Picador

Picador

A picador (pl. "picadores") is one of the pair of horsemen in a Spanish bullfight that jab the bull with a lance. They perform in the "tercio de varas" which is the first of the three stages in a Spanish bullfight.

The picador has three main functions:
# To pierce the muscle on the back of the bull’s neck leading to the animal's first major loss of blood.
# 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 over-enthusiastic in his lancing they 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 bull ring (Barcelona, Madrid, Sevilla, Zaragoza etc.) but the matador may request that the second is waived in second and third category rings. The bull may receive three lances if it is particularly ferocious.

The willingness 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. This is very rare.

Prior to 1928 horses did not wear protection and the bull would on occasion disembowel the horse during this stage. In Seville they retain two teams of "muleteros", one to drag out the dead bull and the other to drag out any dead horses (this is now just for tradition). These days the horse is surrounded by a 'peto' – a mattress-like protection, however, injuries to the horses often include broken ribs and damage to internal organs.

In the original days when bullfighting became recognisable 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.

ee also

* Torero (bullfighter)

External links

* [http://www.toropedia.com ToroPedia.com] The English Language Online Encyclopedia of Bullfighting


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  • picador — [ pikadɔr ] n. m. • 1776; mot esp., de picar « piquer » ♦ Cavalier qui, dans les corridas, fatigue le taureau avec une pique. Des picadors. « il avait vu des picadores renversés et en péril » (Gautier). ● picador nom masculin (espagnol picador)… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • picador — PICADÓR, picadori, s.m. Persoană care participă la luptele cu tauri, stând călare în arenă, înarmat cu o lance, şi împingând taurul spre toreador sau matador ori intervenind când viaţa acestora este în primejdie. – Din fr. picador. Trimis de ana… …   Dicționar Român

  • Picador — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Imagen de un picador en una corrida de toros. El picador es, en las corridas de toros, el encargado de preparar al toro para el tercio de muleta. Lleva la responsabilidad del toreo a caballo en las corridas de… …   Wikipedia Español

  • picador — (n.) 1797, from Sp. picador, lit. pricker, from picar to pierce, from V.L. *piccare to pierce (see PIKE (Cf. pike) (n.2)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • picador — |ô| adj. 1. Que pica. • s. m. 2. O que adestra cavalos ou ensina equitação. 3.  [Tauromaquia] O que toureia a cavalo com vara. 4.  [Brasil] Aquele que abre atalhos chamados picadas. 5. Indivíduo que retalha as baleias pescadas. 6. Instrumento com …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • Picador — Pic a*dor , n. [Sp.] A horseman armed with a lance, who in a bullfight receives the first attack of the bull, and excites him by picking him without attempting to kill him. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • picador — picador, ra sustantivo masculino,f. 1. Persona que doma y adiestra caballos. sustantivo masculino 1. Área: tauromáquia Hombre a caballo que pica con la puya a los toros en las corridas. 2. Área …   Diccionario Salamanca de la Lengua Española

  • picador — (De picar). 1. m. Domador y adiestrador de caballos. 2. Torero de a caballo que pica con garrocha a los toros. 3. Tajo de cocina. 4. En las minas, hombre que tiene por oficio arrancar el mineral por medio del pico u otro instrumento semejante …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • picador — ► NOUN ▪ (in bullfighting) a person on horseback who goads the bull with a lance. ORIGIN Spanish, from picar to prick …   English terms dictionary

  • picador — [pik′ə dôr΄; ] Sp [ pē΄kä thō̂r′] n. pl. picadors or Sp. picadores [pē΄käthō̂′res] [Sp < picar, to prick < VL * piccare < * piccus, for L picus, woodpecker: see PIE3] in bullfighting, any of the horsemen who weaken the neck muscles of… …   English World dictionary

  • Picador — Dans une corrida, le picador (synonyme : piquero) est un torero à cheval dont le rôle consiste à piquer le taureau lors du premier tercio. Armé d’une pique de 2,60 mètres de long environ, il monte des chevaux semi lourds qui pèsent… …   Wikipédia en Français

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