What brought you to the paso fino...and what is driving you

[Beth Worden]

away???

I came to the paso fino breed because of it's gait, #1. Spent a young lifetime riding/driving anything with hair, but my father used to "cull" gaited horses out of the auction. As a kid that showed, etc I was not impressed because up north, anyway, there was no local show that you could show a gaited horse in. #2 was the natural way the horses were shown and handled. I have no idea the show criteria now, but back then it was limited to no gloss, slight clipping (if at all) light shoes (sattlites, I believe). No silver, posh or glamor outfits for human or equine.

What has pushed me away...I keep going to the most natural gaiting breed available and right now it is the PP's. Also, the icelandics WERE pretty natural but the Icelanders and Europeans have discovered "lift" and "fast footfall", weight shoes, yada, yada, yada

[DebbieS]

BEAUTY and personality drew me toward them. The gait is icing on the cake for me. I fell in love with the Friesian about 4 years ago, but couldn't afford one..... I heard about someone who had Paso Finos and needed to sell out. I had heard of them, but had never seen one - so I thought I'd go look.

Well, I fell in love with Listo immediately and didn't look at any of the others. She had 17 horses, all in need of new homes asap. They were thin and their feet hadn't been taken care of, let alone proper feed and nutrition, vaccinations, etc.

So, I ended up with Listo who was 8 years old (recently gelded) and had not been trained :roll: Yes, I was crazy! Once he was trained, I realized how wonderful his gait was and have shared it with many others. He likes to give test-rides to my QH friends.

Nothing is driving me away from the breed. I love Listo for him and his smooth gait is just a bonus!

[JennLM]

Funny thing is we have not ridden a Paso yet. Can't wait until we do. Nothing will drive me from the breed.

How did we get here? A sweet pregnant mare, Mercedes, in Utah we fell in love with but was sold a few days before my Andalusian stallion got sold so we missed out. We still have a hole in our hearts. She had that Paso disposition that we have come to see is in so many Paso's.

We had Trinket now who is abit over a year and getting sold or traded for one who will be too small.

We went to the Gold Cup and met many Pasos there. For the most part, we met sweet adoring Pasos and it only made us want them all the much more. We love this breed.

I can only say that when we finally do get to ride one, it will cement us into them for good.

[Monty]

Saw a demo years ago at Midwest Horse fair and fell in love with the breed - never thought I would ever have a horse let alone a Paso Fino!
I figured I was was too old to get a horse - WRONG! There still is hope for people - I was 54 when I got my first horse.
My first Paso was given to me - ( lady had a nasty divorce and mare had health issues).She had to be put down after 8 1/2 months -
Then, Got an email, about another Paso Fino needing a good home - bought (stole) Monty - Dude had NO idea what he had - got him for $550.
What would drive me away - having to buy one, and having to pay cost of shipping if it was too far away !
Actually wouldn't drive me from the breed - I would just would end up horseless :cry:

[Carol Nelson]

What brought me to the breed was a wonderful little ten year old bay gelding I bought in 1996. I had owned a QH for a short time that we found had come off the racetrack, and he'd scared the living daylights out of me (should've never been sold to a novice). So when I found my Nevare, I was scared to death of horses. He "taught" me to ride. I'd heard about horses that came back under you to pick you up when you were slipping, but never experienced it til him. He would adjust his speed to my experience. It was like he said, "I KNOW you can do this!"
And I in turn, for him, brought him back to the naturalness of his Paso Fino gait. He had been ridden in a curb bit and western saddle all his life and knew how to do nothing but trot. I examined his papers and found his daddy was a G.N. Champion (Campesino LaCE) so I knew he had to be able to gait. I went to California and bought my second Paso there, and the nice folks at De Los Mejores Ranch taught me how to put a Paso into gait...I went home and got rid of his bit and saddle, put a bosal on him...and a light weight saddle...and showed him the cues...voila...away we went in gait. He could gait perfectly...it's just that no one had ever shown him how!
Here he is today, at 21 years old, with a little bit of a ewe neck now, and he foundered badly four years ago, but I brought him out of it to full soundness. He is my demo horse now. I will love him til the day I die.

http://gallery.pethobbyist.com/data/36931nevaremom.jpg

And I will never be driven from the breed...I may downsize some due to aging...but I will always have a Paso Fino. That is why I decided to breed them...I wanted to produce a horse like this for other folks! Never before have I been around a more intelligent, more sensitive, more willing and people loving breed of horse!

