The 2nd Mule Stone Dragging Contest in Santo Chiquito, Vélez, will distribute 1,800 euros in prizes

Horse pulling enthusiasts will have a new appointment at the II Stone Pulling Contest with Mules of Vélez-Málaga, which will feature around 1,800 euros in prizes and will be held on Saturday, March 21 at the Santo Chiquito esplanade.

The initiative, launched by the Department of Agriculture in 2025 for the first time, repeats another year after, as emphasized, "the excellent turnout of participants and audience harvested last year". So much so that the Councilor for Agriculture, Jesús María Claros, explained: "We will have the opportunity to enjoy a genuine modality in which owner and mule display their synchronization in the dragging and transporting of stones over marked distances.”

The activity, organized by the Vélez-Málaga horse club with the collaboration of the Department of Agriculture, will focus on the horse world. According to the councilor of the area, Jesús María Claros, it is an initiative that already achieved a "very positive" result in 2025 and was "very well received" by professionals and enthusiasts of the sector.

Precisely because it is an area of great relevance within the Vélez-Málaga agricultural sector, the city council has decided to support this initiative. From the Department of Agriculture, it has been highlighted that, in addition to working on the maintenance of rural roads and infrastructures serving the agricultural and livestock sectors, they also seek to promote activities and proposals that respond to the various interests and hobbies present in the municipality.

For his part, the president of the Vélez-Málaga horse club, Juan Carlos Marín, has thanked the municipal involvement in organizing the event. “First of all, I want to thank how the Vélez-Málaga city council has committed in 2026, maintaining that involvement they had with us last year, thanks to which we managed to create a beautiful day of coexistence,” he expressed. He also encouraged, along with the councilor, “all equestrian enthusiasts to join us on this day, in a very pleasant environment for family and friends.”

How to participate and the prizes of the contest

The stone-pulling contest will begin at 10:30 AM. Shortly thereafter, around 12:00 PM, the "starting gun for the contest" will be fired. After a lunch break, with a bar managed once again by the Brotherhood of Rocío de Vélez-Málaga, the event will resume in the afternoon, culminating with the final award ceremony at 6:15 PM.

The competition will be divided into three categories based on the size of the mules, stipulated as follows: small, medium, and large. Along with a trophy for the most outstanding participants, the top three in each section will receive cash prizes of 300, 200, and 100 euros, respectively. The 4th and 5th places will conclude their contest with the awarding of a halter and a sack of feed, with the latter also being presented to the best local mule and the best-attired. Around 1,800 euros in prizes will be distributed.

Those interested in registering for the contest can do so on the day of the event and will be able to do so for a fee of 20 euros per animal entered in the contest. "It will be a different and very striking activity about the world of the horse, a sector that is relevant in our community and for which, from the Department and the local government, we decidedly bet. We will enjoy a beautiful day of coexistence," concluded Claros.