Every summer the Rapa das Bestas, The Taming of the Beasts, is a popular festival which dates back to the 18th century, declared a Festival of International Tourist Interest in 2007 and consisting of gathering the wild horses living in the mountains. A specific feature of La Rapa das Bestas in Sabucedo is the bajada, when the horses are brought down from the mountains. The Rapa das Bestas was primarily done for cropping and branding, for the maintenance of the horses hygiene and for keeping track of the herds. The young men drive the horses in a curro (a corral which retain the horses) shaving them, branding them and then freed again. The “curro” in Sabucedo, held every year in the first week of July, is the most famous and its unique feature are the aloitadores, charged with holding the beasts, they only use their skill and body without the help of ropes, sticks or other devices. Two aloitadores place themselves at the head of the animal, and one more at the tail. One of those at the head tries to mount the horse while the one behind tries to imbalance it. Then, the second aloitador at the head tries to do the same, in a real body-to-body fight where horses are forced to the ground, wrestled and have their manes and tails clipped. For Michel Touriño, one of the most famous aloitadores of Sabucedo, «The Rapa das Bestas is the soul of this village, the horses unite us because the collective tasks revolve around horses. If we are able to save their environment we shall have horses, tradition and contact with nature. There is certainly a contrast with the animal-rights activists because there is a fight but in Sabucedo we try to respect the horses, is a struggle between two spirits, the wild horses of the mountain and the equally savage inhabitants of this village».
Instead for many animal-rights activists this tradition terrorize hundreds of horses in a corral causing great distress for the animals and the branding should be gently handled using humane chutes.