The origins of the Peruvian Paso Horse
are traced back to the Andalusian, the Barb, and the
Fresian, all sturdy and very dependable horses. In
the 16th century, the Spanish conquistadors brought
their warhorses to South America.
The Paso Horse evolved over the next 500 years as
the result of selective breeding. Careful attention
was paid to breeding a sturdy horse with an extremely
comfortable gait. The horses were designed for the
transportation of lords and landowners and were expected
to carry their riders twenty to forty miles in a single
workday that required mounting and dismounting many
times a day. The horses were also used in the mountain
ranges of the Andes where their compact size made
them ideal for navigating the narrow, treacherous
mountain passes. All those years of selective breeding
produced a horse of medium height, of excellent temperament,
willing nature and desire to please the rider.
Paso Horses are intelligent, spirited, yet docile
horses with great dignity and presence -- almost an
arrogance -- not found in many breeds. Paso Horses are extremely gentle and love people. They become
very devoted to their riders and will go past endurance
when asked.
The forelegs of the Paso Horse move as if he is always
on parade, a motion called "termino", or
the outward rolling of the front limb during extension
and is completely natural due to selective breeding.
The gait of the Paso Horse is a broken pace (Paso
Llano) which gives the rider neither the vertical
movement of the trot, nor the lateral motion of the
pace. The gait of the horse is passed 100% to its
offspring. The four-beat, lateral gait of the Peruvian
Paso Horse is without question, the most comfortable
ride in the world.
The Land Reform of the 1950's and 60's
caused a significant change in the
use of the Paso Horse. The Paso Horse
went from a being a work horse entirely
used for transportation to a "show"
horse appreciated mostly for it beautiful
gait and arrogance. Although the Paso
Horse maintained its desirable inbred
characteristics, it became unable
to show its smoothness, excellent
temperament, strength and gait outside
of showrooms and competitions. At
ILALO HORSES, we are determined to
prove the smoothness and strength
of the Paso Horse in the field. We
have been breeding our horses to produce
the best horses for our tours and
expeditions; horses that will endure
long rides while providing the rider
with the smoothest ride in the world.
For
more information on the breed visit
the Peruvian Paso Horse
Registry of North America website
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