The horses and mules as well as their
riders are ostentaciously dressed up in
elegant traditional clothing for each
afternoon´s fight.Each afternoon
at 5.30 they gather in front of the Town
Hall and make their way to the bullring.
This event is a kind of impromptu parade,
as they are lead by the local brass band
of the Town Hall up to the bullring.
A stop
or two is made along the way and the whole
thing tends to attract a crowd. The horse-riders
lead the entourage, dressed in typical
seventeenth-century black capes and hats.
Behind them come the mules with their
colourful head-bands and bells lead by
fourteen mule-drivers. These mules are
used to drag off the body of each bull
from the ring once they have been killed.
The spectacle
could be a nice warmup to the later events
inside the ring and it´s an excuse
to imbibe a few drinks as there are always
a couple of traditional "refreshment
stops" made at the Iruña bar
(Plaza del Castillo) and the Monasterio
bar (Espoz y Mina 11).
