Peruvian Paso

The Peruvian Paso is a saddle horse bred up over several centuries in Peru, and what sets it apart is a smooth, evenly timed four-beat gait that a foal carries from the day it's born rather than one a trainer has to build into it. For anyone who spends long stretches in the saddle, be it on a hack across country or a day out following hounds, the appeal is obvious: none of the jarring you'd get from a trotting horse.

The breed manages two things that don't often sit together in the one animal. Under saddle it's forward and full of drive, what Peruvian breeders call brio, yet on the ground it's calm and easy-going to handle. A well-bred Peruvian Paso carries its head and neck up proud, with a look that Irish horsemen would call real class.

The signature move is the termino, an outward rolling action of the front legs that starts at the shoulder. No other breed does it quite the same way, and it gives the front end a swimming look while the hindquarters stay low and keep driving the horse forward.

Who it suits

The Peruvian Paso suits riders after comfort over distance: hacking enthusiasts, and anyone who's happier spending hours in the saddle than minutes. The steady temperament means it's manageable for riders without huge physical strength, though that brio underneath rewards a rider who knows what they're doing. The breed also turns up under saddle in the show ring and at parades and exhibitions.

Trace the breed back far enough and you land on the horses Spanish settlers shipped to South America in the sixteenth century. The conquistadors began arriving in Peru from 1532 on, bringing with them the Spanish Jennet, an ambling type known for its smooth lateral gaits, alongside Barb and Andalusian bloodstock.

Peru never had the road networks that grew up across Europe, and the big estates were scattered over coastal valleys, desert, and mountain ground alike. Owners wanted a horse that could carry them in comfort for hours at a stretch, at a steady pace, and breeders bred for exactly that: the smooth four-beat gait, stamina, and a willing nature, generation after generation.

For most of its history the breed was raised in relative isolation on the haciendas of Peru. With little outside blood coming in, the gait set hard and passed reliably down to the foals. That long stretch of closed breeding is the reason the gait shows up naturally in almost every purebred Peruvian Paso you'll meet.

By the twentieth century the horse had moved well beyond Peru's borders, and breeders in North America and further afield set up registries to track bloodlines. The Peruvian Paso is recognised as a national symbol of Peru. It's a different animal entirely from the Paso Fino, a separate gaited breed that developed elsewhere in Latin America, and the two shouldn't be mixed up.

This is a medium-built, well-balanced horse put together for stamina rather than height. The chest runs deep, the shoulders are strong and well sloped, and the rounded muscling through the body carries the horse through its long, sustained gait without tiring. The neck is fairly substantial and carried arched, and the head is medium-sized with an expression breeders describe as alert and proud, real presence about it.

Mane and tail are fine and full, and the tail is set low and carried close to the horse. The hind end moves low and reaching, while the front legs show that rolling termino action that marks the breed out from every other.

Coat and colours

Colour comes in a wide range of solids, plus a few dilutes and roans thrown in. Bay and chestnut are the ones you'll see most, with black, brown, grey, palomino, and buckskin all turning up too. White markings on the face and legs are perfectly acceptable. The coat itself stays short and fine, while the mane, forelock, and tail grow out long and silky.

The Peruvian Paso is known for putting brio and gentleness together in the one horse. Brio is the word breeders use for that forward energy, the courage and the willingness to keep going without being asked twice. Under saddle you feel it straight away: the horse is responsive and plainly wants to move out.

Away from the saddle, the same horse is usually calm and good-natured to be around. It builds a strong bond with the person who handles it day to day, tends to be tractable, and is generally willing to please, so day-to-day handling isn't a struggle. Turned out with other horses it settles into a herd without much fuss.

With strangers, a confident Peruvian Paso tends to be alert rather than jumpy. That dignified way of carrying itself is as much a part of its character as it is its build. The breed does best with an owner who can channel all that energy through consistent, fair handling rather than force.

