Introduction

What is a Paso Fino? Simply put it is a breed of horse of Spanish origins. Type in paso fino in the Google search engine and gads of websites will pop up. The majority have some kind of brief history of the Paso Fino. The romance of Columbus and the Spanish conquerors fill the pages taking the reader back to the by-gone colonial era of South America and the Caribbean. Somewhere between Columbus and the end of the 19th century the Paso Fino magically appeared thanks to the mythical beast of the jennet and a few Iberian/Berber sidekicks; taca, taca and all that gaiting jazz. Although not necessarily historically erroneous, the romantic tale leaves the reader believing Paso Finos, as we know them today, have been around almost as soon as the equid made land fall on the island of Hispaniola. It gives the faulty impression the Paso Fino is all about a non-jarring ride as if any diagonal gait is some demonic spirit bent to destroy the breed. This abbreviated record also leaves many believing that without the uninterrupted flow of the ride, there would be no Paso Fino breed. Like the disdained mustangs that occupy the American western landscape, it would just be another nondescript pony. While the general history of the breed often found on the web is not entirely untrue; it is barely introduces the breed to the prospective new owner. The Paso Fino is not some mechanistic gaiting robot. One does not merely buy a Paso Fino; saddle it and taca, taca into the sunset. Another Paso Fino myth is they are of out-of-control, hyper-sensitive, overly spirited monstrosities whose gaits' only purpose are to demolish every nerve and verve of their owners. There is much, much more about the Paso Fino besides its Spanish conqueror legacy and its way of going.

This portion of The J Tale will explore the perceptions, misconceptions, facts and fictions of the paso breed from the horse owner view. After all, Paso Finos already know who they are. It is us, the humans, who are in an identity crisis when explaining what a Paso Fino is. In my opinion, much has been misconstrued by commercialistic, marketing schemes, misinterpretations, and cultural dichotomies. I want to share some of the things that I have discovered along the way in my own quest to understand the horse breed I adore.