About the Paso Fino

Like all horses of Spanish descent, the Paso Fino has a distinctive carriage. His proud bearing presents an unmistakable image - a mystique - that is regal, exuberant, graceful and athletic. Paso Finos, indeed, represent some of the finest breeding in horses ever known.

As a breed, the Paso Fino was relatively unknown in the U.S. before the 1940's, despite their introduction into South America, Puerto Rico and Hispanola (the Dominican Republic) and other islands, some 500 years ago. As a type, the Paso Fino, or "horse with the fine step", has been legendary throughout its homeland for centuries. Bred from the mounts of the Conquistadors, the Paso Fino blends the blood of Andalusian, Barb and Spanish Jennet ancestors. Many accounts credit the Paso Fino with preserving the blood and type of the long lost Narragansett pacer, hundreds of which were exported to the centers of Spanish type horse breeding in the islands off the east coast of the Americas.

Paso Finos are dramatically beautiful horses. They present a proud silhouette, of stately, yet energetic grace. A refined head, long, flowing mane and tail, majestic, arched neck, deeply expressive eyes and uncan

ny athletic ability are all common-place among the breed. Most are compact, yet powerful looking animals with deep chests and broad, well-sprung barrels. Dry legs reveal tough tendons and refined, yet strong, bone structure. Catlike, quick and sure-footed, they are also known for hard, sturdy hooves. Size varies between 13.2 and 15.2 hands, weighing in from 700 to 1000 pounds, with average being around 14 hands and 900 pounds.

Considered a "hot-blooded" horse, Pasos are sensitive, yet tough, well suited to demanding tasks from cattle ranch work to dressage to competitive trail riding. They are people loving horses and respond remarkably to kind words and positive attention.

It was the Moors invasion of Spain that would bring together a wealth of equine genetic material. For over 400 years the Spanish horses reined supreme. Th

e Andalusian, the Barb, and the Spanish Jennet were crossed bred to produce the Paso Fino. These horses soon found their way to the New World where they became the mounts for the Conquistadors. Ranches were set up on the Islands of the Caribbean, eventually in Latin America, South America and Southern United States.

The Spanish stock contributed to many of the modern day American breeds, the Mustangs, the Quarter Horses, and Appaloosas just to name a few. While the United States grew and grew and more and more horse were crossed, the blood was soon diluted except for extreme cases of isolation or careful attention to breeding practices.

This was the case in the Latin and South American countries. The Paso Fino became a prized possession of Puerto Rico and their National Horse. Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and other Latin Countries bred the Paso Fino in semi isolation. It wasn't until World War II and a good fifty years after the peak of the last great world horse culture had ended that the Paso Fino was rediscovered by the American soldiers stationed in those countries. Soon they were being imported by an adventurous select few. It was not long before the advantages of the breed became apparent.

Today they are being used in all equine disciplines and are unequalled when it comes to the luxurious ride that they produce. For no other equine is called Los Caballos la Paso Fino, which some day I hope you experience, The Horse with the Fine Walk.

For information of the public and the guidance of the breeders, the following standards for conformation and description of the basic natural gait were prepared in 1967 by Rosalie McWilliams after consulting with leading authorities on the Paso Fino horse.

GENERAL IMPRESSION: a light horse of great grace and style and with definite, but controlled, spirit. No extreme muscling.

HEAD: The ears should be short and generally curved inward at the top. Eyes, widely spaced and large, shall have a soft expression and not show white around the edges. The profile is straight or slightly convex just above the nostril not between the eyes. This feature comes from Andalusian blood. The concave or dish face is not typical and a extremely Roman nose is not desirable. The lips should be firm and well formed and the nostrils should be large and dilatable.

NECK: Medium in length, set on at an angle permitting rather high head carriage, but neck is carried in an arch. Throat latch should be well defined, but not to narrow.

FOREHAND: Shoulders are sloping with great depth through the heart. Moderate width through the chest. Withers well defined, but not pronounced.

BACK: May vary from short to long and still be quite typical. Extremely short coupled or long backs should be penalized in the halter classes.

CROUP: Sloping, but rump should be well rounded. Tail is set low but carried gaily when the horse is in action. Extremely low or too high tail sets are undesirable.

LEGS: Straight, rather delicate in appearance, but having strong tendons and well separated from the bone. Hooves are small.

SIZE: 13 to 15.2 hands with 13.3 to 14.2 being the most typical. Weight from 700 to 1100 lbs. Full size may not be attained until the fifth year.

GAIT: The Paso gait is essentially a broken pace, a lateral, not diagonal gait. The sequence of the hooves are: right rear, right fore, left rear, left fore; the hind foot touching the ground a fraction of a second before the front foot. When performed on a hard surface, a definite 1-2-3-4 beat can be heard. This serves to eliminate the jarring effect of a true pace and causes the rider practically no up and down movement. The motion of the horse is absorbed in the back and loins giving the rider comfort. This gait is performed at three speeds with the collection of the carriage decreasing as the speed increases.

PASO FINO Sometimes called "Fino-Fino" the classic show ring gait. It demonstrates rapid, steady, unbroken rhythm of the hooves with every slow forward speed. Performed with the horse balanced and collected.

PASO CORTO A more relaxed form of the gait that is commonly referred to as the natural Paso gait. Paso Corto is the ideal trail and pleasure gait, executed with only medium collection and light contact on the bit. Most Paso Fino horses prefer this gait to walking.

PASO LARGO The speed form of the gait. The same 1-2-3-4 rhythm must be maintained and the rider should appear motionless in the saddle as he should be at all speeds of the gait.

A Paso Fino can, of course, walk in a free manner and may have a delightful canter!

*There are currently more than 250,000 Paso Finos estimated worldwide. Having enjoyed tremendous growth, in excess of 60%, since 1992, the Paso Fino Horse Association moved its offices from Bowling Green, Florida to Plant City, Florida, in 1995. They have over 30,000 horses and 7,000 members. The World Cup, or Mundial, is sponsored by an international organization, CONFEPASO (Confederation of Paso Fino) which represents eight countries, Europe, the United States, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Panama and Aruba for the purpose of international promotion and competition.

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