[TrueStepPaso]

About 5 years ago I became obsessed with the Spanish Barb because of its renowned hardiness & intelligence. Not to mention, they are gorgeous. They are very rare...only around 200 (ish) registered horses in the US, and most are owned by Robert Painter in Idaho......well he doesn't do AI, and the drive from Massachusetts would've been unbearable.
Sooooooo....after some more research, I found the Paso would be the next best thing, just had to save alot more $$$

Nothing would drive me away from the Pasos (or the Morgans)... ;-)

[ErinC]

One day I was taking a short run around the block, and I saw a girl I went to school with , out back of her house she had horses, so I stopped and we chatted, I had never seen a Paso in person before that day. At the time I had an Arab.

She invited me back for a ride, I rode 3 of her horses.. sortly after we started taken trail rides together, I fell in love with one of her horses, and bought him within that year.

I brought him home to live with my Arab, about 6 months later I went to NY and bought his coming 2 yr old son, that put me with 2 pasos and 1 Arab.

A short time later Terri bought him from me, Mico!
I sold my Arab, and bought another paso, than another.
but now I am down to 2.

I love them !

Nothing is going to drive me away!
the 2 I have now are the best horses I have ever had in my life.

[PASOFAN]

My grandfather owned a paso stud and he was a pature ornament, I rode him bareback, thought he was beautiful but didnt know about gait back then..

10yrs later grandpa died, his son, my uncle bought 2 paso's for the farm. I rode them all the time! Fell in love, always wanted horses but my family could buy one so I rode my uncles.

Then when I had enough $$ of my own I bought my uncles mares son, Chico! I had my own finally! Then bought a morgan gelding for sister, then my dream horse- Storm. (storm is still a work in progress..)

The gait brought me to the breed, hated trotting- I felt outta control. My uncles horses were so easy to handel and loved the gait..

I will always buy paso's, wont be turned from the breed.

[motorgypsy]

We saw them gaiting down the Pan American Highway median in Cali Colombia South America. Before that I always wanted an Arabian. But we were enthralled. We asked about the type of horse and were told it was a Paso Fino Colombiano. We went to shows when we got back to the US and when we retired we moved to FL and went paso fino shopping. We LOVE them!! Ours all have a wonderful natural gait including our foals. I wish we could have 100 of them but 10 is fine. We also love our Florida Cracker gelding but he's another story!!

[Terry Wallace]

The GAIT..period... The smoothness of ride. I did it because I wanted my husband to be able to still go ride with me. His back was getting very bad.

I went and tried a Paso Fino at the Farm of Pat Powers. She "baited" me with her finest, most beautiful and well gaited mare, Magic Fire Mako...it was "gait love" at first mount. Half way through the ride, we switched horses, and I rode Taras (or Tauras) La Vanidosa, a huge, well gaited mare...super fast largo. I went home and told my man...tomorrow I'm going back to look at young prospects...and if I like what I see...I'm buying TWO of them.

I liked what I saw...I bought the son of Taras, and I bought the daughter of Magic Lady Mako. Thats when it all started... then I got the "fever" and went in search of Paso Finos that were of breeding quality. Those travels took me to Utah, Alberta Canada, Tennessee, and South Carolina, in the next seven years.

Now, I'm ready to quit breeding Paso Finos. I have found that they just don't sell near as fast or as well as AQHA & APHA horses from which I came the previous 17 years. I have found that my location plays a significant part. That young stock doesn't sell well...everybody wants a horse they can ride right now. That by the time you get them raised to age four and ridden for 10-12 months..that people want to pay $2500 or $3500 for that horse which is a non-profitable situation. Its nothing against the breed..I love my paser feeners! I will be keeping five or six and not keeping any broodmares, due to cost far exceeding profit on offspring.

That is not however the underlying thing that is driving me away from the breed...and that would be because I'm so darn tired of the unethical sellers & breeders in this breed that I have had to deal with. It truly makes me want to RUN in a different direction. I cannot believe the type of horses that will get sold to a complete novice, who has been told the horse is just fine for anybody. OR...the continued breeding of very bad genetic defects & faults...from parrot mouth, to sow mouth to very bad legs & tendons and that would include DSLD. To knowingly breed such horses, and not disclose a thing about it...does nothing but harm the breed in the long run. I'm NOT saying every horse has to be perfect..I am saying that it is very wrong to set somebody up with a horse that is way beyond their ability, or has the potential through very poor conformation or history...to not last a reasonable USEABLE life span, or sell horses as breeding stock..that clearly are not.

