INTRODUCTION

By the middle of the 19th century, in Puerto Rico, historian Adolfo de Hostos recorded that breeders on the island “came to produce, thanks to selection, a breed known by the name of Paso Fino Horse, much admired in the Antilles.”

This simple statement implies two things.  First, since the native breed from Puerto Rico was already known and “much admired in the Antilles,” it must be older than the 1850s.  And second, since the breed and the gait shared the same name, the gait must be the breed’s most distinctive trait.

In other words, the Paso Fino breed and the Paso Fino gait are intrinsically linked.  The breed is defined by its unique gait, and preserving the gait is essential to maintaining the breed’s unique identity.

It is important to note that by the late 20th century, a type (“modalidad” in Spanish) of horse within the “Caballo Criollo Colombiano” adopted the “Paso Fino” name.  That type of horse, which before the 1970s was known as “Paso Castellano” or “Paso Colombiano,” began to be called “Paso Fino Colombiano” for commercial purposes.  Also, the cross between the Colombian stock and the Puerto Rican Paso Fino came to be known as “American Paso Fino.”

This essay will not go into the merits of the claims for the “Paso Fino” name, but it is important to acknowledge that, although the new breed assumed the name “Paso Fino,” it did not adhere to the full description of the gait as it was defined.  On the contrary, concepts foreign to the Puerto Rican breed were introduced to justify the genetic predisposition of its horses.

A LINGUISTIC PROBLEM

“Paso Fino,” in Spanish, has usually been translated into “Fine Step.”  But I believe that this translation is linguistically simplistic and misses the true nuance of both the breed and the gait names.

From the human perspective, “paso” could be translated into “step,” but in horsemanship, “paso” always relates to “gait.” In the same way, “fino,” when translated to “fine,” could be understood as of exceptional quality, but could also mean thin or short.  In today’s context, where other breeds use “paso fino” as a name, “fine step” could be used to describe the physical shortness of those horses’ stride.  But when the name was coined in Puerto Rico in the mid-1800s, it was meant to emphasize the superior smoothness and unparalleled comfort of the Puerto Rican horses’ gait.

Historically, Puerto Rican breeders have taken great pride in the unique and outstanding qualities of their horses, and the name of the “Paso Fino” was meant to mirror this feeling.  Much as Rolls-Royce is the finest brand of cars, diamonds are the finest piece of jewelry, and silk is the finest of all textiles.  Finest denotes the highest quality, the best among the best, “la crème de la crème.”  This is what the “fino” in Paso Fino stands for—the finest of all the gaiting horses, because this is the breed with the finest gait.

THE BACKBONE OF THE GAIT

The Puerto Rican Paso Fino was developed to be a riding horse.  This means that it was developed to be enjoyed from the saddle.  It was also a working horse, sure it was!  But the best horses—and this is where the breed began to take shape—were set aside for the haciendas’ owners and their families.  Horses with such a smooth gait, so delicate and comfortable that riding them would be delightful, and elegant enough to fill their rider with great pride.

We have to keep this in mind because each and every trait used to describe the Paso Fino gait is somehow related to the smoothness, comfort, and elegance of the ride.

THE CLASSICAL DEFINITION

By definition, the Paso Fino gait is a natural, evenly spaced, four-beat lateral gait performed in a consistent 1–2–3–4 rhythm.  Each hoof strikes the ground independently, producing a smooth, continuous cadence with no moment of suspension.  The footfalls must be soft, delicate, rapid, rhythmic, and collected, with minimal forward displacement and hooves kept as close to the ground as possible.

The movement must be energetic yet controlled, exhibiting elasticity and precision, while maintaining perfect symmetry and coordination between the front and hind limbs.  There should be minimal vertical and lateral movement of the back and hindquarters, ensuring a comfortable and stable ride for the rider.

The gait must be performed with grace, poise, pride, and elegance, reflected in the horse’s arched neck, alert ears, relaxed mouth, and naturally extended tail.  This gait, inherited and refined through generations, is the stamp of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed’s identity and cultural legacy.

