27/06/2025
In the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino community, we know our breed closely. We own them, ride them, breed them, care for them, and love them deeply. More than anything else, we understand that this exceptional horse was developed to be the smoothest riding horse in the world.
By definition, we say that the Paso Fino gait is a soft, delicate, four-beat natural isochronal gait. However, this description could also apply to other gaited breeds, such as the Peruvian Paso, Icelandic, or Tennessee Walking Horse ... So, the definition of the Paso Fino gait has to be far more distinct and complex.
In addition to exhibiting a delicate, four-beat, evenly spaced natural gait, the Paso Fino should display a slow forward movement combined with rapid, rhythmic footfalls—what we call “collection.” It must be energetic and elastic, with the hooves kept as close to the ground as possible. It must be symmetrical, maintaining the balance between the front and hind legs. The gait should be performed with grace, poise, pride, and elegance, accompanied by an arched neck, pricked ears, and an extended tail. To the ear, the Paso Fino gait sounds “ta-ca-ta-ca-ta-ca-ta-ca...”
Carlos Gaztambide, in his book “Breeding Better Paso Fino Horses,” wrote that the Paso Fino should be an “easy, gentle, proud, and rhythmical gait capable of carrying a rider with a glass full of water without spilling it.” The smoothness of the gait and the comfort of the rider are the Paso Fino’s trademark and what has made it so admired by horsemen all over the world.
On the mainland, we place great emphasis on our horses’ ability to perform the extended and speed variations of the four-beat gait: Paso Corto and Paso Largo. On the island, where the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino originates, the Paso Fino—referred to as “Classic Fino” on the mainland—is the defining trait of the breed. Not all horses in Puerto Rico are true to the Classic Fino type, but it remains the ideal: the elite gait that breeders strive for and the standard that defines the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed.
In Puerto Rico, the focus is on the tight-gaited, showy type of horse, while on the mainland, versatility is more valued. This is why Pleasure and Performance classes exist here, whereas the “Condiciones Generales” class in Puerto Rico has largely been abandoned. Mainland horses are expected to perform Paso Corto and Paso Largo for everyday work and trail riding, while horses on the island are rarely asked to perform these gaits.
From a breeder’s perspective, producing true Classic Fino offspring remains elusive. Breeding Fino to Fino does not guarantee a Fino foal. That is why the other classes exist: to give non-Fino horses a place in the show ring. But imagine the consequences if we abandon breeding for Classic Fino in favor of breeding only for Pleasure or Performance types.
As I once read in an article about the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino: “The breed is the gait, and the gait is the breed.” Gait and breed are inseparably linked. This statement does not refer to just any four-beat lateral gait or to the supplementary Corto and Largo gaits; it speaks specifically of the Classic Fino gait. Why does this matter? Because the Classic Fino gait represents the heart and soul of the breed and, if we lose it, we lose the very essence of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino.
Puerto Rican and American breeders have two different views of what the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino should be. In Puerto Rico, if the horse doesn’t show enough quality for competition, it is usually discarded for “paseo” (trail or pleasure, frequently without being registered). But in the States, the pleasure type of horse—easygoing and laid back, with a smooth, relaxed gait—is favored. I understand why each group prefers a different type, but both ideals could and should be reconciled. Especially, as we saw in Toro Negro’s video yesterday, because our breed could produce horses capable of performing the whole spectrum of gaits and excelling on all of them.
That being said, as breeders and enthusiasts, we have to remember that the description of the breed explicitly asks for the Paso Fino/Classic Fino as the main gait of the breed. Not Paso Corto or Paso Largo, but Classic Fino. We must keep this idea clearly in mind, especially with an endangered population that we are trying to preserve. Preserving the Paso Fino breed means preserving the Paso Fino/Classic Fino gait. One cannot exist without the other, and one cannot be preserved without preserving the other.
Conservation of bloodlines and traits is vital. Genetic diversification is important. Expanding the color palette matters. But all of this must be done while breeding horses of quality: meaning well-conformed, sound, noble horses with good temperaments ... and, above all, horses that are well-gaited—that is, capable of performing Classic Fino. Pleasure and Performance horses will naturally emerge, but preserving the Classic Fino ensures we safeguard the one true trait that makes the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino unique.
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This is Alicante as a young horse in Puerto Rico. He is being ridden by Félix Vázquez, who was his owner at the time. A few years later, he was imported to the United States by Betty Klein, where he went on to have an important career as a stud at her farm, Mako's Breezy Oaks, in Florida.