Having an association who boasts an "all natural" breed...yet will not stop tail cutting doesn't help either.

What keeps me here for now..the people..the people who try so hard to speak FOR the welfare of the horse.....the people try and do the right thing for the horse. JMO ;-)

[Jennifer]

When I was a kid I asked for two things every year for Christmas...A sister and a horse...My mom told me I could get a horse when I could afford one myself. I eventually resigned myself to the fact that mom and dad wouldn't be wrapping me up a little sister under the tree so I stuck with the dream of owning a horse. When I felt I could afford one (MANY years later) I did my research and went a visited a couple of farms with various breeds...Not to say that I wasn't impressed with anything they offered...But nothing I saw gave me that "feeling." One night I ended up calling and talking to a family friend who owns paso finos. I went and visited her the next day...One ride with one big smile and I was hooked...The rest as they say was history.

[Brigitte]

Only thing we have here. So if you want to ride you can only ride a paso fino :D

[NikiGA]

I have owned 3 different Pasos over the years. Now we have TWHs. And I am not about to get into why I went back to Walkers after 14 years with other breeds! TWHs and ASBs are the breeds I started with 27 years ago, and I would just as soon ride on out of this world at a high-stepping rack with my *** barely in the saddle as anything else, and dat's all I am gonna say 'bout dat! ;-)

[CarolU]

An Andalusian stallion performing during a Lippizan show convinced me I had to have a Spanish horse. I couldn't afford an Andy at that time and looked high/low for other Spanish breeds. I found Pasos were the decendents of Andalusians...I didn't even know they were gaited, and never even tried the gait when I bought my first Paso (Baby) who is very Iberian. I would own them even if they weren't gaited. I love the breed, how sensitive and eager they are.

http://www.gaitedhorses.net/GaitedHorsesForum/smilies/ranting.gif

What turns me off are the harsh methods they are trained with and the mentality that it is OK to push them, to the point many are lamed or loose their mind, if it produces fast-stepping champions. The current "Breed for Speed" (of footfall) mentality really turns me off. THese people no longer consider smoothness, consistency or conformation important AT ALL!

What drives me is to SAVE the Pleasure Paso Fino, as originally imported to this country, and make a venue to show, enjoy and reward them, seperate of PFHA. I have tried now, and concluded there is no 'saving' our breed from the "Breed for Speeders" who are ruining it, within PFHA. Time for us 'Pleasure Paso' people to promote, show, train, and market the 'real' American Paso Fino horse, as originally intended.

http://www.gaitedhorses.net/GaitedHorsesForum/smilies/curse.gif

JMHO

[Abejita]

See now thats so strange..I used to ask if I could TRADE my sister for a horse....

[Beth Worden]

I realize now that my initial post makes it sound like I have given up on pasos. Not so. It just seems that I have become tired after 25 plus years trying to explain to folks that these are such kind, smart, willing little horses. My riding companions KNOW this. I will always keep a couple around for myself, but as far as breeding, buying, training and reselling - I just can't get the same response I can get from a LARGER horse. We Americans are fat. Nearly all the babyboomers in my crowd are overweight, myself included. These friends (aka read "customers") want a bigger horse under them. MANY of my friends would indeed ride paso finos, but they are just too uncomfortable on a small horse - And - I don't want to sell to them, either. All the hype and BS about them being able to carry more weight, denser bone, bla, bla, bla. Not honest, and no good for the horse/breed, either. People are saying the same thing about the Icelandics. Let's face it, even if these smaller horses COULD carry more weight, who wants to ride around on a pony that looks like YOU should be carrying Him? Some folks are now breeding for size and they are getting the right idea. They are also not comprising the gait. Thankfully there are breeders out there doing this.

