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