Dr. Carlos Gaztambide Arrillaga, in his book “Breeding Better Paso Fino Horses,” wrote:

“In judging the Paso Fino of today, we should adhere as much as possible to the original definition outlined by the first association, which described the Paso Fino as follows: ‘A short swift gait executed with rhythm and cadence, with elasticity and softness of movement, and the greatest comfort for the rider.’  Soon thereafter, the following addendum was made to include appearance, beauty, and conformation: ‘This gait should be executed with grace, poise, pride, elegance, carrying the neck arched, the ears pricked, and the tail well extended.’  These principles for judging the Paso Fino are basic to its preservation and success as a breed.  If they are changed, basically the result will be a new breed, or rather a different breed.”

RHYTHMIC

The Paso Fino gait is an isochronal four-beat lateral gait.  This sentence alone would require a whole essay to be fully explained, but we will do our best to summarize it in just a few short paragraphs.

Rhythm speaks of the recurrent pattern or sequence of the footfalls.  The 1–2–3–4, or ta–ca–ta–ca, or left hind leg–left front leg–right hind leg–right front leg.

The Paso Fino gait always starts with a hind leg, followed by the front leg of the same side.  That is why it gives the appearance of being lateral.  Also, the Paso Fino horses descend from ambling horses, so we often explain their gait as a “broken amble.”  Since amble is in their genetic background, when a Paso Fino loses synchronicity due to being tired, injured, or overworked, it usually tends to adopt this simpler gait.  We have two words in Spanish to describe it: “endosado” and “lateralizado.”  Both mean that the horse went from the four-beat Paso Fino gait to a two-beat amble, which is considered a serious fault.

Isochronal means that the four beats are equally spaced.  If the amble (two-beat lateral gait) and the trot (two-beat diagonal gait) were at the two extremes of a line, the Paso Fino would be in the exact middle of that line.  That is why it is also called a “square gait.”

The first two footfalls of the Paso Fino gait are visually lateral.  For example, left hind leg–left front leg.  But if we observe the second and third footfalls together, then it would give the impression of being diagonal: left front leg–right hind leg.  The third and fourth will be visually lateral, while the fourth and first will seem diagonal.  The four-beat cycle will continue alternating lateral and diagonal successions.

Please note that I wrote the word “impression of being diagonal” because we already explained why this gait is considered lateral.  The simple explanation is that a square gait, as the Paso Fino, although having been developed from an amble and being visually lateral, is neither lateral nor diagonal.

TRIPLE SUPPORT

In the old days, before the help of slow-motion videos, many described the Paso Fino as always having three hooves on the ground.  We even have a term for it: “triple support.”  Today, we know that although there are instances when there are three hoof on the ground, there are also instances when there are only two.

This could be better understood if we broke the four beats into eight.  There, we could appreciate that there are instances when one leg is going down and the next is going up, having both hooves off the ground.

The important point to keep is that it does not matter if there is a triple support or not, the isochronous four-beat is the most stable and smoothest of all gaits.  And that smoothness is the foundation of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino gait.

CLARITY OF GAIT

When speaking of the clarity of the gait, we are automatically implying accuracy and truthfulness.  Accuracy, keeping the 1–2–3–4 rhythm, and truthful to the ta–ca–ta–ca sound of the footfalls.

Sure, horses are living beings, not machines, and several factors can cause them to break the gait—uneven terrain, being spooked, lameness, unusual movement of the rider, etc.  But in perfect or almost perfect conditions, the gait should remain unbroken and the four beats must be clear to the ear.  Lack of clarity also means lack of consistency, and this implies lack of naturalness in the Paso Fino gait.

NATURAL AND CONSISTENT

The naturalness of the Paso Fino gait is an inherent characteristic of the breed.  This gait is not taught or developed, but is genetically imprinted on each horse from the womb.  You might have heard or read the phrase “born to gait,” when referring to the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino.  It means that foals usually gait from the moment they are born.