Grooming

• Give the body a brush several times a week to keep the coat clean and the skin in good order.
• Comb out the long mane and tail carefully so they don't matt or break.
• Pick out the hooves every day and check for stones, packed muck, and any hint of thrush, which wet ground makes more of a risk.
• Bathe when needed and towel the legs dry afterwards to keep skin problems at bay.
• Use grooming time to run an eye over the eyes, nostrils, and skin for anything starting to go wrong.

Exercise

• Keep up regular ridden or in-hand work to hold condition and keep the gait clean.
• Daily turnout in a paddock or field does as much for the head as it does for the body.
• Mix trail outings with arena schooling so the horse stays interested in the work.
• Build fitness up gradually before asking for longer rides.

Environment

The Peruvian Paso gets on well with access to grazing and a run-in shed or stable to get out of the weather, whether that's heat, wind, or the rain Ireland is never short of. Given proper shelter and consistent care it adapts to a good range of climates. Company from other horses helps keep this sociable breed settled.

Forage is the foundation of any Peruvian Paso's diet. Good grass hay or grazing should make up the bulk of what goes in each day, roughly 1.5 to 2 percent of bodyweight in forage. Most of these horses are good doers, so hard feed only gets added once the workload calls for the extra energy.

Fresh, clean water needs to be on tap at all times, along with a salt or mineral lick. Feed at the same times each day and split bigger rations into smaller meals to keep the gut working properly.

Treats and supplements

A small bit of carrot or apple makes a fine treat. A balanced vitamin and mineral supplement can help when forage alone doesn't cover everything, and your vet is the one to ask about extras for older horses or those in hard work. Bring in any change of feed gradually, over a week or more.

The Peruvian Paso is a sturdy breed with a long working life ahead of it. Plenty stay sound and active well into their twenties, and 25 to 30 years is a typical lifespan given good care. There's no single genetic condition that defines the breed; it faces the same general run of health concerns as horses generally.

Regular veterinary care, a proper eye on diet, and sound hoof management do most of the work in keeping these horses well across a long life.

Preventive care

• Book annual or twice-yearly vet checkups and keep core vaccinations up to date.
• Worm according to a vet-guided parasite programme, backed up by faecal testing.
• Have teeth checked and floated at least once a year.
• Keep hooves trimmed every six to eight weeks.
• Watch body condition to avoid the horse going too fat or too thin.

The Peruvian Paso is bright, willing, and quick to strike up a bond with whoever's training it, which makes it a horse that answers well to patient handling. Because the four-beat gait is there from birth, training isn't about teaching it, it's about refining balance, rhythm, and collection. That brio gives the horse plenty of forward drive, so most of the work is about directing that energy and building soft, consistent responses to the aids.

Groundwork lays down trust and respect before, and alongside, anything done under saddle. This is not a breed that responds well to rough or forceful handling; it does far better with cues that are clear, fair, and the same every time.

Basics

1. Start with handling and groundwork: teach leading, standing, and yielding to pressure.
2. Introduce tack and get the horse accepting a rider's weight calmly, in short sessions.
3. Establish go, stop, and steering at the walk before asking for the gait.
4. Bring out the natural gait with a light contact and a steady rhythm.
5. Add transitions, lateral work, and time out on the trail as confidence builds.

Peruvian Pasos reach physical maturity at around four to five years old, though many aren't started under saddle until they're mature enough to cope with the work. Mares are usually bred once they're well grown, and breeders pick for sound conformation, a clean natural gait, and a good temperament when choosing a pairing.

Gestation runs to roughly 11 months, and the mare almost always carries a single foal. Twins are rare in horses generally and are usually unwanted, since they carry real risk for both mare and foals. A newborn foal is up on its feet and nursing within the first few hours of life.

The trait that really defines the breed is that the gait breeds true. Centuries of closed breeding fixed it in the bloodline, so purebred foals reliably show that smooth four-beat gait from a young age. Foals are weaned, handled early to build trust, and brought on gradually towards saddle work as they mature.