Paso Fino Horses
© Marta Towne
When Columbus arrived in the Western hemisphere in 1492, he found a land devoid of horses. So on his second voyage, he brought with him a select group of stallions and mares which he settled in Santa Domingo. The horses were a mixture of Barb, Andalusion, and Spanish Jennett. From the Barb, the horses inherited the stylish, beautiful typey body and head; the Andalusion contributed the graceful carriage and thick, wonderful mane and tail. But the Spanish Jennett contributed the most recognized trait: the smooth, flowing gait.
The Paso is the oldest native breed in the Western hemisphere. It is also one of the few true naturally gaited horse. The Paso gait is a broken pace, a four beat lateral gait : right rear, right fore, left rear, left fore. It is a rhythmic beat with equal intervals.. This is not a learned gait, a newborn foal takes it's first tentative steps in gait. The basic gaits, in order of speed, are the paso fino, paso corto, and paso largo. The corto is similar in speed to the trot, but since there is very little up and down movement of the shoulders nor croup and the power is generated in the hind legs, the impact is dispelled so the ride is exceptionally smooth.
Paso Finos range in size from 13.2 to 15.2. They have a well proportioned head in relation to the body, small ears and large well spaced eyes. The neck should be arched and carried high. The shoulders slope into the withers and they have a medium width chest with a large heart area. The croup is sightly sloping with rounded hips and strong hocks. The tail is carried high when the horse is in motion. Pasos come in a variety of equine colors, with or without white markings. Their personalities are wonderful, willing, love to please, spirited and yet gentle and tractable.
Paso Finos can be used for a variety of purposes including showing, dressage, jumping, cattle work, trail and endurance riding to name a few. Their smooth gait makes them the perfect mount for people with chronic pain, back injuries and disabilities.
There are more than 200,000 Paso Finos in Central and South American. They can be found everywhere from Florida to Oregon, California to New England, Eastern Canada to Puerto Rico and Columbia. The National Paso Fino Horse Association located in Plant City, Florida, has shown a 55% increase in the number of registered horses between 1992 and 1997.
Go To Page: 1
