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The Paso Fino – The Horse with the Fine Step
 When
Columbus arrived in the New Land, he found a land
without horses, even though the ancestors of our present
day horse evolved and developed in North America before
spreading across the globe. Horses had vanished from
this part of the World during the Ice Age 8,000 to
12,000 years ago.
On the second voyage Columbus made, nearly 500 years
ago, he brought a select group of stallions and mares
from the provinces of Andalusia and Cordela and settled
them at Santa Domingo. These horses were a mixture of
Barb, Andalusian, and Spanish Jennet. It was the now
extinct, Spanish Jennet that possessed the extremely
comfortable saddle gait as well as the ability to pass
this gait onto their offspring. The result of this
blending would become the horse known as the Paso Fino,
Los Caballos de Paso Fino. The horse with the fine step.
 These
horses became the mounts of the Conquistadors. As
Spanish settlers came to the New World, they brought
with them more Spanish horses. In the nearly 500 years
they have been here, they have been selectively bred and
perfected to be the Paso Fino we have today.
 The
Paso Fino became a highly prized horse throughout the
Latin and South American Countries; in fact the Paso
Fino became the National Horse of Puerto Rico. During
WWII American soldiers stationed in these countries soon
discovered how special these little horses were. It
would not be long before they began being imported and
quickly the Paso Fino was being prized in North America
as well.
In 1972 the Paso Fino Horse Association, Inc. was formed
and began promoting, protecting and improving the breed.
The numbers of registrations across North America just
keeps growing and today the Paso Fino is a very popular
horse throughout the equine community.
The Paso Fino displays its Spanish heritage through its
proud and elegant carriage. They are beautifully refined
and well proportioned, conveying strength and power
without over muscling.
  The
head is straight, refined and in proportion to the body.
The eyes are large, expressive and always alert. The
ears are short, set close and curved inward at the tips.
The jaws are defined, but not to the extreme and the
nostrils are large and dilatable. When you look at the
Paso Fino face you will see an alert, engaging and
intelligent horse.
The neck is gracefully arched, the shoulders sloping
into the withers which slope smoothly into the strong
back. The mane, tail and forelock are as long and as
full as possible. The fine legs and feet are
exceptionally strong and Paso Finos rarely need shoeing.
 Paso
Fino horses are 13 to 15.2 hands although 13.3 to 14.2
hands is most common. Their weight ranges from 700 to
1100 pounds with full size often not attained until
their fifth year. They are not a large horse, but can
easily carry a large rider comfortably for an extended
period of time. An 800 lb Paso can easily carry a rider
who is over 6’ tall and weighing 250 lbs over the worst
trails, up and down hills, without a problem. The trick
is in how they move and how they are built.
 The
Paso Fino pulls their rear end carriage underneath to
support themselves and any weight they may be carrying.
Their steps are short with the legs going up and down
beneath them rather than extended in front or behind
them and a short, strong back. The longer the back, the
longer the leg, the greater the extension in stride, the
less the horse can carry in the centre of its back and
the rougher the ride. You can think of the Paso Fino as
a high performance sports car with power steering, power
suspension, low-slung carriage and a high performance
motor, giving a smooth as glass ride. They have a
powerhouse, energy efficient engine not to mention a
chassis that is sleek and beautiful to behold.
 All
Paso Finos are born with a gait that is unique to them
that they execute precisely and proudly. This gait is a
lateral four beat footfall, providing a constant,
rhythmic cadence. The rider should not experience any
bumping or jolting. This gait is natural and can be seen
with foals shortly after birth.
 Each
foot contacts the ground independently in a regular
sequence at precise intervals creating a rapid, unbroken
rhythm. The sequence is; Right Rear, Right Fore, Left
Rear, Left Fore. The 1,2,3,4 cadence is rhythmic with
equal time intervals between hoof beats. The motion of
the horse is absorbed in it’s back and loins, giving the
rider complete comfort. This gait is performed at three
speeds with collection decreasing as speed increases.
 Classic
Fino – The horse is fully balanced and collected
demonstrating a steady, rapid, unbroken rhythm of the
hooves with slow forward speed but with animated action.
Horses who master the execution of the Classic Fino will
compete in classes where the ultimate test of the uneven
footfall occurs when the horse traverses the “Fino
Board” as the audience watches in hushed silence. Each
hoof strikes the board, communicating the quick and even
rhythm to the audience and the judge. The power of the
hind leg drive is performed in beautiful contrast to the
incredible restraint of the forelegs, which move forward
in mere inches. Only a small percentage of Paso Finos
perform at this level. One of the most famous was a
stallion named, Capuchino who was said to perform 126
beats per minute with a 4 inch extension. It sounded
like rolling thunder as he traveled down the Fino Board.
 Paso
Corto – This is performed at medium forward speed.
The horse is moderately collected and there is light
contact on the bit. In its relaxed form, the Corto is
the ideal trail and pleasure gait. At its most elegant,
it is quite exciting to watch. This is the speed most
preferred by both horse and rider.
Paso Largo – This is the speed form of the gait.
It is smooth and elegant. The horse moves out willingly
demonstrating the same balance and even 4-beat cadence.
A Paso can reach speeds of 32 mph in the Largo.
 “What makes a Paso Fino so special?” Ask any Paso Fino
owner and they will all answer, “What doesn’t make a Paso Fino so special!” They are intelligent, personable,
easily trained, strong, enthusiastic, willing, athletic,
loving and versatile. In addition to show and
pleasure/trail abilities the Paso can be trained for
many disciplines such as competitive trail, endurance,
jumping, barrels, reining, driving and gymkhana. Their
size and quickness make them excellent ranch horses. In
South America, the Paso IS the cowpony. They are
excellent choices for Therapeutic programs and for
individuals with back or neck injuries and arthritis;
the Paso is the horse for them.
 One of the most successful Pasos to promote the Paso
Fino breed was Zsa Zsa Imperial who won the Battle of
the Breeds, in Ocala, Florida in 1995 against nine other
breeds. These horses were all judged on their abilities
to perform a number of disciplines including jumping,
barrels, trail, show, reining, and driving.
Most Paso Fino Breeders and Owners are more than willing
to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for the breed.
Contact a breeder near you and make a date to meet and
ride a Paso Fino, for “The proof is in the ride!”
Special Thanks to Richard Roy for his beautiful photos.
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