The largest parades with horses around the world

Horses have an important place in the world. But there are countries and regions where horses are most valued. This is the case of countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Mexico or Spain, where the horse is highly valued. In addition, there are other countries where the horse is also revered. One of the ways humans incorporate horses is in parades. That’s why today we will tell you about the largest parades with horses in the world.

The larger the parades with horses, the more important the horses are in that society. Therefore, today we will know the largest parades with horses around the world.

Parades are a demonstration of respect and power. Therefore, the inclusion of horses in important parades around the world are proof of the importance of horses.

Sometimes the horse is only part of the ceremonial. In others it is an important central part of the activity. That is why today we will know the largest parades with horses around the world and we will analyze the place of the horse in each of these.

 

The Ghode Jatra Festival

In Nepal every year one of the largest parades with horses in the world takes place, the Ghode Jatra festival.

Nepal is a rural country with a rather depressed economy. Nepal’s main economic activity is agriculture. In this context, the horse has a particularly important place as a support in agricultural activities and as transport.

Additionally, horses have played a fundamental role in the country’s political conflicts.

Given the background, we can consider that the horse in Nepal has a fundamental role in Nepali society. That is why the Ghode Jatra festival is one of the largest horse parades in the world.

This festival takes place in Kathmandu’s cavalry fields, known as Tundikhel.

Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal and seat of political power.

In Tundikhel, hundreds of horses, soldiers, and senior political and civilian officials from Nepal gather once a year. Even the Ghode Jatra festival is attended by the country’s president.

The festival takes place between mid-March and early April.

On that day they gather to celebrate Ghode Jatra, a festival that aims to scare away demons and commemorate a dark moment in their history.

The origin of the Ghode Jatra festival, one of the largest horse parades in the world.

In Kathmandu there was a time when many children disappeared in the city. People attributed the disappearance of children to demons. Therefore, they decided to scare them away by demonstrating all their power by running their horses around Tundikhel.

Over time this ritual began to be performed annually to appease evil spirits and demons. Subsequently, Ghode Jatra became a national holiday, and one of the largest horse parades in the world.

Soldiers and horses show off their skills and battle techniques to deter demons, and perhaps political dissidents as well.

The role of the horse in Ghode Jatra is a major role, as the horse is one of the main technologies of warfare in backward Nepal. In addition, the horse is revered, because it has a fundamental role both in its defense, security, and in its economy.

Ghode Jatra shows us that although in many places the horse has been displaced by technology, horses still have an important place in the world.

 

The parades with horses of the “Patria gaucha”

A small country in the American continent hosts one of the largest parades with horses around the world, we talk about Uruguay. But what is due to this preeminence of the horse in the Uruguayan nation. Today we will tell you about this wonderful parade and the reasons why the parade of the “Patria Gaucha” has such an impact on this small nation.

Uruguay is a country that has 176,215 square kilometers and approximately 3 and a half million inhabitants. At the very least, we can say that it is surprising that the parade of the “Patria Gaucha” can summon thousands of riders with their horses. The Uruguayan Gaucho is the equivalent of the American cowboy.

But one of the most important things is that Uruguayan was born is an agricultural and agro-exporting nation. However, Uruguay currently has one of the lowest proportions of rural population in the region.

There is a struggle to reclaim and protect the rural population. The decline in the rural population may pose a threat to Uruguay’s food independence and economy.

Perhaps this drives this type of activities and claims of the figure of the Uruguayan Gaucho. But what does the “Uruguayan gaucho” mean? We’ll see it next.

the Uruguayan Gaucho

The Gaucho is a historical figure like the American cowboy. He is a country man, typical of the plains of Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. They are the product of the union between descendants of Spaniards and Indians and their culture is a mixture between both, with a predominance of the rural.

His existence runs between the plains and the unpopulated areas, an adventurer whose exploration expands the territories. Thanks to his skills as a horse rider he can expand those horizons and reach where other men have not reached. It is precisely his characteristic of expert rider and his link with the rural, which has strengthened the gaucho in the face of adversity and in the face of modernity.

This struggle against modernity has created a common front that drives them to fight for their identity. A struggle to recover what they call the gaucho homeland that is in the rural.

The parades with horses of the gaucho homeland

This parade with horses has been held since 1986 in Tacuarembó, a Uruguayan city characterized by a livestock economy. That characteristic makes it a refuge for what remains of Uruguayan gaucho culture.

This parade with horses is one of the important bastions of its culture and tourism. It takes place in the area of the lagoon of the washerwomen, a natural mirror of water one kilometer from the city.

In 2022, more than 4000 riders and horses participated in the parade of the gaucho homeland. For 5 days all kinds of recreations, contests and activities are carried out in honor of the figure of the Uruguayan gaucho.

As we can see, parades with horses are not only linked to the size of the country but also to its culture and the importance of the horse in it.

For Gustavo Mirabal Castro it is important to highlight the role of the horse in modern society to give it the dignity that this animal nobel deserves.