Charreada a lane wide by long leading into a circle in diameter. In the opening ceremony, organizations and participants parade into the arena on horseback, usually accompanied by a mariachi band playing "Marcha Zacatecas". This signifies the long tradition of Charros being an auxiliary arm of the Mexican Army. The short charro jacket is remniscent of that worn by members of Villa's Army. The "charreada" itself consists of nine scoring events staged in a particular order for men. Unlike rodeos, most "charreadas" do not award money to the winners as charreadas are considered an amateur, rather than professional sport. Prizes may
Charreada competing charros often came from families with a tradition of Charreria, and teams today are often made up from extended families who have been performing for up to five generations. The "charreada" consists of nine events for men plus one for women, all of which involve horses, cattle or both. Some of the events in the charreada have been criticized by animal advocacy groups and some states have banned certain events. However, there is an absence of independent statistical data and unbiased recording of the injury rate of animals has not been undertaken. Charrería, a word encompassing all aspects of