The 100% Naturally Gaited Caballo Peruano de Paso - The Peruvian Paso Horse

The Peruvian Paso originated in Peru, from the horses that were first brought to Peru in 1532 by the Spanish adventurer Franciso Pizarro. These horses blended the Barb, the Friesian, the Spanish Jennet, and the Andalusian, and the Peruvian Paso today is thought to be 75 percent Barb and 25 percent Spanish, or Andalusian. Since that time, no outside blood has been introduced into the Peruvian Paso for several centuries, and now it is the only naturally gaited breed in the world that can guarantee its gait to 100% of its offspring. Every purebred Peruvian Paso has the inherited gait, which is the trademark of the breed and it is also named for that gait.

The Peruvian Paso is not a large horse. Its average height is between 14 and 15 hands with its weight usually between 900 and 1,100 pounds; or about the same as the Morgan horse or the Arabian horse. It is a compactly built, muscular horse that is broad and deep through the body, yet standing on short, strong limbs. The flat, broad face of the Peruvian Paso complements the overall conformation with eyes that are bright and very expressive. The muzzle and jaw are refined and there is a natural thickness through the throat. The neck is arched and muscular but short and in proportion to the rest of the body.

The horse's shoulders are strong and they are sloped just enough to produce the required elevation in the forelegs for its special gait. The limbs have exceptionally strong pasterns in order to meet the requirements to perform any of the three gaits, especially over long periods of time, so the hock joints must be large and very well constructed. It has a strong, hard hoof that does not need to be shod and the horse is naturally sure-footed and agile.

The skin of the Peruvian Paso is covered with fine, shiny hair and it has a long, abundant tail that is also of fine hair. The breed comes in all the basic solid colors as well as gray and roan, but bay and chestnut are the most common colors. Every other coat color, including parti-colored coats, is possible. Because of the breed's direct link to the Barb horse, its coat has some striking color tones and shades.

The Peruvian Paso gaits have been developed and perfected so much that they are now considered to be a breed characteristic that distinguishes this breed from all other Spanish horses. The Peruvian Paso gait is not like the lateral movements of other gaited breeds. The Peruvian Paso is the only horse in the world with "termino"; a graceful, flowing movement in which the forelegs are rolled towards the outside as the horse strides forward, much like the arm motion of a swimmer. Termino is a spectacular and beautiful natural action that must be viewed to be appreciated.

The Paso Corto is the horse's normal, easy, traveling gait and there are three carefully preserved divisions to it. In the action of the gait, the hind legs take very long, straight strides, with the quarters held low and the hocks well underneath the body. In addition to the easy gait, the developers of the Peruvian Paso wanted the breed to retain the action displayed by high lift and flex of the knee and fetlock combined with "termino". The combination of the loose, flowing, arcing or rolling foreleg movement with the powerful driving force of the hind legs results in a motion of exceptional smoothness that the Peruvian Paso can maintain over long periods of time at a remarkable speed, even over rough terrain, while being extremely comfortable to the rider. This gait can be as slow as a walk or as fast as an extended trot or slow canter, but even though Peruvian Paso is able to canter, it rarely does, since it prefers its natural gait.

But what is most special is that the breed transmits this smooth gait to all purebred foals. Both the gait and the flashy leg actions are completely natural and not created or aided in any way by any artificial training or action devices. In fact, Peruvian Paso horses are shown without shoes and with a short, natural hoof. They are also shown under traditional Peruvian tack and costume and are traditionally given Peruvian names.

The temperament of the Peruvian Paso is one of the world's best, thanks to a long standing Peruvian practice of not breeding animals that have an unsuitable disposition. This gaited breed is intelligent, kindly and easily managed.

