Left to right: Rick and Janice Meyer show the gray Paso Fino stallion Royal Oak Ricochet. “It is effortless for them,” trainer and owner Lauri Pistolis, shown here on Donatello de Fantasia, says of the Paso Fino’s naturally lateral, fourbeat gait.
The Fine Walk: The Paso Fino
The Paso Fino came to the Americas more than 500 years ago when Spanish conquistadors imported Andalusians, Spanish Barbs, and smooth-gaited Spanish Jennets. Bred for their stamina, smooth gait, and beauty, Los Caballos de Paso Fino–the horses with the fine walk– served as the foundation stock for conquistadors’ remount stations. Selective breeding by those who colonized the Caribbean and Latin America produced the Paso Fino, which initially flourished in Puerto Rico and Colombia, and, later, in other Latin American countries. Today, there are about 60,000 Paso Finos registered in the United States, according to the Paso Fino Horse Association. The Paso Fino has a gait unique to the breed that is natural and exhibited at birth. It is an evenly spaced, four-beat lateral gait with a rapid, unbroken rhythm. The Paso Fino gait is performed at three forward speeds and with varying degrees of collection: classic fino (very slow speed and full collection), paso corto (moderate speed and moderate to full collection), and paso largo (fastest form of the gait and minimal to moderate collection). The Paso Fino is capable of executing other gaits that are natural to horses, except the trot. “They are a little sensitive—a little more sensitive than most breeds,” explained Lauri Pistolis of Lancaster, S.C., a Paso Fino breeder, competitor, judge, owner, and trainer who has been involved with the breed for nearly 30 years. “When you go to pat a horse, you know how
some people just pat them? That would startle a Paso Fino. They would much rather that you would rub them. “Their gait is undeniably their biggest attribute for sure, but they are super-affectionate and super-athletic,” she added. “They naturally have that gait and can go for days on end without effort; it is just effortless for them.” Pistolis’s introduction to the Paso Fino breed is a prime example of its versatility. She grew up barrel racing, and her horse-trainer father acquainted her with the breed in 1988. Shortly after, Pistolis got her first Paso Fino and taught him how to barrel race. The Paso Fino is also used in events such as team penning and cowboy mounted shooting, just to name a few. The breed is typically shown in breed-specific fino, performance, or pleasure classes, highlighting their fine step, animated movement, and pleasurable way of going, respectively. “I love everything about this horse. I’m so partial it is not even funny,” Pistolis said with a laugh. “I love the energy that they have. They have got what we call brio, the energy we breed for. I love that! That has got to be my favorite part. If any other breed had that much brio, that much energy, you would think something was going to go wrong, but with these guys, they are solid citizens.” That sensitive but affectionate nature, paired with its fantastic, one-of-a-kind gait, have made the breed quite popular and earned it the title of “the smoothest riding horse in the world” among its supporters.
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