The Perfect Paso

by Michele Londono, Ph.D. USA.

I dedicate this article to the new Paso Fino Owners, always in search of paso perfection and perfection in life. I also dedicate this article to all equine lovers and all who have an interest in the paso fino breed and a passion for these mesmerizing, fascinating horses, whose beauty and proud gait seem to be springing right out of fairy tales. My intention is to show that the perfect paso fino is only a theory, there is no single definition for the perfect horse, or no universally perfect paso fino out there, the ready-made, dream paso fino is a myth, many proud owners of paso fino farms will confess that they are still on the look out for the perfect show colt, or the perfect child mount, after decades; but the myth can become a reality with patience and dedication. And true love for each and every less than perfect paso fino horse can become an obsession and a passion, nonetheless. You make your own perfect paso fino horse as you go, and the challenge is the ultimate pleasure, owning a paso is magic. In a less than perfect world, there is for sure no perfect owner nor trainer, and therefore there cannot be any perfect horse, yet if in our eyes they are perfect, then they are well worth the search and the ownership!

My experience with the paso fino breed is an inner one, a mind to mind or should I rather say, a soul to soul experience. I find more wit, intelligence, emotion and feelings in the paso fino horse, than in any other breeds of horses combined, and this is a spiritual quality they exude, along with brio, regarless of their superior beauty- most other paso owners agree with me, if I say that there is pure magnetism about paso personalities. When you get to see and pet and ride your first paso fino, you get caught under their spell, and you are in love forever. It's immediate and unconditional. It happens to all who ever meet a good quality paso! And then comes the tendency to collect paso finos for varied reasons, because they just do it to you, they compell you to admire them, to adore them, in many different ways, with fever and passion. It is that something beyond the smoothness of the ride itself that makes paso fino horses the best breed ever to own.

My own definition of the perfect paso fino horse would be of very little value if it had to help a very new prospective owner choose a very specific paso fino. In order to match their own treasured idea of a dream paso fino, I need to know first who they are, what they like in life, what other breeds they have enjoyed, how much experience they have in handling horses, and what their favorite riding style is. Tell me who you are and I will tell you which paso fino will be good for you! That same paso fino might not be my preferred type of paso. A very general definition of the good paso fino would not do either, it is indeed given in the general rule book of the paso fino association, you can find it there, and in all trade magazines. When you read all equine association rule books and all equine show requirements, it is like reading all the pets classified ads: all horses sound wonderful because they are molded to the standard model of the breed in general, but the words are not adequate to describe the real horse, they only attempt to define qualities close to the "till now non-existing" perfect individual horse. Only honesty from the previous onwer about the new horse can reveal the flaws along with the true or dormant qualities of the paso fino you want to bring home. And this is still not enough. Usually, when you decide on one, your first one, it is on a blind impulse made by the overall looks and the outer personality of the ideal paso candidate. Then follows a vet exam that will confirm health status and brio. If the horse is healthy, you take him home. If not, you probably will still find a way to get him a home, to save him, from whatever ailment your vet warns you of, be it a conformation or any other other flaw, like excess brio, not enough stamina, lameness, but those big mirror paso eyes wil implore you to just take him or her anyway. The joys of discovering the multifacetted aspects of his or her personality on the ground and under saddle once home will be coutless, as the new paso fino will try hard to be what you want him or her to be, to please, to shine, while at the same time exhibiting a wide range of unexpected emotions that will take you by surprise and change every day!