As for genetic anomalies, Degenerative Suspensory Ligament Desmitis (DSLD) is a possible disorder of this breed. Veterinarians do not yet know if DSLD is genetic; or due to overuse of affected limbs; or hormone fluctuations (previously-sound broodmares may develop symptoms of DSLD around foaling time); or if it is some combination of these. Although the condition is best known in gaited breeds (American Saddlebreds, Peruvian Pasos, Peruvian crosses, Standardbreds, and National Show Horses), it has also been diagnosed in Arabians, Thoroughbreds, and Andalusians. DSLD is a progressive and rare condition and horses that develop it show increasing lameness, usually accompanied by physical changes in their pasterns as their suspensory ligaments lose elasticity. Veterinarians caution that symptoms differ per horse, but early signs might include stiffness in gait, change in attitude, and a reluctance to work.

Thanks to the unique, in-born, four-beat lateral gait, the Peruvian Paso horse is the smoothest riding horse in the world. One can carry a glass of water and never spill a drop while in motion. The breed is also one of the showiest of all horses because they seem to have an inner pride and energy that make them travel with a style that looks as if the horse is always on parade.


About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.

Have Some High Times with the High Stepping Tennessee Walker

In the early 1800s, Narragansett Pacers and Canadian Pacers were crossbred by breeders in the U.S. state of Tennessee while looking for a horse that could handle the hilly terrain of the area. Confederate Pacers and Union Trotters were added to the gene pool during the Civil War, creating the sturdy Southern Plantation Horse, which was also known as the Tennessee Pacer. Thoroughbred, Standardbred, Morgan, and American Saddlebreds were later added to refine and add stamina to this gaited horse. In 1885, a colt named Black Allen out of the Hambletonian family of Standardbreds and a Morgan mare was born. He became the foundation sire of the Tennessee Walking Horse, also known as the Tennessee Walker, or TWH.

The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association (TWHBEA) is the official registry and was founded in 1935. Headquartered in Tennessee, it is the oldest organization devoted to the Tennessee Walking Horse. In order to maintain breed purity, the stud book was closed in 1947 and now every TWH born after that date must have both parents registered with TWHBEA in order to be registered themselves. There are more than 430,000 registered Tennessee Walkers throughout the world and the breed has become the second-fastest growing breed in the nation.

Every year, a ten-day exhibition in the town of Shelbyville, Tennessee called the "Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration" draws over 30,000 breeders, exhibitors, and spectators. The show is so large that Shelbyville bills itself as the "Walking Horse Capital of the World,” and now the Tennessee Walker is the official state horse of Tennessee.

The Tennessee Walker is a tall horse ranging from 13.2 to 18 hands with an average of 15-17 hands high and a weight of 900 to 1200 pounds. It has a long neck, a long sloping shoulder, a long sloping hip, a fairly short back and an elongated stride. The head is traditionally large but refined and has small well-placed ears. At least 20 color choices are available. Black, roan, chestnut sorrel, bay, champagne and pinto are the most common. The TWHBEA now recognizes the sabino pattern since many past registered roans were actually sabinos.

A TWH foal is never gray at birth but may begin to turn gray when the foal coat is shed or maybe not until several years later. When they start to turn gray, it is progressive and they continue to lighten until they are nearly white. If they are white with specks of color, they are referred to as a flea bitten gray. The birth color remains on the registration if the foal turns gray, but gray is then added to the base color, i.e., black/gray, palomino/gray, etc.

The Tennessee Walker has three distinct gaits: the flat foot walk, the running walk or "big lick", and the rocking horse canter, all of which the breed is famous for, with the running walk being an inherited, natural gait unique to this breed. Many are also able to perform the rack, stepping pace, fox-trot, single-foot and other variations of the famous running walk.

The Flat Walk is a brisk, 4 to 8 mile an hour, long-reaching four-cornered gait where each foot hits the ground separately at regular intervals. The action of the back foot slipping over the front foot's track is known as overstride and is unique to this breed. A Tennessee Walking Horse will nod its head and swing its ears in rhythm with the cadence of its feet. This distinctive nodding head motion, along with overstride, are two features that are unique to the Tennessee Walking Horse.

