When I hear the words fox hunt, I immediately picture elegantly dressed men and women astride muscular chestnut-colored horses waiting for the sound of the horn before racing off behind a pack of hounds to hunt down the crafty fox. Of course, this imaginary hunt always takes place in the hilly farmlands of England. Not in the mountainous terrain of Ibarra, Ecuador.
Every year, hundreds of participants gather at Yahuarcocha, a high altitude lake nestled into the base of the volcano Imbabura, to catch the fox. The Cacería del Zorro takes the traditional English fox hunt and turns it on its head. Last weekend, we were lucky enough to experience the day, from parade to races to the fiesta at then end. This article is about the Cacería del Zorro itself, the actual race.
In the Cacería del Zorro, the fox is actually a fellow rider, the winner of last year’s race. He or she dons a black outfit with a foxtail pinned to their backside. They mount their horse, whose blanket is marked with the red Z of the mythical Zorro made famous in the United States by the Disney television show of the same name. Then, with a 200 meter head start, the fox takes off.
In years past, the race had no track and the fox would only have a final finish line to cross. His path to get there was of his own invention and the hunters not only had to be fast but needed to think strategically so that they could succeed in not only catching up with the fox but actually figuring out where the fox would go in the first place. You can imagine that this race would have been incredibly hard to watch as riders could appear anywhere over a wide terrain.
Click on any of the grouped photos to see that set in slideshow form. For additional photos, please check our the albums on the Not Your Average American Facebook page.
If you know anyone in these photos who would like digital copies sent to them, please have them contact me at angiedrake@hotmail.com.
Si conocen alguien en estas fotos y les gustarían copías de las fotos digitales, me manden un correo electrónico a angiedrake@hotmail.com.
Children
Congratulations to next year’s fox, Erick Tolagasí!
- First hunter approaches the fox very rapidly.
- Hunter realizes he’s approaching too fast.
- The hunter tryies to put on the brakes
- Hunter captures the tail.
- Erick Tolagasí is next year’s fox in the children’s race.
Youth
Even the announcer was unsure what should happen next. There was debate about if the first rider and horse to pass the finish line would be the winner. And then when that happened, that rider tumbled head over heels crossing the finish line. In the end, it was the hunter that thought to jump off his horse, steal the tail from the fallen rider, and continue to the finish line who won the title.
Congratulations to Gabriel Jaramillo!
- The Fox quickly takes a huge lead in the youth race.
- The top contenders in the youth race.
- The Fox is very much in the lead in the youth race.
- The fox has lost her steed.
- The ambulance waits to treat fallen riders.
Amateur, Part 1
In the first race, the fox, Andrés Ayala, began the race looking over his shoulder coming around the first bend. It looked to be a big tactical error as the pack of hunters was quickly on his tail. It seemed likely that the race was lost almost as quickly as it began.
There were several close moments early on but once he reached the winding trail, the fox increased his lead. Then came the slight hill. His horse had given so much to maintain the early lead that the hill slowed him down. It was just the chance a crafty hunter was looking for.
Just as the fox and hunter approached the final length of the track, the hunter reached forward and snatched the foxtail immediately in front of the roaring crowd. This was one of the most exciting races of all! A persistent hunter and a fox that never gave are a great combination!
Congratulations Jefferson Pazmiño!
- 2nd Amateur Race off to a tight start
- The fox struggles to keep the lead.
- Hunters on the fox’s tail.
- The Fox is barely keeping ahead of the pack.
- The fox takes a longer lead in the turns.
- The fox starts to lose speed up hill.
- Once up hill, the fox attempts to regain lost speed.
- But it’s likely too late!
- Immediately in front of the roaring crowd, the hunter snatches the foxtail at the very last minute.
Amateur, Part 2
We thought this rider must be exceptional because the announcer kept calling him the Eternal Fox, el zorro eternal. But this is why non-native Spanish speakers should always double check meanings… the announcer was actually saying el zorro alterno, or the alternate fox, because he was the second fox in the amateur race.
He may have been a second in this race, but he used considerable skill to push his horse through his paces. Once he gained a lead, he never lost it. The other horses and their riders were merely running the course as they had little chance of catching up. In fact, if Kevin wins a few more races, maybe he will become El Zorro Eternal.
Congratulations Kevin Morales!
- Picking up speed…
- And breaking away from the pack.
- The closest hunters are left in the dust.
- The lead grows.
- Turning the bends with skill.
- The final up hill.
- Success! Note the flapping foxtail.
Master
The hunter used the turns in the race to gain ground by moving to the inside, carefully pushing his horse faster. It was along the first tight turns that he gained enough ground to successfully grab the foxtail.
On his way back, just short of the finish line, the new fox stopped to pick up his very happy son and cross the finish line together.
Congratulations Hipólito Morales!
- The Fox leads in good form.
- The closest hunter approaches round the first bend.
- The hunter moves to the inside of the fox.
- Fox attempts a get-a-way.
- The hunter succeeds!
- The new fox stopped to pick up his son before crossing the finish line.
Adult
As the adult race was forming up, we were quickly losing light. The quality of photos at this point are not as good as early races. However, the sunset made up for it all.
The fox retained his title.
Congratulations Óscar Vásquez!
- The fox in good form
- Hunter attempts to gain ground.
- The fox owns the raceway.
- The fox keeps up a good pace.
- End of the adult race – Fox keeps his tail!
Elite
The beginning of the race appeared to promise a tight competition with the hunters quickly gaining on the fox. However, the skill of the fox and his well-trained horse were no competition for the rest. In fact, he owned the track in a way no other fox had the entire day. Although the elite race is supposed to be one of the most exciting, it was really one of the most mundane. Well run but not exciting at all. Even the fox seemed underwhelmed as he trotted past the crowds, tail still intact.
Congratulations Hugo Pasquel!
- The fox leaves a trail of dust.
- The fox rides almost casually through the turns.
- The fox has a generous lead.
- The crowd roars as the fox makes a last burst of speed.
- The fox crosses the finish line, tail intact.