Horses pull weights in Pego

[greytop]

http://flickr.com/photos/62384708@N00/sets/72057594120908387/?batch_done=1

I´ve spent an interesting four hours today watching the local Valencianos and their horses on the Pego track.
Brief rules - they pull weight in a cart (actual weight is dependent on horses weight, but as you can see in the pics, it was a lot of concrete and sand bags) for 60 metres along a sand covered track. They must stop at each set of flags and are only allowed to use the whip 5 times. Time limit is 5 minutes at which point their position is marked. Fastest horse in each group wins! They also race in pairs (& I believe more but I left before the finish)
Completely different to any other horse trials I´ve seen and seems very popular round the Valencian region. One up in Cullera the other week had around 200 horses competing.

I found another town inland from here that uses different technique, pulling a flat bottomed sledge instead of the cart - and there are probably lots more local variants.
http://www.enguera.org/noticias/index.php?b=&c=2&n=148

Hope the link and the photos on the Flickr group page worked as it's my first attempt. I have not managed to get them to display 1-49 but you can always start from the bottom!!
NB 2/5/06After reading the FAQs on the Flickr site I see I´m not alone and have changed the link to my photostream as opposed to the set. Ain´t life complicated

[cubix]

That's cool!

[Ben]

I´d never heard of this before - yet another totally bizarre Spanish fiesta!

[timg]

Sounds like a living version of a tractor pull!

[greytop]

I've added some floral pics to the Flickr site if you like that sort of thing. Mostly wild flowers. Still trying to get to grips with adding photos to threads!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/62384708@N00/146054102/

[Ben]

They're great. Where were they taken?

[greytop]

They're great. Where were they taken?

Mostly the valleys and hills around Pego (inland from Denía on Costa Blanca North). There is a lot of limestone round this area. Some in and around Xativa castle both planted garden and wild.
Also on the cleared building land lying idle round here a succession of wild flowers seems to keep appearing all year round. It´s like living in a botanic garden!
The calabrese I found on Jalón market where we often go to shop for seasonal vegetables. It´s a small village and the market tends to be more of a local event and not so crowded as those near the coast. I use it as a screen picture as I think it is one of nature´s better efforts! Taste is between broccoli and cauliflower and it needs hardly any cooking.
:p There is also some good local wine available round Jalón and a couple of well stocked cellars where you can fill a bottle! Red wine for medicinal puposes of course!

[Ben]

Red wine for medicinal puposes of course!

Naturally - it's an integral part of a healthy Mediterranean diet;)
:cheers:

[Marbella]

I liked your pictures Greytop, thanks for sharing them.

I lived in the centre of Valencia a few years ago and used to really enjoy walking round the botanical gardens. It was the perfect escape from the noise of the city and at the time just a couple of euros entrance fee.

Also, the flower battle (Batalla de Flores during the July fiestas I think?) is just unmissable. We were lucky enough to be living just across the road from it and it was one of the most incredible things we have ever seen. It really could only happen in Spain - float after float laden with giant buckets/drums of flower heads which they throw into and at the crowd which of course then throws them back. The wise ones, who have seen it all before, arm themselves with tennis rackets, not only to protect the face but also to bat a nice big flower head into the crowd. I´ve got lots of photos of this which I will scan in one day.

Maybe you have seen this already?