The Peruvian Paso Horse

The Peruvian Pas There are many different types and breeds of horses that specialize in many different areas; some are best for racing, some for jumping and others for parades. However, it has been agreed that the qualities that make the best all around horse are temperament, beauty, versatility, low maintenance, and being all around pleasurable. The Peruvian Paso is the one horse that meets all of these criteria. The Peruvian Paso is considered to be the smoothest riding horse on earth. Its natural and efficient gait, which is a lateral four beat step, is what makes it unique, along with its fiery spirit, gentle nature and eagerness to please.

The breed's ancestors came from Spain and included a mixture of Barb, Spanish Jennet, and Andalusian. The breed was refined and carefully bred in Peru for several centuries, making for a purebred that has roots that can be traced back to the naturally gaited horses of Spain.

Christopher Columbus brought the first horses to the island of Santo Domingo in 1493 that were used to start the first breeding operation. Soon after, the breed moved down into the central parts of South America and was used for mounting troops during their conquests. In 1532 Francisco Pizzaro's troops used an early version of the Peruvian Paso when he conquered the Inca Empire. It was here, in Peru's rough terrain, where these lovely animals stayed isolated and were bred to perfection.

The horse is medium sized, usually standing between 14.1 and 15.2 hands. It has a powerful build with a deep chest and heavy, gracefully arched neck which contribute to their remarkable endurance. The coat color varies between chestnut, black, brown, bay, buckskin, palomino, gray, roan or dun colors; with solid colors, grays and dark skin considered most desirable. They have an abundant, lustrous mane that can be either straight or curly.

Breeders consider temperament and gait as the most important characteristics of the Peruvian Pas

In selecting for temperament, Peruvian Paso breeders are searching for brio. Brio is often translated as "spirit," but is actually a more complex term. It is a somewhat contradictory temperament, which combines arrogance, spirit, and the sense of always being on parade, with loyalty and an eagerness to please their rider. If a horse has a bad temperament, it will not be bred, lest that trait be passed to further generations.

Albright interprets the sensation of brio in the following quote:

“He comes into view, elegant and handsome... maybe even a little pretentious and arrogant. Always on parade, he fills the scene with his ample movements. The universe is barely big enough to contain his boastful gaiety. He is a source of great pleasure to his owner and to all those who see him."

As for their gait, Purebred Peruvian Paso horses are born with their ability to gait and show it off soon after they are born: the gait is inbred and does not require training. Purebred Peruvian Paso foals can be seen gaiting alongside their dams within a few hours of their birth. The Peruvian Paso has four unique four-beat gaits which are performed between the walk and the canter instead of a trot (although they can still canter and gallop): The Walk, Paso Llano, Sobreandando, and Huachano. These gaits are lateral - left hind, left fore, right hind, right fore- instead of diagonal like trotting horses. In this way the weight is more evenly distributed and little to no movement is transferred to the rider.

This characteristic gait was bred into the Peruvian Paso for the purpose of covering long distances over a short period of time without tiring the horse or rider. During the execution of the gait the horse has a singular and exceptionally smooth horizontal balance, due to a trait called termino- a spectacular leg action, originating from the shoulder, in which the front lower legs roll to the outside during the stride forward, similar to a swimmer's arms. It supplies essentially none of the vertical jolt familiar to equestrians, so posting (moving up and down with each of the horse's footfalls) is unnecessary. It is also very stable, as the Peruvian Paso's execution of the gait means that it always has at least 3 of its feet on the ground, which consequently, makes for a smoother ride. In fact, the ride is so smooth that a common way to judge a show is to have each rider carry a champagne glass and see who spills the least. Quite often nobody spills a drop.

Another thing that makes the Peruvian a great all around horse is that it is good for all types of people: old, young, big , little, experienced or not. Because of their quiet disposition and dependability, anyone can handle these horses. They can also be therapeutic: where most people with back problems, hip problems, and other heath problems shouldn’t or can’t ride horses, the Peruvian is actually good for them and has, at times, been recommended by doctors.

Today, these horses are becoming more and more popular in the US and elsewhere due to their nature and comfortable ride. The estimated 25,000 horses worldwide are used for pleasure, trail, horse shows, parades, and endurance riding. The Peruvian Paso horse is recognized as part of the Patrimonio Cultural (Cultural Patrimony) of Peru.