Ridiculous horse thing

[SuzieQNutter]

Thank you.

[TheDBYC]

@Bluey

Then the judge would look at who still had the most wine in the glass for the win.

Damn. I’d surely pin last in that class every time. Do I get any points for remaining upright on the horse?

[Bluey]

@TheDBYC

Damn. I’d surely pin last in that class every time. Do I get any points for remaining upright on the horse?

One class I saw they had champagne in there and they did drink it after the judging, why waste it?

Not sure if some was kept for the judge, but it would have been a nice gesture.

[moonlitoaksranch]

I tried one out at a rescue in Ocala. They are sweet, sensitive, horses on the ground. The bright spirit reminded me of Arabians. The riding is very different. The owner of the rescue gave me a lesson on one that was for adoption. Cuing them is very different and sitting is very different. I decided to pass because I wouldn’t have felt comfortable unless I took several lessons before buying and we live too far from Ocala. It was fun, though. And very smooth. There is a lot to riding a Paso properly. There’s also a difference between the ones bred on the continent and the ones from Puerto Rico. I can’t remember the details, but it’s interesting. The breed was developed in Puerto Rico and are a source of pride for the island. Another unique American breed!

[endlessclimb]

Really? It’s bred into them. I’m sure a Paso lover would think the giant movement of warmbloods looks unnatural too.

[Garythesquirrel]

For Icelandic horses it’s the beer tolt. The horses are ridden through their paces while the rider has a mug of beer in hand.

[Simkie]

@sophie

What is the point? I get the desire for smooth, fast gaited horses as in the TWH and Icelandic horses, but this? It makes me cringe. It just looks so…unnatural and uncomfortable.

What’s the point of an impossible to sit huge extended trot?

It looks cool. It’s certainly a hell of a lot more comfortable to ride than the large, extravagant dressage movements. Horses are bred for all sorts of extreme ends of the spectrum

[sophie]

To me the trot, along with walk and canter, is a “natural” gait, not a “gaited horse” gait, but I understand your point.

I still don’t see the appeal of this particular gait, is all It’s just my personal opinion. To each his / her own. I love riding the Icelandic horses’ gaits, for instance. At least you’re definitely going somewhere, fast, and so smoothly you don’t have to spill your drink.

[Simkie]

The gait here is also “natural” in that a horse is born with it.

The very small “fino” gait is no different than a piaffe in the trot. It’s just the most collected version. Open it up, you get a medium corto. Bigger, you get a largo. Any of these are apparently hella smooth to ride.

Here’s some info, if you’re interested: https://www.usef.org/media/equestrian-weekly/five-things-to-know-about-paso-finos

Frankly, I see the point of these gaits–being SMOOTH–far more “useful” than the giant unsittable extravagant gaits that are so popular in dressage.

Sure, it looks different. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It’s certainly not unnatural or uncomfortable

[2tempe]

I had absolutely no idea my post and question would get so much response A learning moment! I for sure don’t understand some of the goals of horse breeds and what is wanted from them all. Same with dogs. Some things I plain don’t like, some I don’t get, but each to his own I guess. I would like to sit on a Paso sometime (and an Icelandic) to see what they feel like.
Mostly what I care about is that movement which is not totally bred into the horse is not created by unethical or inhumane techniques.

[peedin]

interesting to see that despite how fast the legs are moving, the body of the horse is completely still. I would think that movement would be exhausting for the horse.

[Mersidoats]

I took a vacation to Costa Rica and found myself riding Paso Finos and the half-breed criollos they have down there. The Pasos down there move a bit differently than what I’ve seen in show ring clips. It’s still a smooth gait, but it covers a little bit more ground. They had also crossed some of them with Spanish horses, so they had some height.

[sophie]

Thank you for the link. I also found videos of those 3 “paso” gaits. The Corto and Largo look a lot more “useful” to me than the Fino, LOL. Some nice horses in those videos.

[demidq]

I used to board at a barn where there were several Paso Finos- the owners were working hard to make them trot and canter and not having much success… I wonder why they had gaited horses if they didn’t want them to gait? Everyone was frustrated.

[tikihorse2]

@Spudsmyguy

There was a Disney movie a million years ago about a Paso and the only scene I remember was the actor riding the horse in native garb with a filled wine glass balanced on his hat as he rode around the arena. Anyone remember that?

I remember this movie, too! “Cristobalito, the Calypso Colt.”

Cristobalito, the Calypso Colt (TV Movie 1970) - IMDb