[Aktungbby]

Originally Posted by August

According to the animal rights people:

http://www.league.org.uk/our-campaig...ning-festivals

^The post-quote got it backwards; the picador is the guy on horseback and the matador is the sword wielder; the picador ruins the bull's neck muscles to reduce the goring threat to the matador. the horses are quite often harmed as well.

1. 1. '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. This is now restricted to three 'lancings-to prevent dull bullfights'. 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.' IMHO; an exceedingly cruel sport...if it can be termed as such. This sort of abuse is not condoned in most slaughter-houses hence the exception to the rule escapes my sense of logic.