A recent study by Oakland and Puerto Rico Universities gave us some insight into why this is innate to the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino horse.  This study found a 99.4% frequency of the DMRT3 mutation in the sampled horses.  They concluded that having this high frequency of the so-called “gait keeper” variation is proof that Puerto Ricans have been selectively breeding for 500 years to fix this gait genetically into the breed.

But being able to gait naturally is not enough for the Puerto Rican Paso Finos.  Horses must be consistent, keeping in gait and maintaining the cadence and rhythm over time and varying conditions of the terrain.

In short, naturalness ensures that the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino horse is true to its heritage, while consistency makes it a dependable and versatile ride.

SMOOTH AND COMFORTABLE

The Paso Fino was designed to be not just a riding horse, but the most comfortable of all riding breeds.  That is why it is usually called the Cadillac of all gaiting horses.  As in the old days, it was common to hear the expression “that horse is a Packard,” making a direct comparison to the luxury car of the early 1900s.

The smoothness of the gait is so important that our ancestors devised a test to measure it with the glass of water/wine challenge, where the rider held a glass full of water or wine while riding the horse without spilling it.  This is so ingrained in our culture that Disney featured it in the 1970 movie “Cristobalito, the Calypso Colt.”

The Paso Fino gait is supposed to be so smooth that some authors have described it as “floating on air,” because the rider appears virtually motionless in the saddle.  Carlos Gaztambide Arrillaga and Ramón Ruiz Cestero, in their books, stated that the rider should feel no movement on the saddle, neither vertical (as in the trot) nor sideways (as in pacing).  That is why judges, at the competitions, watch the rider’s shoulders and legs to gauge comfort.  Moreover, observers note the horse’s mane and tail, where lack of comfort and smoothness is revealed by the oscillating movement of the hair.

SYMMETRICAL

Symmetry refers to the balance between the front and hind legs.  The description of the Paso Fino gait specifies that the horse lifts its hooves as little as possible off the ground, and the height lifted by the front legs must match that of the hind legs.  Uneven lifting leads to imbalance, affecting the clarity of the rhythm and the rider’s comfort.

In Spanish, we use the term “sonoridad” to describe the quality of the distinctive sound of the Paso Fino gait.  “Sonoridad” could be literally translated to “sonority.”  In musical terms, it is related to “timbre,” a word we also use in the Paso Fino context.

These terms are used to assess how clear and defined the sound of the hoofbeats is—that each one of the four beats sounds with the same intensity and crispness as the others.  If it fails to keep the timbre, it means that the gait is not symmetrical, and the ride will not be as smooth as it should be.

SOFTNESS AND DELICACY

The hallmark of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino gait is the delicate precision and soothing softness of its hoofsteps.

Unlike other Paso breeds, Paso Finos are often kept barefoot, a practice that showcases not only their naturally strong, healthy hooves, but also the soft, subtle contact they make with the ground.  As an international judge once told me, the ideal Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino should walk like a cat on the sounding board.  Meaning the delicate way the hoof hit the ground or, in our conversation, the board.

About thirty years ago, a group of breeders proposed that soft and delicate were words that denoted weakness.  This “new model” was not accepted by the majority.  The truth is that throughout the history of the breed, various images have been used to relate the gait of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino with these traits.  For example, the Paso Fino gait has been compared to the dance of a prima ballerina for its graceful and fluid movement, and how delicate it is to dance “en pointe.”  Or like Efren Irizarry-Lamelas, who once used the phrase “Paso Fino sedante,” which could be translated as “soothing Paso Fino gait.”

While performing the Paso Fino gait, softness and delicacy are not just desirable—they are essential.

ELASTIC AND FLEXIBLE

I believe that elasticity is perhaps one of the most overlooked traits by modern breeders and enthusiasts.  Horses must have flexibility in all their limbs to execute the Paso Fino gait correctly.  They need to have fluid and elastic movement, particularly in their fetlocks, knees, and hocks.

