Gathered in a half circle, eight young equestrians atop multicolored horses bowed their heads for a prayer led by their coach, Heidi Ramirez. They prayed for many things, including their own safety, given that the synchronized routine they perform while riding sidesaddle in layered embroidered dresses, though beautiful, is both challenging and potentially dangerous.
They are Dinastía Charra, a team of escaramuzas from Alvarado who perform intricate competitive riding to music. It’s traditionally the only all-female event in the Mexican equestrian sport known as charrería.
I first encountered the group at Pre-Estatal, a qualifying tournament that marks the start of the Federación Mexicana de Charrería’s competition season. It was their second year competing in the libre (open) category, after participating as juveniles (youth) since 2019. The team members are all still in their teens or early 20s—the group began in Alvarado, a rural community that is nearly a third Hispanic outside Dallas-Fort Worth. They may still be adapting to adult competition, but there’s no mistaking their determination. Although they’re newer than other Texas teams, they displayed grit and resilience.
The team name suggests they’re part of a dynasty, yet each escaramuza has a unique story. The Torres sisters, Alejandra and América, became interested after their brother with autism, Ricardo, began equine therapy. Valeria Diera, once an award-winning barrel racer in U.S. rodeos, traded her cowboy hat for a sombrero after her father encouraged her to reconnect with her heritage. Liliana Perez grew up around horses and started riding at 6, which later led her to study animal science at Tarleton State University, with the goal of becoming an equine veterinarian. Karla Ramirez, born into a long lineage of charros, was immersed in the culture since birth—her mother, Heidi, once an escaramuza herself, acts as coach.
What unites them is their unwavering commitment, despite the financial and logistical challenges of balancing school, work, practice, and competitions.
Their average scores at state competitions, both in Harwood and the Houston suburb of Katy, were 294 points, earning them the title of Texas Champions in 2024. As winners, they traveled to Mexico’s national championship in San Luis Potosí, where very few U.S. teams qualified to compete. Despite lacking the resources and sponsorships of their male counterparts, this scrappy team fundraised and pooled personal resources to cover the cost to travel, rent horses, and compete. They did this all to proudly represent Texas and make their mark on the country their relatives left behind to give them another life.
This traditional sport, rooted in the Mexican Revolution, holds profound significance now as debates over immigration and U.S.-Mexico relations are increasingly fraught. For these first-generation Mexican-American women, being an escaramuza—donning the attire and performing every slide, gallop, twist, turn, and punto shout—transcends geographical and political borders, offering a space for cultural expression that is both deeply personal and collectively a way to celebrate their cross-cultural identity.
