Breed Information

What is a Paso Fino?
The Paso Fino’s rich history began in Spain hundreds of years ago with the mixing of the Spanish Barb, the Andalusian, and the Spanish Jennet. Each of the contributing breeds marked the Paso Fino with an important trait. The Paso Fino gets its stamina from the Barb, its natural presence from the Andalusian, and its wonderfully smooth gait from the Jennet. What a magnificent combination this is! Paso Finos were introduced to the New World by Spanish explorers in the 1500s arriving into what is now Latin America and South America. Over the years, isolation and careful breeding in these countries maintained the characteristics of the Paso Fino, and in the 1940s, Paso Finos were introduced to the United States by servicemen returning from WWII after being stationed in Puerto Rico. Since then, interest in the breed has grown particularly since the mid-1960s.

What is distinctive about a Paso Fino?
The natural, lateral four-beat gait produces the distinctive Paso Fino smooth ride. The foot fall of the Paso Fino is in a lateral pattern rather than the more common diagonal pattern. The diagonal movement, termed trotting, causes the rider to bounce in the seat while the lateral movement produces an action that keeps the rider comfortably seated. The difference of comfort between the Paso Fino and other breeds is what sets the Paso Fino apart.

What gaits does the Paso Fino exhibit?
The Paso Fino breed naturally exhibits 3 gaits in addition to the walk: Paso Corto, Paso Largo, and some, the Classic Fino and with proper rider cues, Paso Finos can exhibit the lope and the canter.
Taken from the Paso Fino Horse Association rule book:
Paso Corto – forward speed is moderate, ground covering but unhurried, executed with medium extension and stride.
Paso Largo – The fastest speed of the gait. The largo is executed with a longer extension and stride. Forward speed varies with the individual horse, since each horse should attain its top speed in harmony with its own natural stride.
Classic Fino – Forward speed is very slow, and the footfall is extremely rapid while the steps and extension are exceedingly short – to be executed fully collected.

Not all Paso Finos can properly execute the Classic Fino gait and this gait can be witnessed in the Classic Fino classes of any PFHA sponsored horse show.

To learn more about the Paso Fino breed, visit the Paso Fino Horse Association website, www.pfha.org.