How to Choose a Peruvian Paso

The Peruvian Paso horse is popular because of its spirited, elegant gait, easy disposition, and zest for life and willingness to please.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 8-foot Lead Rope
• Halter

1. Distinguish the Peruvian Paso from its other smooth-gaited equine friends. The Paso has a long and flowing mane. Its forelock often covers the eyes, making a superior natural fly mask. This high-stepping horse has a magnificent gait.

2. Understand that the Peruvian Paso is on the small side, yet its compact, well-balanced build and high head carriage make it a versatile horse. Pasos have a gentle disposition, which makes them the perfect horse for children.

3. Choose the Paso if you have hip and back problems and are looking for a trotting horse. The Peruvian Paso is famous for its smoothness in both the "paso llano" (the slow version) and the "sobreandando" (the faster version) walks.

4. Note that the typical Peruvian Paso stands 14.1 to 15 hands tall and weighs 900 to 1,100 pounds.

5. Enjoy the energy and grace of a Peruvian Paso. They have a well-developed muscular appearance. Their arched necks are slightly heavier in proportion to the rest of the body compared with other saddlebreds.

6. Enjoy the smoothness of their gait made possible by the well-angled hind legs and short back.

7. Choose from the many events that the Peruvian Paso excels at including pleasure riding, trail riding, parades, show competition, competitive and endurance rides, drill teams and sidesaddle riding.

8. Enjoy the unique characteristic of its gait. The Peruvian Paso possesses "termino" - a swinging action that sends the legs swinging out, forward and then down, all moving from the shoulder.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact the American Association of Owners and Breeders of Peruvian Paso Horses at P.O. Box 189, Ramona, CA 92065; [phone].
• Contact the Peruvian Paso Horse Registry of North America at 3077 Wiljan Court, Suite A, Santa Rose, CA 95407; [phone].
• Horses have unique personalities just like people do. Take some time to get to know an individual animal before purchasing it.

[StarHorse]

on 5/20/2008 DSLD is not as peruasive as "Anon" posters suggest. All breeds have some type of DSLD. The DSLD web site is being used for personal agendas to scare people away from legitimate peruvian paso breeders. Educate yourself using trusted sources. Contact research institutions and vet schools. Confir with a vet who has specialized training. Avoid anyone who tells you who to buy from and who not to buy from. Make your own informed decesions. The majority of people who claim to be "experts" aren't! Secondly, a properly trained and conditioned Peruvian is an excellent childrens horse and will give years and years of service. Don't let the naysayers scare you away from this breed. They are the most comfortable and fun to ride horse there is. There are more positives to this breed than there is negatives. Seek out your own answers and don't be fooled by those who insist this breed is flawed. I did m

on 11/22/2005 DSLD is a problem. Currently, the Universities of GA and KY are researching this problem to develop a test and find the gene which causes it. There are strong, sound horses within the breed, but this breed is small in number, which limits the gene pool. If you're interested in a Peruvian horse, investigate all ancestors and relatives you can find. Last, check the DSLD.org website for more information on the current research and diagnostic protocols.

on 11/22/2005 Some people are talking about DSLD without understanding what it is. There are people who believe that DSLD is caused by nothing more than horses that have been over worked and not taken care of, and that DSLD can be found in any breed.