A ''picador'' (; pl. ''picadores'') is one of the pair of horse-mounted bullfighters in a Spanish-style bullfight that jab the bull with a

lance A lance is a spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior or cavalry soldier (lancer). In ancient and medieval warfare, it evolved into the leading weapon in cavalry charges, and was unsuited for throwing or for repeated thrusting, unlike s ...

. They perform in the ''tercio de varas'', which is the first of the three stages in a stylized bullfight.

Function

The ''picador'' has three main functions in a traditional bullfight: * To pierce the muscle on the back of the bull’s neck in order to straighten the bull's charge. * To fatigue the bull’s neck muscles and general stamina as it tries to lift the horse with its head. * To lower the bull’s head in preparation for the next stage. If the public feels that a picador is better than the bull the public will whistle, boo or jeer as they see fit. This is because they do not want the bull to lose all its strength and energy as this can lead to a dull bullfight. The picador is obliged to give the bull two lances in a first category bullring (

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

Sevilla Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

etc.), but the

matador A bullfighter (or matador) is a performer in the activity of bullfighting. ''Torero'' () or ''toureiro'' (), both from Latin ''taurarius'', are the Spanish and Portuguese words for bullfighter and describe all the performers in the activit ...

may request that the second be waived in second and third category rings. The bull may receive three lances if it is particularly ferocious. The aim of the bull to charge the picador is often cited as the biggest test of its courage. A bull that does not charge may be punished with a black '' banderilla'', which although somewhat longer than a normal ''banderilla'' is largely symbolic and a mark of shame for the breeder.

History

Horses did not wear protection since 1928 and the bull would on occasion disembowel the horse during this stage. In

Seville, Spain Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

they retain two teams of ''muleteros'', one to drag out the dead bull and the other to drag out any dead horses. The horse is surrounded by a ''peto'', a mattress-like protection that greatly minimizes damage taken. Injuries to the horses often include broken ribs and damage to internal organs. In the original days before bullfighting became recognizable in today's form, the ''picador'' was the central attraction and his name would be billed on the promotional flyers. In these bullfights the bull would charge the horse and the spectacle was watching the rider's skill in protecting his horse whilst lancing the bull. The ''picador'' would lance the bull as many times as necessary. The matador and other bullfighters were on hand to help the ''picador'', to direct the bull to the picador, and finally to finish off the injured bull. It was not until certain foot bullfighters started to bring some flair to their minor roles, to the pleasure of the crowd, that matadors started to become the main attraction, ultimately relegating the ''picador'' to a relatively unpopular and minor function.

References

{{Bullfighting Bullfighters Spanish culture

Function

History

See also

References