Paso Fino

The Paso Fino is a gaited [breed of [horse]] that is "native" to the New World. The word native is put in quotes because, in one sense, there is no indigenous New World horse of any kind. Every New World member of the genus Equus died out at the last ice age, and all modern horses have descended from Asian, African, and European ancestors. However, beginning in in the Fifteenth Century, the Europeans brought horses with them in ships. The descendents of some of these horses became uniquely American breeds: the wild mustangs that became the mounts of both cowboys and Native Americans, as well as the distinctive gaited horses called paso finos. It is from Spanish horses that travelled to the Carribean as the mounts of the conquistadors that the Paso Fino breed originated. Those mounts that escaped became naturalized, interbred and eventually produced distinctive descendants of kinds not found in Europe. Other of the horses that arrived in South America remained under the care of settlers through the generations, and also, deriving from similar gene pools, produced descendents of a distinctive breed quite similar to certain of the wild horses of the Carribean.

The Paso fino is a natural breed of horse that has undergone further selection by horse breeders. There are two pools of these horses, one a line that proliferated on the islands of Puerto Rico, the other a line of horses that were bred by plantation owners in Columbia. Both of these lines share the "fine step" (literal English translation of the Spanish "paso fino") of the four beat lateral gait that makes this breed such a desireable mount. Most horses walk, trot, canter, and gallop. The speed of the horse increases with each of those gaits, and except for the walk, the back of the horses has rather extensive and choppy vertical movement- particularly at the trot. This bounces the rider who must learn to either "sit the trot" or post. Although a well-gaited Paso fino can canter and gallop, it can move in a gait that, like a walk, is a four beat lateral gait. Unlike other horses, it can execute varying speeds of this gait, including covering ground up to XX miles per hour, equivalent to non-gaited hore's trot or slow canter.

There are differences in type between the Puerto Rican and Columbian lines, and each has its fierce advocates among afficiandos. However, over the past decades, these lines have been interbred in the United States, Europe and other countries, and so a more generic Paso fino, equally pure bred, has also developed.

The Spanish sailors brought horses of both pure lines and crossed breeds with them to the New World. Whether purebred or mixed, the lines of these horses included the Barb, Spanish Jennet, and Andalusian horse. As with all working horses, certain characteristics were favored according to the use the animal served. Warfare conducted on horseback was furthered by horses that had smooth gaits, allowing their mounts to concentrate on fighting rather than remaining seated. For this reason, the Spanish Jennet was said to be favored by the conquistadors.

The classic fino is a collected gait with rapid footfall that covers little ground but is showy. The paso corto is a moderate gait good for trail riding, and the paso largo is a fast gait in which the horse can reach speeds equivalent to a canter or slow gallop. Not all Paso Finos can perform the classic fino, but the majority perform the other gaits with ease. These horses are versatile and can be used for trail riding, endurance riding, or in the show ring. This is a lively horse that has a natural drive and willingness, known colloquially as "brio", and generally a nice disposition.

In Colombia there are other native horses who perform a slightly different, unevely timed four beat gait, namely: trocha. Another Colombian horse performs what is known as trote-and-galope. The trocha gait is an uneven, diagonal four beat gait which is also very smooth. The trote and galope horses perform an exaggerated diagonal two beat trot and a very collected canter but they do share some common heritage with the paso fino. Not as known as Paso Fino, these moodallities are just beginning to be recognized in the United States.

The first paso finos in the United States were imported from Puerto Rico by members of the armed services who were stationed in Puerto Rico and purchased paso finos while living there. Rather than sell these amazing horses when they left, they brought them back with them and this stock provided some of the first paso finos bred in the United States. Later a rancher went to Colombia and purchased quite a number of Colombian paso fino horses to work his cattle. This added the second strain of paso fino and while the two strains are still bred to retain their purity, they are also mixed to produce the best of both in this country.

The correctness of the gait is very important by today's standards, therefore horses with a very even four beat gait are much preferred for professional breeding.

Paso finos come in a variey of colors, sizes and body types but the even four beat gait and the brio are present in all good representatives of the breed.

External links

• Paso Fino Horse Association
• Pasofinos.com - Dedicated to the Education & Promotion of the Paso Fino Horse Breed
• American Trocha and Trote Association
• American Paso Finos - Total Paso Fino resource
• History of the Paso Fino - Informational article on the history of the Paso Fino horse breed