renaissance". The Works of Chivalry. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
5. Estébanez Calderón, Serafín; Lameyer, Francisco (1847). Escenas andaluzas: bizarrias de la tierra. Madrid: Baltazar González. p. 190. Retrieved 2 October 2025.
6. García Ráfols, Julia (2008). La doma vaquera: Del campo a la pista de concurso. Barcelona: Editorial Hispano Europea, S.A. pp. 80–82, 107–108. ISBN 9788425517754. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
7. Huesca, Federico (1881). Diccionario hípico y del sport (in Spanish). Madrid: J. M. Pérez. pp. 140–141. Retrieved 3 October 2025. The cavesson is, therefore, the primary means of communication between man and horse. The nature of the relationship that must be established between the two depends solely on the former; if the latter is brutal, the colt will become ferocious, violent, or suspicious. If, on the other hand, the cavesson inspires confidence in the animal, good intelligence will soon be established, and training will be swift. In ancient times, this opinion did not prevail in Spain, where, in addition to many other indications that prove it, there has been an aphorism that says: a bloody nose makes a good mouth.
8. Huddleston, Sisley (1929). Europe in Zigzags. Philadelphia and London: J.B. Lippincott. p. 50. Retrieved 5 October 2025. When they came to fetch Medallita to take him to a princely estate he was out doing an odd day's work ploughing. 'Look', said the ploughman; 'see how willing he is', and he showed, quite unconcernedly, how the serreta (cavesson iron) had bitten half an inch deep into Medallita's nose. His last wound, let us hope.
9. Greenfield, Sheila (2015). To Borrow Freedom: Riding Down a Dream on the Coast of Portugal. New York: Trafalgar Square Books. p. 62. ISBN 9781646012183. Retrieved 3 October 2025.