What is the difference between training a Colombian vs training a PR paso fino???

[cristy]

I posted this question on another thread and none answered so not to hijack the thread here it is again. Is there a difference? If so what is it?? I am a little confused by this and would like some clarification..

[Pasofinoguy]

I wouldnt think there is any difference. And i have rode pure col and pure pr pasos.

[motorgypsy]

The answer is NONE.

The difference lies not in training a Colombian vs a Puerto Rican paso fino. The difference lies in WHO is doing the training, what the horse is being trained for and the market they are training for. We have Puerto Rican trainers training Colombian paso finos and mixes and PPR's and we have Colombian trainers training Colombian paso finos and mixes and PPR's and show US trainers who train both. Although their heritage is different, since many of them train for shows, ride for shows and attend shows I'm sure there is sharing of information on training techniques for the show paso fino.

From what we've seen, both start a paso fino on the bosal, not with a bit. They train until the horse is pretty much finished and then add the bit so the bit won't need to be used so much and the mouth will be extremely soft, BUT quite a number of Colombian trainers train the horse to be ON the bit for more collection whereas the Puerto Rican trainers we've watched train the horse to self collect and rarely use the bit for collection. The Colombian trainers we've watched train with only seat cues and the bit is used primarily for collection which is sometimes pretty extreme. The Puerto Rican trainers we've watched train for head up and nose pretty much perpendicular to the ground but it is a more natural position. I know a couple of Puerto Rican trainers that will train leg cues and some don't. US trainers train according to what they've watched and learned either from a different breed or from a strictly paso fino background since many US trainers lived in Puerto Rico perhaps as kids or their parents lived in Puerto Rico and brought paso finos to the US. I suspect that there is a lot more Puerto Rican training technique in US trainers simply because a lot more people from the US lived in and rode Puerto Rican paso finos and so worked with Puerto Rican trainers. Do not think that one tradition is more "kind" than the other. Back in the "good old days" the trainer, regardless of heritage, did what was necessarily to get the horse to do what was desired and many techniques were not kind.

But this is a generalization and each trainer has his/her own techniques and style and a lot also depends on the market they are training for - strictly show market, fino, performance, or pleasure style, or show plus general public or just general public. What they both have in common is to train a SUPER responsive horse and one that looks very alert and alive and pays attention to the rider and its surroundings and is very well behaved. They don't train horses to go to sleep between commands, ones who need to be kicked to get them moving and ones who argue a lot. They train Ferraris, not under powered Yugos. Most latin trainers and riders love a hot horse. Some US trainers do and some don't. So a lot of the heat you see is born but trained to remain there when the horse is ridden rather than trained to be reduced for the rider. So if you buy a show trained or super responsive paso fino, the horse can be retrained to be a little less responsive if you wish. But they do NOT train nor tolerate a badly behaved horse. These get sold quickly and cheaply and because they behave badly they are the the ones that give our breed a bad name. The good ones go for a lot of money and aren't resold a lot and generally stay within the paso fino community. Sad but true because the general public needs to see and ride the good ones, not the ones who flunked SHOW 101 and are the culls.

So I hope that answers your question. It's the background of the trainer and its potential use, not the origin of the horse, that determines how it is trained.

[Carol Nelson]

Well....let's see...I had a Puerto Rican trainer for a time, and I have Colombian and Puerto Rican horses, and there didn't appear to be any difference in training any of them. The difference came in dealing with the temperaments and performance levels of each particular horse...not the origin of their ancestries. :)