While gaiting, the horse’s legs act as natural shock absorbers, dissipating vibration and uneven motion, and promoting freedom of movement throughout the entire body, especially in the back and shoulders.

Without elasticity, the gait can become stiff and mechanical, reducing both the smoothness of the ride and the rider’s comfort.

SHORT-STRIDED OR COLLECTED

By definition, we say the Paso Fino gait should be collected, meaning that the horse should move forward in short strides, covering as little ground as possible.

Short-strided horses were always a part of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino, but, in the early 1960s, when Kofresí began his show career, it became the standard.  Jimmy Sosa, a renowned breeder, in an interview by Hostos Gallardo in 1992, said that short-strided horses need to be bred for, because horses that are naturally collected can only be achieved through genetics.

It is said that an image is worth a thousand words, and there are many great examples of the collected gait in the Puerto Rican Paso Fino besides Kofresí—Allegretto, Boricua, Boricuita, Bucanero, Calipso Jr, Caribe de Domingo, Cibuco Jr, Conde Danilo, Corsario, Cucululú, Esa Sí, Espectacular, Españoleto, Freko, Glorivee, Guajana de Domingo, Labriego, Liz III, Lord de Soberano, Nube Negra, Poseidón, Presumido, Promesa de Cupido, Retador, Retadora, Siboney El Brujo … just to name a few, from old and modern times.

It is essential to understand that when we describe the gait as short-strided and collected, we are not describing the dressage piaffe.  The Puerto Rican Paso Fino, like the horses in the above list, although collected, must flow forward.

VERTICAL ALIGNMENT OF THE LIMBS

While faults on the verticality of the legs are conformation problems, they directly affect the locomotion of the Paso Fino horse, the smoothness of the ride, and the comfort of the rider.

Ramón Ruiz Cestero, in his book “El Caballo Puertorriqueño,” shared part of a conference delivered by Dr. José M. Berio about how to judge the Paso Fino gait.  While explaining the movement of the limbs, Berio said that the legs shall move in lines parallel to the body.  The rulebooks of all organizations describe the lack of parallelism as a fault.  And Carlos Gaztambide, in his books, explicitly calls the “bombeo” or “remeo” or “campaneo”—throwing the front legs to the outside while executing the Paso Fino—a defect.

This faulty movement, like other conformation defects, alters the balance of the horse.  When the horse throws his legs outside in a swinging motion, it can result in a side–to–side action that can make the ride less smooth and less comfortable.

BRÍO AND NOBILITY

Brío refers to the willingness to work, and nobility refers to the ability to submit to the rider’s will.  Our breed originated from horses brought during the Conquest, animals fit for war (they were lancers’ horses), needing brío to endure through challenges in combat and nobility to obey their riders amid battles.

Today’s Paso Finos are far from being in battle, but these traits impart the gallantry and fiery spirit our ancestors valued, and we, as modern horsemen, cherish.  Without brío and nobility, horses would become difficult, ill-tempered, challenging to manage, and dangerous for their riders.

A FORM OF ART

Phyllis Gaudreau, in a short essay about the Classic Fino gait, once wrote: “The rider is motionless as the powerhouse beneath him is energizing a combined creation of speed, cadence, harmony in body, and brilliance of execution.  Poetry in motion—a symphony.  How true of the superlative description we hear so often in describing this magnificent gait: ‘gliding on glass,’ as if stepping ever so gently on flowers.  These are all true, colorful descriptions, and no other gait can compare.”

OTHER EXPRESSIONS OF THE GAIT

While I was writing the above definitions, I was mostly thinking about the classical expression of the Paso Fino gait, what is called “Classic Fino” in the mainland.  But the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses could perform other supplementary gaits like Paso Corto, Paso Largo, and, in some instances, Andadura.

Paso Corto is the unhurried version of the Classic Fino gait.  Less energetic, more relaxed, and less collected, but the same evenly spaced four-beat lateral rhythm.  It has a moderate forward speed and is the typical gait used for work and trail riding.  While not all Paso Fino horses can perform a real Classic Fino gait, all of them can execute the Paso Corto.

