The Tilarán Resistance Equestrian Competition is already a cultural tradition that has been carried out for 36 years. For this September 17th and 18th, the XXIV edition will be held, in order to resume activity after two years of pandemic, but also celebrate together with the canton of Tilaran its 99 years of foundation.
The event was born out of the love of Guanacastecans for horses, in addition to being used as transportation or for work, etc. According to the president of the Tilarán Resistance Equestrian Sports Association (ADERTILA), Gerardo Villegas Estrada, in 1987 a group of friends met in Tilarán, who decided to take a tour of the Arenal Lake sector, however, they arrived at the event many more people than expected and from places like San Carlos, Liberia, among other places to participate.
“That event was inundated with people, but it was too big, there were no rules, a lot of horses, and there was a lot of mishap for those reasons. So at that time the culture of Equestrian Endurance was instilled and over the years the event has become more professional, which has caused fewer horses to arrive, but more willing to participate. Here the national federation appeared that provides the guidelines to follow for this type of competition, it formed associations in each place where the events were held, not only here but in other communities, and a national championship is held, which participates with different categories, in the end that allow them to participate in international competitions“, explained Villegas.
What is this event about?
The competition takes place at a fixed point, from where the lake is circumnavigated in two days: It leaves Tilarán on Saturday, September 17th and ends in Nuevo Arenal that same day; then on Sunday the 18th it leaves Nuevo Arenal and ends in Tilarán.
“It has acquired a lot of strength, even more after the pandemic; the tour is well known and both national and international riders participate. It is a competition against the clock which means that we are completing different stages; There are checkpoints on each day, for example, on the first day there are four stages: Río Chiquito, El Fósforo, Los Conejos and Nuevo Arenal. In each stage there is a veterinary medical check-up where the horses must comply with certain protocols so that they can continue in the competition. In addition, there is a collegiate body of timekeepers who digitally manage the times of each one to know what time they are consuming”, commented the president of ADERTILA, who added that the event also has all the legal permits to make it happen.
Declared of cantonal interest by the Municipality of Tilarán
This year the event was declared of cantonal interest by the Municipality of Tilarán and for this reason three days of activities will be held: Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th of September. “For Friday the meeting of riders will be held so that those who are going to participate consult about their doubts, comments, etc, but the competition laws are directly on the ADERTILA website.
Categories
After that there will be a show of sporting horses; on Saturday the departure will be at 9 a.m. from Tilarán and we will arrive around 5 p.m., and on Sunday we leave at 8 a.m. from Nuevo Arenal and we will arrive in Tilarán at about 2 p.m.”, explained Villegas who added that there are several categories from: Elite that leaves from Tilarán, the Intermediate from El Fosforo position, the open category leaves from Nuevo Arenal on Sunday and for children the Beginner Category leaves the same Sunday from Parcelas de Piedras.
Lots of activities
“In the town there is also a lot of activity, both Saturday and Sunday there will be an expo fair with entrepreneurs from the area, inflatables, mechanical bulls, presentation of typical dances and marimbas that also enliven Saturday. The Sunday after at 10:30 a.m., there is the Cartago metropolitan band who will make a presentation in the Tilarán park, some horses will be exhibited, and there will be a concert with Yecsinior Jara. When the horses arrive, the awards are given,” he added.
The Catamaran
“For the enjoyment of some water lovers there is a tour in a catamaran that crosses Lake Arenal and on the first day of the event (Saturday) it leaves at 10 am from Puerto San Luis and will dock at two stops where it passes through the horses, so that those who attend can observe the cooling of the horses, their revision, etc., and thus be part of the activity”, indicated Mr. Gerardo. The entrance fee for the tour is 11,000 colones for adults and 8,000 colones for children.
About 45 horses in total are expected for the event. According to the category there will be prizes from 300,000 colones to one million colones, as well as trophies, among others. Registration fees ranges from 30,000 colones to 55,000 colones depending on the category as well. For these days, the details to be able to register for the event will be reported on the website and social networks of Adertila.
