The Horses of the Conquistadors

Photos by Darlene Wolhart

Paso Fino are Spanish horses that have been bred for their fineness of their gait. Most people don't know that a gaited horse that didn't trot used to be the norm until the English popularized posting with larger carriage horses. You may have also heard of the Spanish Kiger Mustangs and other Spanish type mustangs and Indian Ponies here in the United States.

This is an excerpt from a page about Spanish Mustangs and many of these characteristics certainly apply to the Paso Fino horse as well,

"The Spanish Mustang is a medium size horse ranging from 13.2 to 15 hands with an average size of approximately 14.2 hands with proportional weight. They are smooth muscled with short backs, rounded rumps and low set tails. Coupling is smooth and the overall appearance is of a well-balanced, smoothly built horse. The girth is deep, with well-laid back shoulder and fairly pronounced withers.

They posses the classic Spanish type head with a straight or concave forehead and a convex nose which is in contrast to the straight forehead and nose of most breeds. Ears are medium to short and usually notched or curved towards each other. Necks are fairly well crested in mares and geldings and heavily crested in mature stallions. Chests are narrow but deep with the front legs joining the chest in an "A" shape rather than straight across. Chestnuts are small or missing altogether, particularly on the rear legs. Feet are extremely sound with thick walls, many having what is typically known a "mule foot" which resists bruising due to the concave sole. Canons are short, upper foreleg is long, with the canon bone having a larger circumference than other breeds of comparable size and weight.

Long-strided, many are gaited, with a comfortable four beat gait such as the amble, running walk or single foot. Some individuals are laterally gaited and do a very passable "paso" gait though without extreme knee action. They are hardy animals and tend to be less prone to injury, particularly of the legs and feet, than other breeds. They have a very different mentality than "domesticated" horses. They are not push button horses and will not abide abuse, however they bond well with their owners and once bonded, become very attached to that person. Highly intelligent with an innate sense of self-preservation they are not prone to put themselves into any situation which may be destructive or dangerous.

Compared to "domesticated" breeds, they retain a great many of the instincts that allowed them to survive in the feral state. Thousands of Spanish Mustangs were used as cow horses and hundreds as U. S. Army cavalry mounts. When fighting Indians, who were riding Spanish Mustangs themselves, the option to "fight fire with fire" was brilliant, as the American bred horses of the Cavalry were no match for these Spanish descended warponies in the inhospitable and barren mountains and plains of the West."

These are the same and similar traits of the Paso Fino horse with the major difference today being that the Paso Fino has been selectively bred for its smooth 4 beat gait for the last 500 years. Where the Spanish Mustang, except for very few original isolated Mustangs, has been bred with trotting horses. Many herd sires where killed by the Calvary and replaced with larger thoroughbreds and warm bloods.

Paso Finos make a wonderful mount for show, trail riding, working cattle or just plain having fun. Within the breed today there are 4 distinct types of Paso Fino horses. The relaxed well gaited Paso is called a Pleasure gait. If the Paso Fino horse displays more antimated action and a faster quicker gait that is considered a Performance gaited Paso Fino. The show gait of the breed is the extremely quick stepped "Fino" which looks like an excited horse prancing in place with a very slow forward movement. Of course all gaits are represented in the show arena. And then there is the western favorite, the Largo gait. The Largo gait is a very smooth fast ground covering gait that can reach 25 to 30 miles per hour.

The staying power and endurance of these Spanish descendants is legendary and its not uncommon to ride them 15-30 miles and find them ready for more. And for those of us with back problems that still wish to ride you will love the smooth gentle rocking gait of the Paso Fino.

Learn more about Paso Fino horses here on this web page www.pasopedigree.com and www.pasofinos.com

and also plan to visit some local ranches in Southern Colorado and take a test ride to see for yourself.

Hacienda de Historica, Aguilar, Colorado 719-941-9919
Paso Fino de Vega, Midway, Colorado 719-382-6340