Horse auctions and events become a platform for politicians – 04/22/2023 – Politics

A square in honor of an award-winning horse was inaugurated in Boituva (SP) in January with the presence of a minister, secretary, federal deputy and even a state deputy from Rio de Janeiro.

The event was known for the presence of Juscelino Filho (União Brasil), Minister of Communications, who used a FAB plane to go to the inauguration of the space in honor of the horse Roxão, which belonged to a partner, in addition to other events related to the same subject. , as revealed at the time by the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo.

The presence of politicians in the world of horses, however, goes far beyond the minister. Auctions and industry awards have become a platform for Brazilian politicians.

There are politicians who own stud farms, like the family of Minister Juscelino, and others who are part of a kind of bench for vaquejada, a sport with horses that is very popular, especially in the Northeast.

In Boituva, at the inauguration of the square that features a sculpture of the quarter horse, the other politicians present were federal deputy Arnaldo Jardim (Cidadania), state deputy from São Paulo Itamar Borges (MDB) and state deputy from Rio Rosenverg Reis ( MDB).

Roxão, whose official name was Silver Wild SLN, was owned by Jonatas Dantas, one of the main breeders and Juscelino’s partner.

The animal, who died aged 27 in 2021 after a career filled with titles, had fans like the mayor, Arthur Lira (PP-AL), who even rode him during a competition.

It was in Lagarto (SE), at a charity horse auction for the creation of a local unit of Hospital de Amor de Barretos (SP), in 2021, that Lira reported the episode of riding Roxão in a vaquejada.

He also said that he almost bought the horse, but an employee found a defect in the animal, which was not yet famous, and he gave up on the acquisition. Speaking of her, however, Lira celebrated the fact that Roxão had been acquired by Jonatas Dantas, to whom she attributed the success of the animal.

Also speaking was the then Minister of Citizenship, João Roma, who said he was representing the government of Jair Bolsonaro at the event. The auction raised R$ 1.5 million, according to the organizers.

Events are often a place to see and be seen in the political world. And that provide a platform for an influential electorate, since agribusiness entrepreneurs, construction companies and famous artists are also part of the group of fans and horse breeders.

At the end of July last year, then-deputy Juscelino hosted the politicians. He organized an auction of mangalarga horses in São Luís (MA), which had interruptions between bids so that congressmen and local leaders could be announced and speak.

The largest space was given to Senator Weverton Rocha (PDT-MA), who at the time was a candidate for governor of the state of Maranhão.

The hook for Rocha’s speech was the auctioning of a horse owned by Juscelino Filho called General Roxo AD, whose proceeds would go to the Hospital de Amor unit in Maranhão.

Juscelino took the microphone and credited Rocha with setting up the hospital arm in Imperatriz (MA), political stronghold of the then candidate. “If today we have the Hospital de Amor here in Maranhão, it is thanks to the work of our senator Weverton Rocha, who will be the next governor of the state of Maranhão.”

wanted by SheetWeverton said that there is a great tradition of events linked to sports and business in the equestrian sector in the Northeast, which attract public and heat up local economies, and it is common for politicians to participate in these events.

“The most normal thing there is to participate in vaquejada and auction. It moves the local economy, the cities are full, it’s something impressive. And that’s where there are people that the politician is. , you can see that there is a politician there in the middle”, said the senator.

During events and auctions, politicians are frequently hyped. Sometimes, just by being there; in others, also for trading the animals.

In January, for example, state deputy Itamar Borges, who was Secretary of Agriculture in the João Doria/Rodrigo Garcia (PSDB) administration, had his performance highlighted by announcers at an auction in Boituva.

“Deputy Itamar Borges is becoming one of the best advisors at the auction, right?”, said the announcer. Another man replied, “The man is a vending machine.”

Itamar, in 2022, was one of those honored by the ABQM (Brazilian Quarter Horse Association), as the highlight of the year, at the event known as the “Oscar” of the Quarter Horse. Politicians are always present at the entity’s events, which, in 2023, also paid tribute to Minister Juscelino Filho.

Quarter horses are used in vaquejadas, a sport with great electoral appeal due to its popularity, which guarantees an entire supporter of the subject in Congress.

The vaquejada consists of a race between two cowboys on horseback who aim to chase and knock down an ox, pulling it by the tail along a 100-metre-long sand track.

The sport is controversial and has already been declared unconstitutional in 2016 by the STF (Federal Supreme Court). On the occasion, breeders and cowboys filled the Esplanada dos Ministérios.

In response, in 2017 Congress enacted an amendment to the Constitution stating that equestrian sports are not considered cruel.

Defender of the practice, having been the author and rapporteur of proposals on the subject, Senator Efraim Filho (União Brasil) told the Sheet that the legislation is an evolution in the legal framework to align animal welfare with the activity, which today prohibits spurs and wristbands and provides for a silicone protector on the ox’s tail.

Asked about the electoral appeal of the flag of equestrian sports, he said that it is a cultural issue that raises pride among northeasterners and even serves cities where there are no other alternatives for employment.

“This generation of jobs moves cities in the interior of the Northeast, especially where industries and other opportunities for generating employment and income hardly reach,” he says, citing artisans, doctors, artists and the leather, saddle and feed industries, among others.