THE PASO FINO HORSE ...a Natural Choice Introducing...The Paso Fino Horse - a distinctive breed which possesses a classic beauty and style uniquely its own. Thought by many to be the most exciting breed in America today, the Paso Fino is distinguished by its natural four beat gait, beautiful flowing mane and tail, graceful carriage, and incredibly smooth ride. The Paso Fino is a horse for all seasons, a horse for all climates, and a horse for many diverse purposes. From the Florida Keys to Alaska - from southern California to eastern Canada, the Paso Fino horse demonstrates it’s remarkable versatility - not just in the show ring, but on competitive trail and endurance rides, dressage work, at barrel racing and gymkhana events, and back at the ranch working cattle. And, most important to hundreds of owners, the Paso Fino horse is unsurpassed as a pleasure horse and equine companion. With its remarkable intelligence and willing, responsive disposition, the Paso Fino can be the first horse for a child - or the last horse for one’s autumn years. And he may be the one horse that can bring the pleasure of horseback riding to the handicapped or disabled. This unique horse has been called "America’s 500 year old new Breed," since it was unknown in the United States until the late 1940's, but has been bred in Latin America since the days of the Conquistadors. The Paso Fino horse is an athlete, an investment, and a family treasure. And he does it all with a natural gait that provides unparallel comfort for the rider, a style that is unique to the breed, and unsurpassed versatility for the horse lover. The Beginning...More than 8000 years ago, the Ice Age swept across America and changed the land. Many forms of life, including the horse, vanished or were driven to other parts of the world. So thousands of years later, when Columbus discovered the New World he found a land without horses! Birth of a Breed...The following year when Columbus returned to the new land, he brought with him a few hardy horses and settled them in Santo Domingo. These horses were a mixture of Barb and Andalusian (both noted for their hardiness and stamina) and the Spanish Jennet, which was know for its extremely comfortable saddle gait. Later explorers brought more horses and these, together with the original stock, were blended to produce a horse that was uniquely suited to the demands of the new land. These hardy horses could travel vast distances without tiring, and were easy keepers that maintained their stamina on the available vegetation. But most importantly, these horses possessed and transmitted to their offspring a natural four beat gait that provided an extremely comfortable ride (a desirable trait to the explorers who spent numerous hours in the saddle!) Used as the foundation stock for remount stations of the Conquistadors, these horses came to be known as Los Caballos de Paso Fino, "the horse with the fine walk." Characteristics of the Breed...The American Paso Fino Horse reflects its Spanish heritage through its proud carriage, grace and elegance. In addition to being born with the natural ability to perform the Paso Fino gait, selective breeding has produced other basic qualities in today’s Paso Fino horses. The Paso Fino horse is "people oriented," enjoying his human companions and striving to please. He is willing and spirited, yet gentle at hand and easily managed. His hooves are extremely durable and he is seldom shod unless traveling on rocky surfaces. His large lung capacity gives him endurance, and he is naturally quick, surefooted and athletic. Size varies, with the average being slightly over 14 hands. Every equine color can be found with or without white markings. Paso Fino horses have the ability to execute all natural equine gaits and can be taught to perform them on cue. But, because the Paso Fino gait is so comfortable and unique, most riders require the Paso Fino to move only in its own special gait under saddle. The American Paso Fino is born with a gait unique to the breed. As a natural gait, it does not exhibit the catapulting or exaggerated leg action of man-made gaits; rather the movements are smooth, rhythmic, straight, balanced in flexion and synchronous front to rear, resulting in unequalled comfort and smoothness for the rider. The American Paso Fino is a graceful, agile and supple equine athlete that uses all four legs with precision and harmony. The Gait...The gait of a Paso Fino horse is an evenly spaced 4-beat lateral gait with each foot contacting the ground independently in a regular sequence at precise intervals creating a rapid, unbroken rhythm. Executed perfectly, the four hoof beats are absolutely even in both cadence and impact. Footfall is in the same sequence as a natural equine walk, i.e., left rear, left fore, right rear, right fore. Propulsion is primarily from the hind limbs and the horse’s motion is absorbed in its back and loins. The Paso Fino gait is performed at three forward speeds and with varying degrees of collection. In all speeds of the gait the rider should appear virtually motionless in the saddle, and there should be no perceptible up and down motion of the horse’s croup. Classic Fino...Executed fully collected, the forward speed is very slow, and the footfall is extremely rapid while the steps and extension are exceedingly short. Paso Corto...Forward speed is moderate, ground covering but unhurried, executed with medium extension and stride. Collection varies with class requirements. Paso Largo...The fastest speed of the gait. The largo is executed with longer extension and stride and varying degrees of collection. Forward speed varies with the individual horse, since each should attain its top speed in harmony with its own natural stride and cadence. In the United States, emphasis has been placed on naturalness and any evidence of abusive training methods results in disqualification in the show ring. Whether executing the highly collected classic Fino or the fully extended Paso Largo, the Paso Fino’s performance is a pleasure for both rider and observer. We invite you to experience the pleasure yourself...for when it comes to elegance, comfort and performance the Paso Fino Horse is the natural choice.