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Paso Fino Breed History Spanish heritage of the Paso Fino horse... The Paso Fino proudly reflects its Spanish heritage dating back many centuries to Spain. It was Christopher Columbus who selectively chose some of the finest horses to bring to the new world. The horses were a mixture of the Barb, Andalusian and Spanish Jennet. The Barb was a hardy breed from North Africa known for its boundless stamina, sure footedness and athleticism. Andalusian horses were used in battle and possessed great courage, intelligence and proudly displayed their beauty with their long flowing manes and tails. The Spanish Jennet was a smaller horse with a very smooth and comfortable gait. Foundation horses for the Paso Fino of today... From this stock, came the foundation horses for the Paso Fino of today which were bred to produce offspring with: 1) smooth gait, 2) stamina, and 3) beauty. They were known in Spanish as, “Los Caballos de Paso Fino,” which translates to “the horse with the fine step.” The name was later shortened to Paso Fino. The Paso Fino horse provided the Spanish land owners, of Colombia and Puerto Rico, a horse who could work tirelessly for long periods of time with a smooth and comfortable ride. As a result, the Paso Fino breed flourished and was found in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, Aruba, Dominican Republic and Venezuela. First Paso Finos imported... In the mid 1940’s during World War II, the first Paso Finos were imported by American servicemen who had discovered these horses while stationed in Puerto Rico. Upon returning to the states, they chose not to sell their amazing horses and subsequently, provided the stock for some of the first Paso Fino breeders in the United States. Colombian Pasos were imported two decades later when a rancher visited to purchase a number of these horses to work his cattle in the United States. The American Paso Fino... The Colombian paso horse added the second bloodlines to the American Paso Fino. Although, in the United States the two lines are not always mixed, but rather, bred to retain their purity. The American Paso Fino may also have the strains of horses from Cuba and other tropical islands. Both the Colombian and Puerto Rican pasos have body types which are small and refined to very large and powerful. They differ in their movement with the Colombian paso traveling with piston-like action in the front and rear which was desired for balance on the uneven mountainous terrain. In contrast, the Puerto Rican Paso Fino is known for a delicate, pure and precisely timed (1-2-3-4) footfall which is extremely smooth. The American Paso Fino today is often a blend of the best bloodlines from Colombia and Puerto Rico and by breed is known as the "smoothest horse in the world!" |
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