Course Landaise
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Although young cows are used instead of bulls the course Landaise is in Gascony a major spectator sport [1] which can in a way be compared with the steer-wrestling ’’games’’ in American rodeos or the Basque tradition of running in front of bulls that have been let loose in the streets (Bayonne in southern France or in Pamplona in nothern Spain).
It is a traditional game of ’’bull’’ leaping with wild young cows. In France mainly seen in the departments Gers and Landes and also a little in the Gironde, it is an animal friendly game that has nothing to do with the traditional bullfighting. One needs courage, strength and agility to participate in this dangerous sport. The men most often have a few bruises to nurse, while the cows return without any harm to their luxurious grasslands.
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[edit] Explanation
A team of ’’toreros landais’’ faces in a traditional and precisely prescribed game young ’’fighting’’ cows of Spanish races, such as brava, toro de lidia etc. The teams are coming out for stock farms and carry, like any other team of sportsmen, their own colours.
The cows are specially bread and grow up in wild, on splendid very rural Ganaderias and are of a considerable size [2] (300kg to 500kg and 125cm to 130cm). What more is they are specially trained to defend themselves in their own natural way. The Ganaderias are mainly situated in the Landes, essentially between Dax and Aire-sur-l'Adour.
The cows all have their own name and are classified to pugnacity. Before the game starts they are all put in their own private cabin, called loge. A rope is fixed around their horns in order to be able bring them during the game in their starting position.
During the course the cows leave their loge in a predetermined order and are manoeuvred by the ’’cordier’’, the man who holds the rope and two ’’entraîneurs’’, these are the co-ordinators, to the position in front of the torero placed on the other side of the arena. The torero challenges the cow and to enable her to attack the cordier gives space to the rope thus enabling the cow to attack.
The enthusiastic public continuously gives financial premiums for courage and audacity, these are announced between the festive music which is constantly playing.
The toreros are divided in two categories:
- the ’’écarteurs’’ or dodgers, which avoid the cow at the very last moment with a gracious movement. This is done with and sometimes without the protection of the rope.
- the ’’sauteur’’ or leaper, also waits the cow and jump at the last moment in several daring manners over the cow.
The cow rushes down in a straight line on the leaper, which dives with several jumps and somersaults, sometimes with tied feet or the feet in a beret over the cow.
There is absolutely no blood shed, the cow can even not be touched.
The participants to this game are excellent athletes.
The courses Landaises are held from March to October at the occasion of festivals in cities and villages, such as:
Nogaro, Mont-de-Marsan, Dax, Castelnau-d’Auzan and many other places. Of course there are also national championships.
The courses Landaises are very popular.
There is a (national) competition between teams named cuadrillas, which belong to certain breeding estates. A cuadrilla is made up of a teneur de corde, an entraîneur, one sauteur (leaper), and six écarteurs (dodgers). The cows are brought to the arena in boxes and then taken out in order. Teneur de corde controls the dangling rope attached to cow's horns and the entraîneur positions the cow to face and attack the player. The écarteurs will try to dodge around the cow in the latest instance possible and the sauteur will leap over it. Each team aims to complete a set of at least one hundred dodges and eight leaps. This is the main scheme of the "classic" form, the course landaise formelle. However, different rules may be applied in some competitions. For example, competitions for Coupe Jeannot Lafittau are arranged with cows without ropes.
[edit] Origin
Already since centuries games with cows are organised in Gascony. They appeared at several places.
For example Saint-Sever where it was already in 1457 a habit at the Feast of Saint John to release the cows in the streets for a free run.
In La Teste-de-Buch it was tradition to brand that the cows in the dunes. In sand the animal are less dangerous and there arose a game which existed in jumping over cows.
The course Landaise were regulated in XIXth century and transmitted to special arenas. The toreros conduct two standard figures: the jump and the evasion.
Nowadays the course Landaise still very fashionable in the Landes and the Gers. In the Gironde the tradition has mainly been lost.
The arenas of La Teste-de-Buch and Arcachon have been demolished. In Bordeaux the tradition has not been continued.
There are still some courses Landaises in Floriac, La Brède and Captieux.
[edit] Three types of courses Landaises
[edit] The Course formelle
Everything happens in style according to the ancient regulations. The participants to these courses are all professionals. It lasts approximately 2h15 with a pause. It always starts on the music of the Marche Cazérienne with a march to take the salute of the écarteurs.
This type course one finds mainly in Chalosse, Tursan, Béarn and Bigorre.
A jury stipulated a score which counts for the annual national competition.
[edit] The Concours landais
Also here the rules of the formal course Landaise are respected, but the classification in the national competition is individual. Here too its participants are all professionals.
[edit] The Course mixte
The mixed courses are open for amateurs. The first part is formal and in the second part the public can participate.
In the bath resorts on the Atlantic coast many game are organized in which the tourists can take part.
It also happens that the game is played only in a playful manner, without any formality at all. For example two villages or cities against each other: sport-loving young men challenge the cows in daring, very athletic games, jumping, running, catching the cockade placed between the horns of the cow. Or they play simply a ’’rugby match’’ with a wild young cow as third party in the field.
Sometimes the cow pursues the men to almost behind the protection shots where they can bring themselves into safety in case of need.
[edit] References
- ^ This article is largely based on the Course landaise article in the French Wikipedia .
- ^ Toro Brava French Wikipedia
[edit] External links
- The course landaise present events and photos.