If you are fond of multiple activities at once, if you are a Gemini by sign, or a cat person, with spiritual aspirations, you will relate to the paso fino horse more profoundly than any other owner, and end up owning many more pasos than you can sit on and ride or handle at once!! If horses are mirrors of our inner selves, pasos certainly are the kings of heart! There are as many versions of the definition of the perfect paso as there are prospective owners, according to the use they have for their future horse: for the versatility seeker, a jumping and loping paso will be best; for the dressage lover, an improved gaited version of their Hanoverian will do, or even a non-properly gaiting paso as long as she or he responds to leg aids; for the child who loves to run, a nag or a half paso will do just fine! For the show youth, a well bred paso with one full year under professional training will be perfect. For the newcomer to the breed, any fast largo paso horse, in its gaits or out of gait, as long as it is a responsive paso, will be perfect; for the serious paso breeder, a great pedigree paso mare with perfect conformation will be perfect, along with the right amount of controllable brio and saddle winning qualities; for a less perfectionnist breeder, any good pedigree mare will be perfect, even if she has been previously injured, is foundered or way too hot to ride and with a knack for killing blacksmiths! For the passionate higher level PFHA competition showman or woman, the perfect paso will be an athlete with classic fino steps developped from birth, out of a world champion sire with a world champion mare, trained professionally with enough brio for years and with terrific reins; for the trail and the endurance rider, the classic fino perfection I just described would be totally useless, just as it would be for lessons. There are so many disciplines the paso fino can excell at, we, as responsible owners, owe them the utmost respect of making the right choice. Matching the right paso type with our goals, including careful analysis of breeding lines, gait and background and then tailoring him or her to our own activities is the key to paso success in a lasting paso relationship. The looks and the personality of the paso are a plus, the personality of the paso individual is a bonus, it might even come first, before gait and paper expectations, in my humble opinion, if you want a one-to-one kind of soulmate relationship. We easily close our eyes to other details, once the solid foundation of companionship is established. Once this happens, owning a paso is heavenly. But pasos do not always give out their true self at first, you need to work at it!

So what is a good paso, in the end, if we should not expect a perfect one? A good paso is the one closest to our criteria for perfection. A bad paso is badly conformed, non gaiting, dangerous to humans or other horses, and/or any combination of all the above. But a badly behaving paso has always been born perfect, with mishandling from a bad owner, or bad training from a bad trainer from the start. Sad but true. Thankfully, pasos can change their attitudes, it has been proven over and over again; sure it takes time and dedication but with the right, confident and loving owner who trusts them, they can turn around and love you back. They will not loose their brio completely, or improve their gait dramatically once in their teens. But they will give you more trust and recognition everyday. Most are like cats rather than dogs, or they are like wild tigers, they are independent and proud. They may even act as tigers at first sight, run wildly when free, and then act so calmly under saddle, you will not recognize them. Yes, they can show bronco sides, but it is all pure show off, pure bravado, as they really like to shine, and snort, but they simply have a big pussycat mind and a golden heart inside, just there waiting for you to discover them. If they had the right training at the start, and the competent, good relaxed aids of the new rider, they will never act up under saddle. Of course, they do not give themselves up right away to you, they judge you first, they test you, like children, then they wrap you all around their little hooves. Even stallions--good stallions-- are the sweetest in this breed. I ride mine next to mares, pony mares with him, breed him single-handedly to my favorite mare, then a split second later ride him into the sunset, that is perfection to me, the kind spirit of a top classic fino winner turned into a family member and a daily mount at age ten. Teen age pasos are my favorites. They have seen it all, they are wiser, better, safer, as long as they have had the right training from the start and the non-abusive type of first owner. We know each other so well, my stallion and I, he looks so powerful and brave and then he just proudly but kindly arches his neck for the halter once I show up, at just any place I let him run free. All good paso stallion owners can share the same enchanted stories. And seeing us together, no one believes that I actually consider myself a "mare person", yet I appreciate great kindness in the right stallion. I have owned up to ten paso stallions stabled next to each other at the same time without any fuss. But I feel more at ease with mares, in the paso breed. I see no monthly moodiness or "pms" signs in the paso mares I own and ride, but I hear it is common in other equine breed. Again, good paso mares, with great initial training and handling, and a good sound pedigree, will not stray from loyal and dedicated behavior, even with children. Geldings in this breed might be much moodier, in my experience, and less calm, due to the fact that they are gelded late or proud. Gelding horses is not a favorite in the Latin mores and tradition. It is only done as a last resort. However, geldings who were raised and trained in the right hands are very reliable family horses and trail mounts or show horses. Paso finos are not for everyone, they are spirited and independent-minded, they are the chosen breed for the selective riders and the lovers of elegance and poetry. Their petite size is an advantage over taller horses, as you can mount and dismount them faster and in a safer manner! It does and doesn't necessarily make it easier for children and seniors to ride them, as their fame has it, because of their heart. Their heart is considered their paramount brio or spirit, comparable to the Arabian horse blood, yet much milder and easier to handle, to me, thanks to the gaited smoothest that accompanies it. With a few paso riding lessons from their skilled first paso owner, the right paso tack, and the right soft hands to continue riding, anyone can enjoy a paso fino horse for life and turn him or her into a perfect paso! I hereby invite all Paso owners, riders and readers to share their opinions on this debatable subject, their personal paso stories and their own definitions of the "perfect paso fino." Looking forward to hearing from different corners of the world!