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 a "charreada". At times there are such prizes as saddles or horse trailers. Various aspects of charreada have been criticized by animal welfare groups in the United States as being inhumane. While some animal rights organizations oppose many or all aspects of both charreada and American-style rodeo, other organizations do not oppose rodeos generally or the charreada events that are similar to those seen in US rodeo. However, they do oppose specific charreada events, particularly steer-tailing and those that involve roping horses, which are grouped under the term "horse-tripping." These organizations have particular criticism for "piales" and "mangana," the heeling