Paso Largo is the fast and ground-covering version of the four-beat lateral gait, reaching forward velocities comparable to a canter or slow gallop.  It exhibits a longer stride and is a great gait for endurance riding and other performance events.

Andadura is the full-speed two-beat lateral gait that the Puerto Rican criollo horses used to perform at races.  There are written accounts of this gait dating back to the late 18th century, when French naturalist André-Pierre Ledrú described the unusual gait of Puerto Rican native horses.  In Spanish time, the Andadura was also known as “Paso de Puerto Rico” (Puerto Rican Gait).  Today, most criollos have been crossed with Colombian Pasos and Standardbreds, but Andadura races are still popular on the island.  Some Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino lines are known to produce the Andadura gait, but not all Paso Finos can perform it, so it is not properly considered a Paso Fino gait.

CONCLUSION

Sometimes, simplicity is the best approach to explain a complex topic.

The Lazy “R” Riding Club was a vibrant horseback‑riding community rooted in Ramey AF Base in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, during the 1950s and 1960s.  It was formed by military families, and they used to have trail rides, gymkhana shows, and other types of horse activities.  These families, along with other families stationed at other bases on the island, were the first to introduce the Puerto Rican Paso Fino to the Continental United States when they headed back home with their horses.

Inside a program for one of their shows in 1967, there was this simple and concise description of the Paso Fino four-beat lateral gait:

“Paso Fino horses are born with this short, very rhythmical gait, having a certain cadence, elasticity, and ease of movement.  It is essential in the nimble gait that the feet of the horse touch the ground at separate times, producing such equally spaced rhythm (maintaining the back and rump in a straight uninterrupted line with almost imperceptible motion), affording the rider a comfortable and almost motionless ride on the saddle.  When riding a good Paso Fino horse, you can hold a glass of water filled to the brim without spilling a drop.  Characteristics of the Paso Fino horse are gracefulness, liveliness, and the poise with which it performs.  The majesty of its carriage is manifest in the arched neck, pointed ears, and gracefully extended tail.”

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Endnotes

CLARIFICATION: “Ambladura,” in Spanish, is a two-beat lateral gait.  Its literal translation into English is “Amble.”  However, the meanings of both words are not exactly the same.

In Spanish, “Ambladura” refers to the base lateral gait in which both legs on the same side rise and strike the ground at the same time.  In English, “Amble” is an umbrella term for the group of four‑beat smooth gaits, or Pasos.  As someone pointed out to me, “Pacing” is a more correct translation for “Ambladura.”

For the purposes of this article, “Amble” will refer to the two-beat lateral gait—that is, the same as Pace or “lateral trot.”

Bibliography and Resources

• “Breeding Better Paso Fino Horses,” and other books by Carlos Gaztambide Arrillaga.
• “Classic Fino, State of the Art,” short essay by Phyllis Gaudreau.
• “El Caballo de Paso, Estudio Ilustrado de sus Aires,” by Rolando Colón Nebot.
• “El Caballo Puertorriqueño,” by Ramón Ruiz Cestero.
• “Genetic diversity and selection in Puerto Rican horses,” research study by the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, and Oakland University.  Published by Scientific Reports.
• “Horse Gaits, Balance, and Movement: Revised Edition,” by Susan E. Harris.

In the photo, the outstanding mare “Promesa de Cupido,” undefeated Paso Fino Champion and Grand Champion, and one of the mares with the most delicate Fino gait that I have ever known.  She was the daughter of Cupido out of La Coca, by Rubirosa.  Promesa was owned and loved by Carmen Barreras.  The photo was taken at the Anniversary of the “Federación” in 1981, at Félix Mantilla Stadium in Isabella.  Manuel “Cotorro” Román is the rider.  In this photo, we can appreciate an example of the “triple support,” where Promesa has three hooves on the ground and one in the air.