Bullfight in Soain

It depends on where in Spain you see the fight since the rings are different sizes, but bullrings are not like stadiums and there are few places if any places for people to go. Remember that a fight is really six fights with three matadors each fighting two bulls. Each fight lasts 20-30 minutes.

The finale is the bull getting killed, but prior to that it’s struck multiple times with a lance (pica) and then barbed banderillas. In the first two phases the intention is to weaken the neck muscles so the bull’s head drops. That allows for the matador to place the sword into the bull via a spot about the size of a silver dollar. If the bull’s head doesn’t drop, the sword won’t go in. The (up to three pairs of banderillas) are seldom properly placed. If some don’t want to watch the final act, I don’t understand why they’d want to see the other phases.

The final act is really putting the bull out of its misery and it doesn’t always go according to plan, I.e., sometimes it takes the matador multiple attempts. A lot depends on the skill of the matador as well as the energy remaining in the bull. Optimally, the sword goes right where it’s supposed to and the bull drops quickly. In a bad fight it might take a matador three or four attempts to put the bull down. After that, the bull is dragged out of the ring by a team of horses.

My suggestion for those people is to skip the fight entirely. One either likes or dislikes bullfights. There is very little middle ground.

While not video, I have a few photos of the last fight I attended in 2007. Scroll to the bottom of the linked page for the bullfight photos.

We attended a bullfight in Madrid.
There is much pageantry that goes along with the actual fight. There are actually 6 bulls killed each ‘show’ - 3 main matadors, 2 fights each. There are other matadors in the ring who help to distract and wear the bull out.
But, before the matador even appears there are horse riders who stab the bull on his back. He bleeds and this also weakens him.
It would be kinda hard to keep leaving and returning to the ring. We had seats in the inside of the row and we couldn’t get out till the end without causing a disruption.
Maybe those in your group not wanting to see the bull killed and dragged out of the ring should skip it.

This is the third thread in as many days on the topic. Getting a bit much. Webmaster suggested a thread in opposition to the practice, but I'm not really keen to stir it up on here in such a big way. Maybe that's what it needs. I do hope it's not a trend of people posting on here about it though. I hate reading about it and I'm certainly not going to click through links to a contributor's snaps of it. Ugh.

First off, it is disrespectful to leave the arena when bull is in the arena. (Learned that the hard way.) There is no place to hide.

Second there will be multi-events with several bulls and matadors. It is not just one bull. When we were in Madrid it was six bulls. That day after three matches the bull had won once, the matador once and one match was a draw. But in all cases the bull died. I know of no way to describe it other than it is brutal for both main participants. It is not something that I would repeat in Spain but it is a cultural experience and judged as such. There is no way to participate in a little bit but avoid the worse part. Do not go if not prepared to see it to the end.

Just close your eyes. That’s what my sister did

The people who have seen it, does it not bother you to see animals tortured and killed? This "culture" thing is bollocks imho. Bear baiting and cock fighting used to be part of the culture here, but they've been confined to the dustbin of history. Where I grew up, I remember the illegal dog fighting ring based around Larkhall and Stonehouse being busted.

I can't pretend to be squeaky clean in my morals of course. I've done plenty of fishing in the past, but the killing part wasn't for entertainment and humane as possible. I'm a meat eater. My mother was a professional groom in her youth and looked after a stable of fox hunting horses for a Clyde shipbuilding magnate. Another barbaric practice consigned to history (except it isn't really. Drag hunting is a charade).

It's really sad imho that people are choosing to support this on vacation in Castilian Spain. It's banned in Catalonia of course. You won't find any videos on Youtube because animal cruelty is against their T's&C's.

Gerry, I think you are being a little harsh on people choices. You could make an argument that it is not necessary to travel since you can read all about it in books. And that is fine for some people. I much prefer a hands on experience. Of course I was concerned to see the bulls tortured. I really felt sad and uncomfortable for the matador that died that day. But my presents neither encouraged or discouraged his death. It is difficult for me to adequate explain the importance of cultural experiences in this short space. Dog fighting, cock fighting is not a comparable experience. The jousting of old England would be a better comparison. And I would be the first in line to ban the sport in Spain if that was the choice of the Spanish people. It is not my place to tell a culture what should or should not be included.

Ok Gerry we get it, you don’t like bullfights and I can appreciate your position. When it comes to this topic, just don’t reply. No sermon is required.

The OP asked a valid question and I responded to that question, not with my personal beliefs. In my response I noted what occurs during a fight and recommended that those who don’t want to see it, not go.

It is on the way out in Spain too. I'm not really one for unquestioningly accepting things in cultures I find objectionable just because they're "other people's culture".

The fundamentals are fairly consistent with the other things I mention; animal cruelty resulting in death for the entertainment of humans. I sympathise for the matador killed, but he had a choice to put himself at risk. The bull didn't choose to die a humiliating death in front of spectators. The pomp and circumstance doesn't hide those fundamentals for me. I don't buy it that it's some sort of majestic battle that's fair in any way. Sorry.

