The black, the white, the green: Fluid masculinities in brazilian dressage

Abstract

Rio 2007. The Pan American Games. Nilo V.O., an elegant, well-trained, white stallion, parades on the tracks. Its horseman, wearing a tailcoat and a top hat, attempts to be discreetly inconspicuous, as the dressage competition rules demand. However, his discretion stops short of one detail: Rogério Clementino is the first black man in the history of the Pan American Games to be part of a dressage team. And he goes on, to win a bronze medal riding Nilo. In a country where only a few are elite horse riders while the majority may still be treated in ways more akin to pack animals, this chapter will show how the interactions between Roger and Nilo, and between the two of them and their boss Victor Oliva, make fluid the notion of a unique masculinity in the Brazilian equestrian world.