Rejones at San Isidro: More than half a century of tradition
11 de March de 2026
Would you like to enjoy the San Isidro Festival in a different way? Perhaps during the weekend, without the rush of weekday bullfights? Then rejoneo (horseback bullfighting) is the perfect show for you. For more than 50 years it has complemented the traditional bullfights on foot, attracting a wider audience. In 2026 it also features the double appearance of Diego Ventura, the most decorated horseback bullfighter in history. Give it a try — once you experience it, you will want to come back again.
Horseback bullfights (corridas de rejones) are a fundamental part of the San Isidro Festival, held every year at the Las Ventas Bullring in Madrid. The presence of horses — usually scheduled on Saturdays — provides a necessary contrast to traditional bullfights on foot, while adding a unique visual spectacle to the famous Madrid fair.
Although the festival was created by Don Livinio Stuyck in 1947, originally featuring four bullfights and one novice bullfight, rejoneo took some time to establish itself as a dedicated event within the festival programme. Before that, some rejoneadores or Portuguese cavaleiros occasionally appeared opening the bill ahead of three matadors.
The first proper rejones bullfight within the San Isidro Festival took place on 14 May 1971. On that historic day, bulls from the Salamanca-based ranch Atanasio Fernández were fought by the brothers Ángel and Rafael Peralta, alongside Portuguese cavaleiro José Samuel Pereira Lupi and Álvaro Domecq Romero.
Since then, the festival has traditionally reserved one or two dates within its extensive calendar for what is known as the Art of Marialva, the classical Iberian tradition of bullfighting on horseback. Some editions even featured up to four such events, but in recent years — including 2025 and the upcoming 2026 edition — two rejones bullfights have become the standard within the programme.
For the 2026 San Isidro Festival at Las Ventas, two rejones bullfights have been scheduled, featuring five top-level rejoneadores. Diego Ventura, the leading figure of modern equestrian bullfighting, is the main star of the cycle and the only rejoneador appearing on both afternoons.
Ventura also holds the record for the most Puerta Grande triumphs in the history of Las Ventas, with 19 exits through the Great Gate so far. His first came on 16 October 2005, and the most recent — to date — on 1 June 2024. During this period he has set several records, including the historic tail trophy awarded during the 2018 San Isidro Festival, as well as his famous six-bull solo performance at the Autumn Fair later that same year.
On Saturday, 23 May, the Spanish-Portuguese rejoneador (born in Lisbon but living in La Puebla del Río, near Seville) will perform alongside Andy Cartagena and Guillermo Hermoso de Mendoza, two other leading stars of the discipline. Bulls will be supplied by the ranch Herederos de Sánchez y Sánchez, from the prestigious Murube bloodline, particularly suited for horseback bullfighting.
One week later, on Saturday 30 May, the horseman based in the marshlands of Seville shares the bill with Portuguese rejoneador Rui Fernandes and French star Lea Vicens, creating a strongly international line-up. The bulls on this occasion will come from the Portuguese ranch María Guiomar Cortés de Moura.
Two outstanding line-ups and another great way to enjoy the San Isidro Festival.
