Costa Rica proudly displays its horses in massive parade
Cowboy hats and boots, in the purest "wild west" style, flooded the streets of downtown San José this to proudly display the horse culture in Costa Rica.
Hundreds of animals and their riders paraded in 'El Tope' to commemorate, after three years without showing off due to the coronavirus pandemic, National Horseman Day.
Since 2019 the horses had not paraded through the streets of downtown San José. With the turn of the horseshoes hitting the asphalt, Costa Ricans took to the streets by the thousands to see the equines.
'El Tope' commemorates Costa Rica's equestrian tradition from colonial times, when horses were necessary to move around the country or work in the fields.
From that time comes the figure of the 'sabanero', a Tico-style cowboy, who is now embodied by the hundreds of riders who join the parade every year.
Some riders approach the crowd on the sides so they can pet the animals. Others ride different gaits of the horse, most of them at a walk, or doing a double step, showing as if the horse were dancing.
"In Costa Rica there are many horses and ('El Tope') is something that Ticos look forward to because they come here to show off their animals, they come to show what is beautiful about them and enjoy, which is the most important thing," he says. Matamoros.
The horses were shown with their hairdos and braids in manes and tails, the saddles gleaming and the ribbons adorning their hair. The riders, some in traditional costumes and practically all with boots and assorted hats.
