The Exquisite Gait of the Paso Fino Horse
Horse riding on a trail ride is one of the most enjoyable things you can do to enjoy mother nature, but riding horses are not all the same. I discovered that the Paso Fino horse is one of the best horses to take out riding. Its ride is pleasurable to a level that could be compared to remembering your first real kiss. It gave me a feeling of elation when experience this horse, and it is primarily for one reason, its steady gait.
Just in case you’re wondering, a horse’s gait is a way that a horse moves. It is a pattern of movement and how it moves its legs. The Paso Fino has a unique characteristic that makes it different from many other horses. The pattern of its gait has an even cadence and is very smooth. There is not a lot of up-and-down motion when the rider rides it. This makes for a great trail ride.
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.
The Paso Fino gait is known as an “ambling” gait. The term “ambling” gait refers to an intermediate gait of a horse. Ambling gaits are faster than a walk slower than a canter. This movement in the Paso Fino is lateral. Lateral movement is where the front and hind feet on the same side of the horse moves in sequence.
In the Paso Fino gait, there are names for the 3 speeds to its ambling 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 found in the Peruvian Paso.
There are many competitions that show the wonderful gait honed in Paso Fino horse training. If you’ve never seen it before, be sure to get on Youtube and search for “Paso Fino.” You will see many examples of the championship quality gaits of these horses. 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 with a performance Paso Fino and just need 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.
