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Rodeos like these have operated in West Dallas and open land of southern Dallas County for decades. They attract dozens, if not hundreds, of participants and spectators. They sometimes cause traffic to back up on dark, narrow country roads of the county's unincorporated areas. At some of the events, known as coleaderos, bands play, vendors sell tacos and organizers charge admission. Men, fueled by family tradition, swagger and, often, beer and tequila, take turns riding a horse to try to grab a steer's tail and flip it over usually in an atmosphere with little oversight, security or medical staff.
In the last three years, Wilmer police, who respond to emergencies in nearby unincorporated areas, have been called out numerous times to the Mars Road site where Santos and Santoyo died.
Those calls have included complaints about horses running into cars, people falling off horses and fights breaking out between participants. In one 911 recording, a caller told police that people were using saddles, whips and charging horses as weapons.

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