Lee la historia en español aquí.

Juana Díaz.- The rodeo fever is back, judging by the number of people who come to Hacienda Muñoz in Juana Díaz. They visit to learn how to throw the lasso and the secrets around this traditional American event.

There, cowboys of all ages, and dressed in hats, jeans and boots, meet on Thursdays with the purpose of recreating the activities that they enjoyed so much until the late 90s. Here they can ride a horse, bull or calf to tie a rope around its neck.

Likewise, they are taught to tie the head and leg of the animal—which they then release—within a specific timeframe. They also do barrel racing or capture a pig greased with Vaseline, among other activities popularized on the big screen.

According to the owner, Justo Muñoz-Blanco, “when I started doing this, the kids had nowhere to lasso. They’d practice on a small piece of land at some farm. My ring is right there.”

“Those cowboys’ parents, who still lasso, approached me (for help). It was then, I decided to reopen the ranch again, western style. My purpose is to get kids off the streets,” confessed the 77-year-old. As a young man, he was hooked as well with the rise of this sport.

Muñoz grew up on this 54-acre farm. His parents had a dairy, the largest one in Juana Díaz. Years later, he transformed the space into a rodeo ring, with its canteen and other elements that allude to this North American sport.

“They invited me to do American rodeo, with all the American rules. I made the ring and the stable room for the cowboy night parties. I also had a mountain bike track made. This is how Hacienda Muñoz continued to grow. It was closed for a while because my father got sick and I went to work as a teacher,” he recalled. His mother is Mrs. Delia Blanco, 98 years old, and who still accompanies him on his adventures.

“But the construction was already there, we just had to fix it. The cyclone, Georges (1998), before Hurricane María (2017), punished me. So I raised it again, creating activities with cowboy friends who had my back. It was a development that came about with the growing fever that swept Puerto Rico into the American cowboy rodeos. And it continued,” he said.

And so, Justo continued working on the facilities that occupy 20 acres of land, especially in regards to its security.

“Inside that arena, you can place a 1,500-pound bull and no matter how hard it hits those walls, it’s not going to escape into the public. Safety is important. At a rodeo show that has so many people, you can’t allow yourself the chance to have one of those fierce animals run into the public. It would be a disaster. We’ve already had a few rodeos that have been a success,” he outlined.

Among the events that take place on the hacienda, there is “bull riding, which is what people like the most. There’s team roping, where two cowboys come out, the bull is in the middle, one lassos the horns and the other the legs, and are timed. Without mistreating the bull, it’s tied up and when the bell rings it’s released.”

“Here there’s an event for children where piglets are smeared in Vaseline. They’re released, and whoever catches the piglet takes it,” he said. He mentioned that he currently has three employees.

He explained that “horses have to be educated. We bring in steers so that the horse can run after them. The calf must also be trained so that it comes straight out, and knows it’s going to come out from one side. That it’s going to be roped and, as soon as it’s released, it knows it has to come out from the other side. This way it knows where it’s going so it’s not mistreated.”

However, the activity with the biggest enthusiasm are the lasso throwing events.

“There’s enthusiasm from the daughters and wives of the cowboys. They’ve been dedicating themselves to it. I’m putting up a doll back together [for it]. I have a lot of old, veteran cowboys, and their children and grandchildren are helping me out. We don’t compete with other rings. If another ring has a rodeo, then we go there. That’s the idea; we support each other and, well, we go and visit. Sometimes we lend each other livestock,” he revealed.

For his part, the instructor Joseph Santiago-Berríos explained that “we have a plastic calf that simulates the cow. It’s pulled by a bus so that children and ladies who are interested in the sport can watch it, learn the skills and practice.”

“Barrel racing is taught here, which is when horses come out. Three barrels are placed, the horse has to make a turn, do a circuit and it’s done along with team roping,” said the 32-year-old from Ponce.

However, “[cowboys] have to bring their own horses and equipment. On Thursdays at four in the afternoon, we first do a dummy event and then we do the sport. We start with the real steers and then the barrel race for the children, ladies and folk who are interested.”

For details you can access their Facebook: La Hacienda Muñoz en Juana Díaz.