PasoFinos.ca
Title
Ambleside Paso Finos
Description
The Paso Fino horse reflects its Spanish heritage through its proud carriage, grace and elegance. Modern care and selective breeding have enhanced its beauty, refinement and well-proportioned conformation that conveys strength and power without extreme muscling. With its lively but controlled spirit, natural gait and presence, and responsive attitude, the Paso Fino is indeed, a rare and desirable equine partner.
The Paso Fino's journey to the Americas began more than 500 years ago with the importation of a horse that was a cross between the Andalusians, Spanish Barbs from North Africa, and smooth-gaited Spanish Jennets (now extinct as a breed). Bred for their stamina, smooth gait and beauty, "Los Caballos de Paso Fino" - the horses with the fine walk - served as the foundation stock for remount stations of the Conquistadors. Centuries of selective breeding by those who colonized the Caribbean and Latin America produced variations of the "Caballo de Criollo," among them the Paso Fino that flourished initially in Puerto Rico and Colombia, and later, in many other Latin American countries (primarily Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Aruba, and Venezuela).
Descendants of the Conquistadors' horses are believed to have spread into North America after the Spanish soldiers forayed for a brief time into this territory. The modern-day mustang has traces of his Spanish forebearers. The Nez Perce Indian tribe, renowned for their expert horsemanship and sophisticated knowledge of breeding spotted horses, may have mixed some Spanish stock into their famous Appaloosas, whose name is derived from the Palouse River region of the Nez Perce's tribal homeland in Oregon.
