Paso Fino

Paso Fino is a horse breed developed in the Caribbean and Latin America from Spanish horses, including Andalusian, Barb and other Iberian stock, brought by Spanish colonizers beginning in the late fifteenth century, and refined over succeeding centuries in Puerto Rico, Colombia and other parts of Spanish America into a smooth, naturally gaited riding horse. Its defining trait is the paso fino gait itself, an evenly timed four beat lateral gait performed at varying speeds, prized for the exceptionally smooth ride it gives regardless of terrain, a quality especially valued in mountainous and difficult ground across its home regions. Distinct national and regional strains developed somewhat differently across Puerto Rico, Colombia and other countries, and modern breed associations in several countries maintain related but not always identical standards and registries. The breed remains closely associated with Puerto Rican and Colombian equestrian culture and has also gained a following in the United States for pleasure riding and showing since the mid twentieth century.