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THE SMOOTH OPERATOR!

Have you ever heard that song? It could be a theme song for these amazing little horses! The Paso Fino has unique way to travel which makes your ride very unlike any other breed. Some call the Paso Finos the Rolls Royce of the horse world.

They seem to cover the ground effortlessly on their flashy lateral natural four-beat gait. Very pleasant for the rider comparing to a normal trot, you can just sit down and enjoy the ride without any posting or balancing.

Their most prized gait is the Classic Fino in which is the horse moves collected with rapid footfall and very slow forward motion. Only a small portion of Paso Finos have the ability to do this. Every Paso can handle the Paso Corto which is about the speed of the normal trot and ideal for trail riding. Paso Largo is their fastest movement equaling the gallop and they can achieve speed for up to 22 miles per hour doing this gait. Paso Finos can also do the normal horse gaits walk, trot and canter with ease.

Paso Fino breed is a pride of the Latin American countries. It originates from Spain and has Barb, Andalusian and Spanish Jennet behind the generations. Paso Fino is a close cousin to an American Mustang.

Columbus transported some of the early Paso Finos to area that is now known as Dominican Republic. It gained popularity around the ranchers and was soon found in Columbia, Cuba, Panama and Mexico.

There is many forms of Paso Finos, some heavier, some lighter in build, all colors except appaloosa are accepted. They were not bred to be very big at all, just the right size for the most people in Latin countries to ride. They average from 13.2h to 15.2 hands and should not be over 16 hands. Today the Paso Finos bred in US tend to be tad bigger than the original breed.

Just because Paso Fino is not tall in withers doesn't that mean that it cannot carry a heavier person. Pasos are known for their enormous stamina and are known to be superb endurance horses. After all their job was to lead the rancher to take care of his steers and the ranch day in day out!

Another thing other than their smooth gait which has won many people over is their temperament. Pasos are said to be the smartest and kindest horses around. Many swear that they are so easy to train that the practically teach themselves!

No wonder this breed is steadily gaining popularity in United States and is now the new popular breed in Europe also. There is about 40.000 registered Paso Finos in United States and very active Breeders Association. It would be quite safe to predict that these beautiful exceptional little horses with such a unique way to travel will gain popularity among Americans and replace and co-exist with the Quarter horse in many farms years to come!

Learn more about this author, K Bert.
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