The ranchers in Las Ventas speak: “Now the bravest, biggest and most difficult bull to fight comes out”

‘The evolution of the different castings of the fighting bull in the 21st century’ was the topic chosen by the Peña Los de José y Juan to conclude its cycle of conferences this season, in an act presented by the journalist Victoria Collantes. Fernando Lozano, a rancher from Alcurrucén and representative of the Núñez encaste; Álvaro Martínez Conradi, a rancher from La Quinta, from Santa Coloma; and Marcos Pérez, rancher of Domingo Hernández, from the Domecq encaste. «The characteristic of the Núñez cattle ranch is that durability in the last thirds and that extra peace of mind; He is a cold bull to start with, but that does not mean that he is not brave, because the true bravery is the one that goes the most, because what good is a braggart bull that later collapses and goes to the tables? That’s not bravery.” This is how Fernando Lozano described, in general terms, the casting of which he is a part, subsequently ruling that “the Núñez bull is for good bullfighters.” «Here it is not about fighting with the bull, because if you are going to fight with the bull you have to lose, it is about understanding with the bull, coupling, knowing how to deal with it, because the bull should not adapt to the bullfighter, if not the bullfighter adapt to the bull to know how to get the virtues it has ». Martínez Conradi, breeder of one of the most coveted stud farms today, explained that the evolution of the stud farms is mainly motivated by the tastes of the fans, and he differentiated that more than the casting, an obvious basis, what makes the stud farms evolve They are the ranchers, responding to the public’s demand: “The herds and the encastes come up or down according to the selection of a certain rancher or the people who are able to adapt to the moments.” He also explained that he currently sees a certain tendency to unify the morphology of the bull, assuring that “the evolution of our herd is based on the obsession with differentiating ourselves in size and in the shapes and phenotype with other herds. In the 1960s a bull would come out and you would know which farm it was from without looking at the iron, because they were differentiated by a stamp of the casting. Today, in general, one is falling for a single bull with certain characteristics and certain kilos; and we want to look for something different». He also spoke about the tablet, considered one of the great evils by the majority of ranchers because it homogenizes the ranches, taking out types of animals from breeding that have never been like this, “the bull has to have cloth, and our bull I think has it because it transmits fear, seriousness and importance; and that’s tricky, not putting 550 kilos on a tablet and coming out with a plump bull, because it’s counterproductive for our bull. We try to get the bull out of shape to enter the fairs and we begin to load the casting», since not all bulls can bear having the same boxes, and, based on the fact that there must be a minimum weight, veterinarians must know the inserts to adapt this regulation to the morphologies of the herds. Regarding the tablet, Álvaro told by way of an anecdote that he had a bull prepared for the bullfight at San Isidro Pasado, perfectly made but light in weight, which meant that it did not pass recognition. However, he took Dax to Luque’s trap, and the Sevillian cut off his tail. «The encastes have all evolved, but the ones that have to evolve are the cattle farms. We have all had potholes, but the ones who change the inserts are the farmers, who are creating an attack that they have in their heads, and they adapt the insert to their idea”, Marcos Pérez began by saying. «The bull that my grandfather bought from Juan Pedro Domecq has nothing to do with the current bull owned by Garcigrande or Domingo Hernández – the latter being the farm he represents, since Garcigrande currently belongs to his uncle, Justo Hernández, although both stud farms are the same, and they will be until 2024- regarding the onslaught, the type of bull and the demands that there are today in the bullrings to be on top ». «The Domecq bull has not had a hard time raising the weight, but he has had to do it and he has had to adjust to get a charge according to what is required today, and with a mobility and a transmission that was not possible before. they existed”, he explained, and as a sign of this evolution we can see the current durability of the bull, previously unthinkable. He also qualified that within a casting you can find quite different irons, thanks to the selection, since “Juan Pedro is the base of many stud farms, but currently it has nothing to do with the onslaught of our bull or that of Victoriano del Río », a currency that he cataloged as a reference for the current brave cabin. «My grandfather said that the bull did not have to gallop, because if the bullfighters have to fight slowly and the bull gallops he did not understand it; It’s one thing to come from afar, but up close it can’t be like that. The point of leaving the flights to the animal, taking it sewn to the crutch, bringing it back and making the perfect crutch, is the most difficult and the one that is scariest, more than the one that happens even if it comes from afar,” he commented on the concept of Domingo Hernández, which Marcos himself has inherited. On the current bull, and when asked if the current bull was “sweeter”, Lozano explained that sweetness is relative: “I have not found a sweet bull in life. You see more classy bulls now, but they don’t have to be sweet.” And he continued: «The tasks are longer and fewer and fewer errors are admitted by the public. A task with cleanliness and perfection is required that you have to look for a consistent bull, not sweet, but that goes further and responds to good treatment, so that there is an almost perfect pairing. Martínez Conradi gave his point of view regarding his livestock: «In our case we are not looking for sweetness. The bull we are looking for is not predictable, it is fierce and encased. We are not looking for perfection either, but different nuances, not remote-controlled bulls. “Now the bravest, biggest and most difficult bull to fight well than ever comes out,” Marcos continued. «You see so much demand and perfection that we have normalized it. The good bull is never easy, it is when the figures make the difference », he stressed. Fernando pointed out that “the more capacity and ambition the bullfighter has, the easier everything seems because they cover up the defects, whatever the bull may be.” The rancher from La Quinta, referring to the difficulties of the bull (and bullfighting) today, added that “the public seeks perfection, the fan knows how to appreciate imperfection.” MORE INFORMATION noticia Si Javier Núñez: “The left has renounced bullfighting and itself” noticia Si Controversy over the return of bullfights to Batán: “The big loser is the bull” As a final conclusion about the future, the three ranchers they agreed that “we seek transmission through purity.”