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Riding a horse on the trail is one of the most enjoyable things you can do to enjoy mother nature, but riding horses are not all the same. I found out that the Paso Fino is trail riding horse. The smoothness of its ride is pleasurable to a level that could be compared to eating ice cream on a hot summer day as a young child. It gave me a feeling of pure joy when I rode this horse, and it is due to the fact that it has such a steady 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 an intermediate speed. 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. As its feet move, you will see that they move in what is called a “lateral” motion where the front and hind hooves move in sequence to one another.

In the Paso Fino gait, there are names for the 3 speeds to its gait. From slowest to fastest, there is the paso fino, paso corto, and paso largo. There is also another Paso gait referred to as the Paso Llano and is unique to the Peruvian Paso.

There are many Paso Fino completitions that demonstrates the excellence 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 looking to get started in Paso Fino competitions and are just looking for a good horse to ride, the Paso Fino makes an excellent horse to own. If you like to go on trial rides, you can’t beat the beautifully smooth and steady horse gait of this horse breed. Have fun and go ride a Paso!

Tags: Horses