Leslie Mazoch

An Escaramuza team performs their routine as they compete in a tournament at the Lienzo Charro Pedregal arena in Mexico City, Mexico, April 4, 2009. Escaramuza evolved from children's horse riding lessons in 1953 into the most popular sport within Charreria, or Mexican rodeo. An Escaramuza team is made up of eight female riders mounted side saddle, wearing Mexican Revolution-style dresses and traditional sombreros, who perform a routine up to 12 minutes long. Officially recognized as a sport by the National Federation of Charros in 1991 after a decades long battle by female riders with the federation, the discipline secured a permanent place in Mexican Charreria and resources for competitions. Mexico declared Charreria its national sport in 1931 a decade after the revolution.