[motorgypsy]

An interesting aside - they really are getting closer to solving the puzzle of obesity. Think what this will mean to the breeders of the smaller horses!!! One pill a day and we no longer overeat. I think one is already in human trials. Unfortunately we keep getting larger and larger paso finos. Honestly if we lined them up in order of purchase and birth I think they'd make a set of stairs with our first one at the bottom. And I bet when we get a good sized population of Iceys in this country they'll get larger also. I've heard they pretty much leave them feral for the first five years in Iceland so no yummy and highly nutritious grain during the formative years. Think what all those great additives will do for those cute little furballs!!! ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

[reuben T]

horses in general act as rare earth magnets and I'm the steel, LOL. paso's just have a few traits that put them ahead of the crowd. although i don't own one yet, i have tried to dig into info on the various types and rode about 4 different ones. right now I'm starting training on a half arab i got last year and plan to eventually sell him after he's well trained, My reasoning is, why keep a horse that is worth a couple thousand when it has no advantage to me over the others that i could only get maybe 500 out of. besides i have enough nongated horses without him. then will plan on using the sale to buy a paso that needs training. My mustangs i will keep, use for riding and packing, and there may be situations where i may not want the paso traits, like riding with a group where the paso gait may put me out of whack with the others. However I don't really have much use for a really tight gaited paso, not being into showing, and it looks like it might be an impedament when it comes to riding the trails i will frequent. Steep, rough, rocky, fallen logs to jump.

[Moniece Dickerson]

For me it was the ride and disposition.I had not really ridden in years then I got on that oh so naturally fino,ultra smooth,super controlable gelding and that was it.More years passed before I could get my own but from that day on it's been paso finos for me.I'll never be driven away from the breed.Your friend,Moniece

[Minouri]

I went to see Scooter because he was gaited and I prefer to ride a gaited horse. I bought him for his personality.

I am trying to talk my husband into continuing to look at Pasos for practical reasons 1) gaited 2) hardy 3) no shoes 4) easy keepers 5) intelligent 6) easier to get on when your horse is 13.3

I don't find their gait better or worse than other gaited breeds and I shamelessly try to get on every gaited horse I meet. They all have their share of ultra smooth gaiters and choppier ones. I have seen stunning horses in other gaited breeds and comparable spirit and endurance levels.

The one concern I had before I came to this board was if my life situation ever made it impossible to keep Scooter.....it would be difficult to find the right home for him. He can be laid back but he can also be high strung. He often scares non-paso riders with his speed and all of my friends say the same thing.......he's too small for them. Now that I have found all of you I have no doubt that I could find him a good home with a person who would appreciate him. Don't get me wrong, I intend to be his forever home....but you also have to be practical. If illness or unemployment hit my family and I couldn't give him a good home anymore I would need to know that he would not end up in some auction somewhere because someone misunderstood his spirit for defiance.

If I had a large TWH or Missouri Foxtrotter I could name at least 5 friends of mine who would take him in a heartbeat. That's what people around here tend to look for.

[Terry Wallace]

There is no Puzzle to obesity...its simple....your food intake is higher than your exercise output.... We eat too much, and exercise too little....
Myself included.... working on that now!

BUT.... you bet I strived to breed a bigger horse. That is what *most* buyers want, where I live...but not neccessarily on the east coast, where I have sold 3 horses too....

It is taking too long to happen...for this breed to catch on here. I cannot afford to "wait it out" another ten years.... I will stand 2 stallions...and have no "designated broodmares"....

[PasoPerson]

Being born and raised in south Florida, pre-Castro days, I knew lots of folks who went gambling to Cuba. It was much closer than Nevada for south Floridians.

One of my school friends' father imported some Cuban Walkers. The first time I rode with her, that was it. I was 15 years old. It took me until 50 to get my first horse, but when I did it was a Paso Fino. (Cuban Walkers, as I understand it, were the Cuban Paso Finos, similar to PPR and Colombian Pasos.)

I have tired of arguments, thus no shows to mention in my future. I have spent all my $$$ trying to kill the Hepatitis C in me, thus not much of any major fun events in my future. HOWEVER, I WILL RIDE UNTIL THE DAY I DIE - AND MY RIDE WILL ALWAYS BE A PASO FINO. They are kind, gentle, smart horses. All they want to know is "will you hurt me?" and when the answer is NO, NEVER, they just ask "what do you want me to do". I can live with that. I love their brios, I love their minds, they are the breed for me.