I asked the OP in the other thread the other day if he had been around cattle or horses much. My mum was still quite equestrian minded when I was young so I was riding from quite young. I wasn't riding somewhere fancy and I did see horses treated quite badly at times. Bullfighting puts the horses at real risk of serious injury or death.

I also spent a bit of time around cattle. A friend of the family who had horses also had a few hundred head of Friesian dairy cows, and they're just daft big beasts when they're so domesticated. I could never imagine doing things to hurt a cow in the way a bullfight plays out.

Yeah I'll leave it at that. Sorry. It's just something that I can't get my head around people wanting to see. I might be the only one speaking up, but I'm sure I'm not alone amongst contributors to the forum who find these sort of threads a bit off. I'm not sitting here typing angrily at anyone, but I'm just a bit sad about it.

I really appreciate Gerry's responses to these bullfighting posts. I find this sport barbaric and am rather horrified that it still goes on in this day and age, and that people would see the torture of an animal in this way as a form of entertainment. The fact that it is seen as a cultural experience does not make it any less cruel. I would encourage visitors to Spain to think about this critically before they decide to attend a corrida.

I am wondering, though, if there are area in the arena where some in
our group can go during the finale of the bullfight if they don’t want
to watch the bull ultimately being killed?

Oregon Dad, my confusion with this question is if your group is OK with watching what they subject the animal to BEFORE the final blow? Honestly, by the time they put the poor thing out of its misery, your group would have witnessed the worst of the brutality. It's really all over when they kill the thing. It may also gore the matador; not a fun thing to see either. I guess I'd think that if they're not ok watching the animal be killed, they'd definitely not be OK with all that comes before that point?

It's funny. I'm not at all an animal rights activist, yet I remain very uncomfortable about bullfighting, cockfighting, dog fighting etc. I can't claim to be morally consistent here, as I dearly love veal and find cavallo to be tasty.

I'm reluctant to get onto a soapbox here, but I will say that I didn't care for Córdoba, mostly because I found the glorification of the bullring to be hard to stomach. Again, I'm aware this reaction entails no small amount of hypocrisy, but there it is.

@Gerry, you're far from alone on this forum with respect to the barbaric practice of bullfighting. I've made no bones about my thoughts on the practice in the past and been admonished for it. Apparently it appears that upsetting the feelings of some contributors is more important than raising awareness of how cruel and savage bullfighting is.

I simply don't understand the attraction of it and I'm sure that those wishing to go to a fight when visiting Spain actually aren't fully aware of what goes on. I've made previous attempts to provide links to websites that explain in full detail what happens in an effort to ensure that people are in full possession of the facts before they make the decision to attend a bullfight but I've been routinely shot down by other posters and administrators however I won't be deterred and I refuse to be censored.

I've been visiting Spain for decades, I love the country and it's cultural heritage however I have never found it necessary to attend a bullfight in an effort to experience Spanish culture so why oh why do some people feel that it's an integral part of visiting Spain? I'm pretty sure that people aren't opting to revel in the spectacle of watching a bull with its horns set alight or fireworks attached to them whilst revellers taunt the poor animal all in the name of 'tradition' and I won't even start on the Day of The Geese!

@JC; the OP is specifically asking for videos that may give an impression of how brutal the event is. So I don’t see any reason for you not to share the websites you mention. Nor do I see any reason for other posters to report these links, nor for the webmaster to remove them. They are on topic because the OP specifically asks for information about how brutal it is.

Oregon Dad, I’ll focus on your question. My husband attended a bullfight in Madrid. I definitely didn’t want to go. I went to the museum to see Picasso’s Guernica painting, instead. My husband described a little of it, and I was glad I didn’t attend it. He didn’t stay for all of it

But, the reason I’m replying is that when we were in Ronda later in our trip, we went to the bullring, and there’s an excellent museum display attached to it. I was able to see what would interest me, and my husband explained some of it briefly. Maybe a museum of bullfighting would fulfill their request.

So you know... where NOT to look for bullfighting... so you are not disappointed.

Should you decide to visit Barcelona, or anywhere in Catalonia for that matter, you won’t find bullfighting — our Parliament was able to ban it in 2010 by an overwhelming majority, and honestly, it was never really “our thing.” We’re about castells (yes, we stack people into towers and call it fun), correfocs (dancing with fireworks — don’t try this at home), and sardanes (holding hands in circles without spilling your drink). These are living traditions that bring people together and celebrate life — not the taking of it.

In a few rural areas, a handful of festivals still involve bulls in non-lethal ways, such as the "bou embolat" (bull with flaming horns). Yet even these events are increasingly controversial here, and many Catalans — especially in urban areas — do not see them as part of our modern cultural identity. Most of us prefer our animals alive, happy, and without a fire hazard on their heads.

So if you’re looking for cruelty-free traditions, welcome — we’ve got plenty. If you’re looking for bullfighting… well, that ain't here.

Gerry, I am right there with you and appreciate every word you've shared on this subject.