Alice WhaleyOct 31, 20194 minOver and OutIvan was mucking out the stables when I arrived in the morning. As usual, he didn’t hear my first ‘hello’ over the noise of the dumper. H...
Alice WhaleyOct 28, 20196 minCow-FightingThere’s a big Repsol garage near La Capitana, Marta’s mother’s farm. RESTAURANTE blinks over the motorway in the early morning light. We’...
Alice WhaleyOct 27, 20195 minEl RocíoOn my first day in Sanlúcar, three people mentioned El Rocío and were surprised when I hadn’t heard of it. Apparently it all started in t...
Alice WhaleyOct 19, 20197 minLa Montería: After Wild Boar*Warning: this piece contains graphic images and content.* The stableyard on Thursday evening felt just like those wintery nights I remem...
Alice WhaleyOct 15, 20195 minTwo BullfightersI don’t know where Guillermo went this afternoon. He put one very long stick, two horses, two saddles, four bridles, and five flatcaps in...
Alice WhaleyOct 13, 20192 minHome ComfortsRead 'A Day in the Life' for part 1. We’re back for lunch, and Guillermo’s mother ushers me into the kitchen. She stops by the oven and p...
Alice WhaleyOct 12, 20195 minA Day in the LifeI’m coming to the end of my second week at the picadero in Sanlúcar. The novelty is wearing off, and so is the skin on my fingers. I’m ha...
Alice WhaleyOct 6, 20193 minDoma VaqueraThe Spanish Championship of Doma Vaquera was held in Almonte this weekend. Guillermo was once Champion of Andalucía, and, even though he w...
Alice WhaleyOct 4, 20194 min"Es Muy Bruto"A few days ago, Guillermo told me to lunge a dark dappled grey horse. I tacked it up, held its skittish head tightly, and walked it into ...
Alice WhaleyOct 4, 20192 minVisitorsI got in Marta’s car this morning to find three Americans squashed in together, waiting to be taken to La Capitana, Marta’s mother’s farm...
Alice WhaleyOct 3, 20195 minThe Bull-Farming MatriarchToday Marta took me to her mother’s farm, aptly named La Capitana. Aurora Algarra is one of the only women in the whole of Spain who bree...
Alice WhaleyOct 3, 20196 minThe Branding of the Bulls* Warning: this piece contains graphic content and images. * Six o’clock this afternoon brought me and Guillermo to La Cobatilla, the fin...
Alice WhaleySep 30, 20193 minThis is Andalucia (First Day, pt. 2.)Fried potatoes. Spanish soap opera. Chicken. Bread. Beer. Got asked if I was Catholic. Surprised reactions all around at my response in t...
Alice WhaleySep 30, 20196 minFirst Day, pt. 1Until Sunday evening, when I arrived in Sanlucar, I had had no contact with the man who owns and runs the picadero, Guillermo Macias Guer...