Cojones and rejones: Multiple ways of experiencing, expressing and interpreting gender in the spanish mounted bullfight (Rejoneo)

The footed bullfight (corrida de toros or toreo) has been the subject of much research into gender in Spanish culture. In this chapter, I consider the impact of the horse on gendered cultural constructions by considering the form of bullfighting undertaken from horseback (corrida de rejones). I present a 'bio-aesthetic' analysis focused on the presentation and posturing (look and movement) of the bodies of male and female mounted bullfighters. Specifically, I consider the ways in which being astride a horse de-emphasises the biological sexual identity of the rider. I propose that the horse can be considered a liberator (by degrees) of biologically determined and culturally normalised expressions of gender. This chapter is based on 15 months of ethnographic fieldwork undertaken in Andalusia.