The Running Walk is the extra-smooth, gliding gait for which the walking horse is most noted and is referred to as "big lick". It is the same as the flat walk only at 10-20 miles per hour. As the speed increases, the horse overstrides the front track with the back by between 6 to 18 inches. The running walk has a motion that gives the rider a feeling of gliding through the air and the Tennessee Walker will continue to nod and swing its ears during this gait. Some horses even click their teeth during the big lick.

The Canter is much the same as other breeds, but the Tennessee Walker seems to do it in a more relaxed way. This gait gives the rider a feeling of ease with lots of spring and rhythm. In fact, the canter lifts the front of the body, giving an easy rise and fall motion that gives it the "rocking-chair" name.

The TWH easily adapts to both English and Western tack and attire and there are two main categories of competition under both disciplines: Performance and Flat Shod.

The Flat Shod variety has grown tremendously popular due to the easy training of the breed without the need of a professional trainer, and the naturally inherited gaits with no foot enhancements, although the plantation class may wear a heavier shoe. If used for pleasure riding, no special shoes are required, although when they are shod, it will be at a slightly lower angle with more natural toe than some of the other western type horses. A record of these angles and foot lengths should be kept handy for when the farrier comes by.

The Performance Horse (sometimes referred to as padded or built up) is shown in English attire and tack. It executes the basic gaits with flashier and more animated movements, particularly the "big lick." They appear to sit on their hind quarters, lifting their front feet high off the ground. They may also use tail braces.

Additionally, Performance horses are shod in double and triple-nailed tall pads to add dimension to the hoof to provide a sounder base and to change certain angles and paths in the motion of the front hooves. Additionally, lightweight chains, or "action devices" are worn around the fetlocks of the front legs to accentuate the gaits to make them showier. Pads are training devices and an integral part of the training because when utilized properly, they can aid greatly in accentuating the gaits of the show horse. However, their effectiveness will vary with the individual horse.

However, there is a dark side to the Tennessee Walking Horse's showy gaits. The use of pads and the accompanying chains that go with them is highly controversial, since some people put irritating chemicals on the pasterns to make them sensitive and sore when the chains touch. The practice has become so widespread that USDA inspectors are now attending shows to look for evidence of "soring" which is the illegal practice of deliberately injuring a horse’s front feet to get it to step higher.” Some owners even use eye drops to temporarily blind their horses which makes them lift their hooves higher to try to feel their way around. For more information on soring, what the pads and chains look like, and to see the big lick in action, watch the CNN Special Assignment video on the http://www.walkinonranch.com website.

These horses also tend to have joint problems because we tend ask them to do things they weren't designed to do. Show horses tend to shift their center of gravity to the rear, thus placing more stress on the hind limbs (especially the hock and pastern joints). The goal is to move with a lot of high front-end action and this is particularly true of the Tennessee Walker in competition. Horses that have more of a weight load on the rear legs are going to be prone to hock, rear fetlock, and stifle injuries and disease.

There are also a couple of genetic concerns with the Tennessee Walking Horse. Equine Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (EPSSM) which appears in the form of muscular atrophy, abnormal gait, back pain, and post anesthetic myopathy have been described and are thought to be inherited.

Equine Recurrent Uveitis (ERU) or "moon blindness" can lead to blindness if not treated. The University of Minnesota is currently conducting research to determine if there is a genetic factor involved and a potential gene region that may be linked to the condition may have been identified.

While these horses are famous for flashy movement, they are quite popular for simply pleasure riding. Combined with having an easygoing, docile temperament and being easy to train, their naturally smooth and easy gaits insure the popularity of the Tennessee Walker as the “world’s greatest show, trail, and pleasure horse”.


About Crystal Eikanger
Crystal Eikanger is a freelance writer, web designer, video editor and voice talent working as Ei-Kan Productions on www.rentacoder.com as well as other freelance sites. www.HorseClicks.com is a popular website filled with classifieds of horses for sale, horse trailers, tack, and horse related properties.