# Someone gave me a Paso Fino today. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646 "2013-08-07T23:32:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/1 "2013-08-07T23:32:57Z")
[Meet](https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1150780_577614842281800_728567212_n.jpg) [the](https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/999872_577614988948452_1075464296_n.jpg) [new](https://sphotos-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/1000318_577615138948437_1342532608_n.jpg) [pony](https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1094957_577568368953114_1741936773_n.jpg). Yesterday I found out through my farrier that a woman nearby had decided to put this horse down because he was a “live wire” and it’s apparently hard to sell gaited horses (according to her). He needed to be gone today, so she’d have room for her new horse tomorrow. :rolleyes: I, of course, agreed to take him. To give the woman credit, he’s been very well cared for, but her rather high-strung personality seemed to confuse and agitate the horse, and it was a bad match. Win for me, I think he’s fabulous. He seems to have been well trained at one point, but he’s SUPER sensitive. He yields to the tiniest bit of leg pressure. I’ve never ridden a horse like him. She got him from a kill pen at an auction, and we don’t know anything about his history. [He does this when he’s under saddle.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP2dTIAikTc) She wanted him to walk, and he seems to be trained to gait instead, which is cool but kind of odd feeling if you’re used to a normal walk. It’s an interesting ride. I’m looking forward to (very calmly) getting to know him. He’s a sweetie. Name not yet determined, but Dante is a front runner at this point. Isn’t he stunning? ---
**Author:** ![leftfield6](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leftfield6/32/18780_2.png) [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/2 "2013-08-07T23:42:44Z")
Beautiful indeed. Lucky you and lucky horse. Take good care of him.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2013, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/3 "2013-08-07T23:45:46Z")
He’s lovely. Sounds like you’re both lucky to have found each other. His former owner sounds like a knucklehead. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/4 "2013-08-08T00:47:28Z")
So they say that distinctive gait is born in them. Does that mean they walk like that all the time, even without a rider? Or is it just that they will do it with very little training? It almost looks painful. I’m guessing it’s not, but it looks just… wrong, to my very-unhorseknowledgable eyes. That said, gorgeous horse, and yay to you for saving his life! ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/5 "2013-08-08T01:00:50Z")
When he’s running around the pasture, he sometimes does that gait, and sometimes it’s just walk trot canter. It does look odd, doesn’t it? It feels very smooth to ride, but also sort of tense. It’s going to take getting used to. He seems disinclined to drop the gait under saddle. I really don’t know much about the breed, this all happened in the past 24 hours. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/6 "2013-08-08T01:54:30Z")
Escaping death twice…lucky horse! When I saw that video, the first thing that came to mind was goose-stepping, but everything I know about horses would fit into a single tweet. It’s just a bit mind-boggling that two different people were about to kill it just because it does something normal for its particular breed. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/7 "2013-08-08T01:56:35Z")
Gaited breeds have it bred into them; but individuals show the gait naturally to greater and lesser degrees. That video shows a highly collected and animated version of one of the Paso Fino’s [many gaits](http://www.pasofinoequestrian.com/code/gaits.htm). Handsome fella. Sweet expression too. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/8 "2013-08-08T02:11:55Z")
Congratulations on your new horse! He’s a beauty! ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/9 "2013-08-08T02:51:00Z")
Congratulations on your new horse! He’s stunning! It’s good that you are sensitive to his temperament. Looking forward to a video of you on your Paso Fino Dante. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/10 "2013-08-08T17:15:40Z")
I hope his original training was gentle, you hear horrible stories about gaited horse training methods… ☹ I rode an Icelandic horse once in Norway, and he did his crazy gait when I asked – it’s called a tølt, and is pretty much trotting in the forelegs, cantering in the hind. It feels a bit like riding an eggbeater. STRANGE. And those whacky Icelanders race in this gait, sometimes ridden and sometimes driving in harness, on an ice course! Congrats on your lovely new addition. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/11 "2013-08-08T18:26:29Z")
Beautiful! Give him the hugs, kisses, and Delicious Horsey Treats that every good horse deserves. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carlb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carlb/32/5930_2.png) [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/12 "2013-08-08T19:01:56Z")
I’ve seen a lot of paso finos in Puerto Rico. I love watching them; it always looks to me like their feet are traveling twice as fast as the rest of them. We did a trail ride through the rainforest on some paso finos. I am not a trained rider, but it was the smoothest ride I’d ever experienced. Sounds like it was a mutually beneficial arrangement! Hope you two continue to get on well. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/13 "2013-08-08T19:45:39Z")
He whinnied randomly though the night last night, but is calmer today. I have him in a pasture adjacent to the pasture with my other two horses, and my donkey is in the new guy’s pasture to keep him company. New guy seems more settled today, but still quite wary of me. I’ve been working outside, feeding him bits of carrot every time I walk past. I’m not going to do more than that for a week, at least. > [@](#): > > I hope his original training was gentle, you hear horrible stories about gaited horse training methods… Me too. When I rode him at his previous owner’s house\*, it was just in a regular nylon halter with a lead knotted to it. Even with that, just the slightest pressure on one rein would have him pivoting on his hind end in that direction. You say “whoa” and he slams on the breaks without any other pressure. So I’m going to try him in a hackamore, I think he’ll be fine. If I had to guess, I think his first owner/breeder was good, knew the breed, and trained him well. Then something happened, he was sold and ended up starved with neglected hooves in a feedlot. Then his last owner got him, and brought him back to health but wasn’t prepared to mentally rehab him. (She had two minis on the property, also, and they seemed fine, completely unworried and healthy. I don’t want to be too hard on her, I just think she and this horse were a bad match for each other.) \*Since she described him as insane, I really just wanted to do some groundwork and let him get to know me before I got on him, but she insisted. He wouldn’t let her get on him, but stood still for me and was a good boy, just forward. ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/14 "2013-08-08T20:15:46Z")
Congratulations on your beautiful new boy! StG ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/15 "2013-08-08T22:12:36Z")
Congrats to you, on your new companion, and congrats to him, for escaping death _ **again** _. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/16 "2013-08-08T22:30:03Z")
Can you glue a horn on his head? ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/17 "2013-08-08T22:59:37Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Can you glue a horn on his head? Perhaps next week. Right now I’m doing good if he lets me pet his neck. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/18 "2013-08-08T23:01:17Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Congrats to you, on your new companion, and congrats to him, for escaping death _ **again** _. Isn’t that crazy? He so fancy! And I haven’t seen a hint of meanness, just a bit of fear. ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2013, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/19 "2013-08-08T23:15:27Z")
Beautiful horse. I can’t believe that such a beautiful horse has come close to being killed twice. I would love to get a chance to ride a Paso Fino someday! ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2013, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646/20 "2013-08-09T00:37:20Z")
Man, how come nobody ever just up and gives me a Paso? So unfair (and sooo jealous!) He’s a beauty. I hope things work out for you both. Dante is a great name for him. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-gave-me-a-paso-fino-today/665646.md?page=2)