As a horse lover, I appreciate breeds that have a naturally smooth gait. When I first came across the Paso Fino horse, it was one of the things that really stood out to me. The Paso Finos are naturally gifted riding with a beautifully smooth gait.
A horse’s gait is the way that it moves. When you determine a horses gait, you look at a number of factors including speed, foot pattern, and foot sequencing during the movement. This can vary from the walk to the full gallop, but what we are interested in when determining a good horse for trail riding is one that goes at a speed that is somewhere in between. The Paso’s unique pattern of foot movements makes the ride very smooth and there is not a lot of up and down motion for the rider.
The cadence of the Paso’s 1-2-3-4 gait is distinctive as the horse effortlessly glides to its destination. It is almost like military precision when it takes its strides. I liken it to the riderless horse of presidential funerals. To be riding a horse that moves like this is akin to feeling like royalty.
Called an “ambling” gait, the Paso’s gait is a intermediate gait that is faster than a walk but slower than a canter. The foot movement is also lateral. Lateral movement is where the front & hind feet on the same side of the horse moves in sequence.
In the Paso Fino gait, there are essentially three speeds to its ambling gait. From slowest to fastest, there is the paso fino, paso corto, and paso largo. There is also another one referred to as the Paso Llano and is found in the Peruvian Paso.
There are many competitions that display the wonderful gait honed in performance Paso Fino training. In competition, performance Paso Finos are much more animated in their leg motions and much faster while keeping their 4-beat gait. It is really a sight to see. To many, the gait looks like a well orchestrated hat dance by the horse… and I guess you could say that is true. All I can say is simply amazing.
Even if you’re not trying to get started in Paso Fino competitions and just need a good riding horse, the Paso Fino makes an excellent horse to buy and enjoy it for your own pleasure. If you like to go on trial rides, you can’t beat the beautifully smooth and steady horse gait of this horse breed.
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