March 26, 2016 by Skylar Vayda and Betsy Czark
The rodeo here is different from the ones you might have attended elsewhere.
Unlike the rodeos in the Untied States, which include lasso tricks and events designed to test a cowboy’s riding skills, the Panamanian rodeo involves just one activity – Roping a calf from horseback.
The Rodeo, or Pista de Lasso (as it is called in Panama) consists of lasso teams competing to lasso a calf in the shortest time possible. And definitely under 20 seconds, which is the maximum amount of time a cowboy has to lasso a calf within an 80 meter long space.
Lively, Drinking & Betting
The rodeo begins at 11 am and goes into the evening. Because of this time frame, as the day progresses, some teams perform more poorly than others because one or more of their riders is drunk.
The rodeo’s atmosphere is lively and at time intense, as the supporters of each team shout their encouragements. There is also a fair amount of unofficial bets being placed, so that may be something to look out for.
My (Skylar’s) past experiences at the rodeo have been wonderful. I loved horses when I was younger. Because of that I especially enjoyed seeing the pure breed horses outfitted in their colorful harnesses. I went often when I was younger. I even owned my own lasso so I could practice. But I watched much more lassoing than I practiced.
The rodeo season is a large part of the culture in Panama. While in Panama you should definitely experience it at least once.
Puerto’s Rodeo Schedule
Rodeos occur on 8 consecutive Sundays. The first rodeo was on March 6th.
The Pista de Lasso technically start at 10am, but usually don’t get going until 11ish. Food and drinks are sold at the events.
5 Remaining Competitions
March 27 – Location outside of Puerto Armuelles
April 3rd – Casa de Puma – located about 3 miles from downtown Puerto
April 10th – Location outside of Puerto Armuelles
April 17th – Romero Arena in Altos San Vicente neighborhood
April 24 – Location outside of Puerto Armuelles
Puerto Armuelles Has 4 Teams
There are a total of 10 teams competing in these rodeos. Four are from Puerto Armuelles. One of those teams is sponsored by 2 Puerto Armuelles expats & horse lovers: Veronica and Tony.
- Los Vaqueras – Tony and Veronica’s team – currently tied for 2nd place
- Los Pumas
- Los Sorpresivos
- Los Compadres.
Joining A Team
Do you want to be part of a team? You cannot just join, you must be invited. The teams are really clubs. To show your interest and prowess, you must go to the practice roping events that are held from November – February.
More Information To Come
I will be updating this post soon. I want to impart the wealth of information about these events from Veronica and Tony.
I simply don’t have time to write it up now. But I wanted to get the rodeo schedule to folks in case they want to attend. Last Sunday, Skylar and I enjoyed ourselves at the rodeo in Altos San Vicente. The photos on this page are from that day.
