What happens at the arrastre door? As its name suggests, the drag gate is the place where the bull is dragged once dead to take it out of the bullring. This action is carried out by mules which are in charge of dragging the bull and taking it to the slaughterhouse. However, this is just the beginning, below we are going to tell you everything that happens behind the scenes.
From the drag gate to the supermarket
Few people know what happens after the bull passes through the sales gate. After the bullfighting event, the bull is taken to the slaughterhouse where a refrigerated transport truck awaits. All the meat from the bull is used for human consumption and this process is carried out quite quickly. That is why many experts in the gastronomic world consider that bull meat is the most natural and ecological in the world since it goes from the livestock farm to the bullring and then to the supermarket. One of the largest and most prestigious newspapers in the world, The Guardian newspaper, wrote a very interesting article about bullfighting gastronomy in Spain.
Arrastre door plates
Another of the curiosities of this emblematic door are its old plates made of ceramic. In these posters you can see which have been the best herds of each year, thus recognizing the bravery of their bulls. Among them we can find some of the most famous livestock farms of recent times such as:
- The Victorino Martín livestock farm
- Miura Livestock
- Fuente Ymbro
- José escolar
- Baltasar Ibán
Statue of Ilivino Stuck
Inside the drag courtyard, next to an olive tree located in the center of the courtyard is the statue of Ilivino. This prestigious man of Belgian origin was one of the precursors of the Madrid bullring. Ilivino’s family arrived in Spain from the Bourbon kings to take charge of the royal tapestry factory. During this time, Ilivino tried to expand the family business and to do so he invested and helped develop the sales plaza until it became the monument we know today. As a thank you for his contribution, his name and face were forever engraved on the statue in the drag yard.
