El tercio de varas y el caballo de picar

The picador's work, the first stage of the bullfight, is one of the most crucial moments and, at the same time, one of the least closely examined. It is during this stage that the bull's bravery is measured, its subsequent behavior is defined, and a technical balance that has been transformed over the centuries is put to the test. In "The First Stage of the Bullfight and the Picador's Horse", veterinary specialist José Luis Prieto Garrido traces the history and evolution of this first stage, from medieval chivalric bullfighting to the modern corrida, focusing on the role of the picador, the horse's training, the lance, the protective padding, and the different ways of performing the picador's work. The analysis is supported by regulations, historical sources, iconography, and a veterinary perspective that provides precision and context. Without resorting to clichés or controversy, this book proposes a careful reading of the first stage of the bullfight as an essential structure of the bullfight, key to understanding the development of the spectacle and the relationship between bull, horse, and bullfighter.