Imagine gliding down the trail, oblivious to rough terrain, without worrying about hours spent in the saddle causing back pain. This isn’t just a dream for the fortunate owners of Paso Finos. Born with a naturally smooth gait that creates almost no movement for the rider, they’re the perfect way to travel down the trail, especially over long distances.

Developed in the Caribbean and Latin America from Spanish horses that were imported to the Americas, the Paso Fino is known for its smooth, four-beat lateral gait, which can be performed at three speeds. The classic fino is slow in forward movement, but the feet take very quick steps. The paso corto has medium speed and stride. The paso largo moves forward the fastest, with a longer stride.

The Paso Fino is prized for its gentle spiritedness and incredible stamina. The combination makes for a popular trail and endurance horse.

Today’s Paso Fino

Today, the Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) has over 60,000 registered horses and 3,500 members in 21 regions.

Recently, the PFHA held the International Mundial Championships in Miami, Fla., where horses from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Aruba, the Dominican Republic, and the U.S. competed. Classes were streamed on the USEF Network, with over 80,000 views from around the world—the most-watched event the network has ever had.

Trail riding is so popular within the breed that the PFHA created the Trail Horse Test Program. This gives riders a chance to demonstrate their horse’s skill at trail obstacles through a series of tests. It’s not a competition, but rather a way to gauge a horse’s ability to “complete tasks normally performed before, during, and after a trail ride.” There are three different levels—junior, senior and master—and awards are earned after successfully completing each level.

The PFHA has other recreational rider programs that reward Paso Fino owners who hit the trails. These programs include awards for recreational riding, competitive trail, endurance rides, long-distance pleasure rides, and more.

The Inside Scoop

Virginia Frost is a volunteer with the PFHA and on the board of directors representing the Virginia region. She is the chair of the amateur committee and serves on the Recreational Rider committee that administers the Trail Horse Test Program.

“In 2020, we had 40 horses participate in the Trail Horse Test Program,” she says. “This was our way to recognize and praise ‘just a trail horse.’”

Lynda Zimmerman from Minnesota has owned five Paso Finos since learning about the breed in a profile assignment for a science class.

“Their willing temperament, smaller size and reputation for being sensible, sure-footed trail horses appealed to me, as I was an adult student and not getting any taller or younger,” she says.

One mare she owned, Lluvia del Norte (Zia), earned the Rookie of the Year for PFHA, Upper Midwest Endurance and Competitive Rides Association (UMECRA) and Minnesota Distance Riding Association (MnDRA) in 2010.

For over nine years, Lynda and Zia competed in the PFHA Limited Distance category, documenting over 2,0000 miles before Zia retired at 20 years old. She was also a show horse, earning her PFHA Supreme Merit Award. In endurance, Zia shined as well, being a two-time PFHA Reserve Champion in Endurance/Limited Distance with many Top Tens.

Zimmerman continues to do endurance and trail riding with her younger Paso, accumulating thousands of miles and many awards along the way. HDR Petrolero de Nevado, a gelding of hers, is a three-time PFHA High Point Endurance/Limited Distance Award winner.

“All three of my competition Pasos have had great ability due to their light, athletic body types, which allow them to meet the pulse criteria for qualified finishes, but their biggest attributes are their heart and willingness,” Zimmerman says.

Donna Hajek from South Carolina fell in love with the breed for their smooth gait, intelligence, and how they bond with humans.

“Paso Finos are very versatile, going to a show one weekend, then going out to trail ride, competitive distance riding or endurance riding the following weekend,” she explains.

Hajek and her Paso Fino Sundancers Comanchero has been doing 25-mile Limited Distance rides with the American Endurance Ride Conference since 2016.

To learn more about the Paso Fino, visit the Paso Fino Horse Association website or the American Paso Fino Horse Association.

This article about the Paso Fino originally appeared in the August 2022 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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Paso Finos can walk, trot and canter like any other horse, but they also have an extra, very smooth gait that can be performed at three different speeds.

Fast or Slow

The classic fino is slow in forward movement, but the horse’s feet move really fast in short, quick steps.

The paso largo moves forward very fast but has a longer stride.
The paso corto is the medium speed, in between the fino and the largo. Speed and stride are both moderate.

At all three speeds, each foot hits the ground individually, which is why the gait is so smooth. Paso Finos can perform this gait naturally from birth without any training. There is no noticeable up-and-down movement of the horse or rider.

“Riding a Paso Fino is a dream; no posting,” says Sydney Elliot, 13, from Michigan. “I can sit and enjoy the ride as long as I keep my horse’s attention. They also have a one-of-a-kind personality with lots of spirit! Pasos never fail to make me smile, even on bad days. They have huge hearts and will give 150 percent in anything you ask them to do.”

Culture & History

Puerto Rico, along with Colombia, is one of the two places where the breed originated. American soldiers fell in love with the Paso Fino while stationed in Puerto Rico during World War II, and began importing horses into the U.S. in the mid-1940s. Later, Paso Finos were also imported from Colombia.

We have to go back several hundred years before that, however, to learn about the Paso Fino’s origin. When Spanish explorers arrived in the New World and settled in the areas of present-day Puerto Rico and Colombia, they brought their Andalusians, Spanish Barbs and Spanish Jennets (a now-extinct gaited horse) with them. These horses are the ancestors of the Paso Fino. The Spanish Jennet is the horse that passed on its smooth gait to the Paso Fino.

“I love the culture surrounding the Paso Fino breed,” says Ali Bedell, 18, from Missouri, who has been riding Paso Finos since she was 5. “Being involved with the breed has allowed me to go to places like Puerto Rico and witness so many new things and people.”

Paso Fino Skills

Besides being comfortable to ride, the Paso Fino has a lot of energy and stamina and a gentle disposition. In addition to breed shows, Paso Finos have found success in western classes like trail and versatility, pleasure driving, drill team competitions, parades and more.

Ali has been showing Paso Finos since she was 6 years old. Since then, she has been National Champion 16 times, Grand Champion eight times and High Point Youth Rider for the Paso Fino Horse Association for eight consecutive years. She was even third Reserve Champion in an international competition in 2012.

“Licenciada is one of my horses that I ride in competition,” says Ali. “She has the most playful, silly personality. She is also very smart and loves to do trails and patterns that challenge her and make her think. The other horse I show is Detalle. She has the sweetest, most gentle temperament.”

Ali competes in horsemanship, equitation, pleasure, performance and fino (showing off the breed’s gait) classes. But her favorite activities at home are trail riding and spending time pampering her horses.

Sydney is also a very accomplished rider, with 10 Grand National championships, four National High Point championships and 11 class High Point championships. She competes in pleasure, performance, equitation and horsemanship.

“Royal Oak Shiraz is my current show horse,” says Sydney, who also owns two other Paso Finos. “She has a show-horse personality. She gets the job done in the arena and is competitive. Shiraz and I have won six Grand National titles together.”

When she’s not showing, Sydney loves to just hang out at the barn and spend time with her horses. “They are my best friends,” she says. “I love to just sit on them bareback and talk to them; they always listen.”

Interested in getting to know the Paso Fino even better? Visit the Paso Fino Horse Association at www.pfha.org.

This article appeared in the September/October 2017 issue of Young Rider magazine.

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