People come and go, friends prove not really friends, rules change, and I have aged. The one constant in my life is my horses. They are my psychiatrists, my healers, my confidants, my everythings. Two-legged folks are all tired of me and my Hep C ways (including my hubby and kids). It's not fun being me, it's not fun having annoying (to others) side effects, but my horses don't care, they make me feel 12 years old again.

God bless them all. Going to submit this now and be done with it. I want to delete it, but am not going to. This is just the honest truth in my case.

[Jane Hurl]

:rofl Ditto, Abejita. Ditto! *grin*

[Pam M]

I grew up riding TB's and still love them - don't even mind trotting! But I always wanted a "Spanish" horse, preferably an Andalusian. I saw a photo of a Paso in a magazine or somewhere and his big noble head was what really got me. Started reading up on them and found out about the gait and the history.

The truth is that I don't care whether or not I'm on a gaited horse, I just loved the way the Paso looked. But I appreciate the gait now. I was able to lease my mare from Hollis (thanks :D !) and then I fell in love with her mind. My QH and mustang are stupid next to her. I also like the small size.

I have no intention of ever giving up my QH or my old mustang but I like smart, quick horses that make me ride instead of just sit, as I have a tendency to be a lazy rider, and Pasos fit the bill for me. What would push me away from the breed is the "Americanization" of it. I like the culture and I have no desire to see the Paso become a one-size-fits-all horse like QH's have tended toward.

[TrueStepPaso]

Carolyn....I'm glad that you submitted your post, because I agree with you about the personality of Pasos, and everything they do for your mental/physical health.
Ppl can come & go, but horses accept you "as is" for the rest of their years.....

[Barbwire]

EXCELLENT post, Carolyn! :notworthy

[PasoPerson]

Thanks TrueStep and Barbwire.

[TrueStepPaso]

Your welcome ;-)

[Ginger]

I wasn't drawn to the breed, I was rather dragged through it briefly. I'm still shaking off the residue of it.

What kept me with the two I have wasn't anything Paso specific- it was their individual personalities, and the fact that nobody can give them the ideal home I have in my mind, should I try to part with them.

I don't care either way about the breed. They're cute and fun, but not my style, with few exceptions. If I had room and time, I'd be glad to have another, but only if it needed a home. The need of an individual animal for a home supercedes my vanity in wanting a big shiny 5-gaited Mercedes (it did twice, for sure). It isn't specifically the breed of horse that turns me off- the Paso is just lower on my "I have to have one of these" list, among other interpersonal reasons not mandated by the actual horse breed.

If the allowance of idiots to breed and train (much less explain and market, which is 90% of the problem) Paso Finos is continued, however, then yes, that would be a discouraging factor. I don't want a mo-ped on crack any more than I want to be associated with mo-peds on crack due to breed-specific misinformation, much less people trying to tell me that they're supposed to look, act, and gait stupidly when I know they're differently capable.

[Hollis D. Gammon]

Gait, Gait, Gait then personality, then rareness.

My first Paso was 14-3 1/2" 7/8 PR and 1/8 Peru [never knew if it was a Peruvian Paso or a paso from Peru] Very raw boned ugly ducklin, but what a ride.

Now it's the personality of the horses I raise and seeing the reactions of others when I ride [It's known that I'm a show off even as an old man] in parades etc.

They are my buddies and are so darn intelligent.

Terribly hard to sell to the average Joe. I've quit breeding other than to have a baby around to watch them grow then give a friend a whale of a deal so I will know the home they go too.

I've owned other breeds and there are good horses in all breeds, but for the rest of my few days it will be Paso Finos.

[Minouri]

Hollis,

I want to be your new best friend. :lol:

[Hollis D. Gammon]

Minouri, we can do that!! if you are serious, you will be at the top of the list.

Want have any babies until 2008 so keep reminding me. I owe 2/3 babies to the folks that helped me out with taking and caring for my horses when I started traveling so much, that will be the 2006/7 crop.

my 5-6 mo fillies will be $750/1000 and my colts will be $500/750 [Gonna get rich aren't I???] When I get started we will need a $100 none refundable deposit.

Sire will be Es Traficante {Plebeyo son}, and 4 dams will be either Plebeyo daughters [have 1] or Capuchino daughters [have 2] or a Capuchino / Plebeyo grand daughter.Hopefully we [the horses and I] will all live long enough to make it happen.

I will raise 2 of 3 each year.