Nicaraguan Horses

In contrast to the thousands of working horses in Nicaragua, the horses that come out for the festivals and parades seem like a different species all together. Above is a real beauty prancing in a parade in Managua during the Patron Saint festival of Santo Domingo, the patron saint of the city of Managua. I was able to get a little closer to this beautiful animal later as it was resting in the shade -- but not too close -- he was quite a high-strung, nervous beauty, prone to biting! So I kept my distance!

I came to know that there were well-cared for and thorough-bred horses in Nicaragua because of the vet that we took our dogs to. Our vet's brother raised horses out in the country along the Viejo Leon road. It's possible he would ride some of his horses in the festivals.

It seemed that for most of the larger festivals in the towns of moderate size, horses always played a part in the excitement and pageantry. Our first visit to Nicaragua was in November, and we were caught right in the middle of a beautiful festival in Catarina. There were many young people sharing horses, and some beauty queens with sashes riding along too!














For more information about Managua's patron saint festival go to www.vianica.com/go/specials/27-managua-nicaragua-patron-saint-dominic-festivities.html

A very abbreviated list of some festivals around the country is below.


San Juan de Oriente and San Juan del Sur:
Patron Saint Festival of St. John the Baptist, June 24: Nicaraguan music, food, games and parades at the end of June in both San Juan de Oriente and San Juan del Sur on Nicaragua's Pacific Coast.

Boaco & Jinotepe:
Patron Saint Festival of St. Santiago, July 25: Set in the cattle and cowboy region of Boaco, this weeklong celebration features dancers in brightly colored costumes, wearing crowns adorned with flowers and streamers.

Nandaime, Chinandega and Ometepe:
Patron Saint Festival of St. Ana, July 26: An annual celebration honoring Santa Ana, the mother of the Virgin Mary and grandmother of Jesus.

Corn Island:
Festival del Cangrejo, Aug. 25-26: Beauty pageants, street parades and sporting contests.

Managua:
Patron Saint Festival of Santo Domingo, Aug. 1-10: A ceremony in which a statue of the saint is taken from the church of Las Sierritas and transferred to an older church near downtown Managua.

Granada and Juigalpa:
Assumption Patron Festival, Aug. 15: Calling visitors from throughout Nicaragua, Juigalpa's "fiestas patronales" include bull riding, rodeo competitions and horseback games for all ages.