Mounted search and rescue

[Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>]

Hi, sometimes it is easier to understand the term "gaited" when seeing it.  On the MSAR site recently I posted a website that showed the paso fino team penning.  I posted that because there are a lot of people going oh, those gaited horses cant do that.  Well our gaited horses CAN do that and more.  They barrel race, jump, they do ANYTHING any other breed can do, but they have a gait that just does things smoother. There are some that even play polo. Gaited horses can also be driven.  You do not have the bone jarring trot that you either have to post to ride it or sit to ride it and bounce.  There is no bounce on a gaited horse!  A gaited horse can also canter.

 

Here, please visit my websites about our spanish gaited horses and you will see there is an actual chart on how the foot fall is of the paso fino gait as well as a cartoongram of the Peruvian Paso in gait!  There are many links too there about Paso Finos and such as well.

 

There are other gaited breeds such as the Tennessee walker, the racking horse and crossbreds of these.  There are many websites out there to google!  Or just punch in the terms and let the big search engines take you there!  Do some homework!

 

A paso gaited horse DOES NOT TROT.  The paso gaits are four beat.  And a Paso horse will always have one for on the ground making them very sure footed.  Trotting breeds have a suspended gait.  There are many temperments, just as many strains.

 

Paso horses while they are the oldest of breeds in the USA they are still in the minority of population in breeds in the US so often times you will not see them or even know where you can go to find one.  Unless you can travel, you will not be able to ride many to compare individuals.  Most people who get their first often get more because the breed has a diverse class of animals within itself and finding the proper mount is not always easy so many people settle into one type, later changing to another type.  To clarify this, in the Paso Fino breed there is classic fino horses, pleasure  horses and the performance horses.  If you are searching for a versatile Paso you want the performance animals. What some of us also refer to as largo horses. You will strongly be discouraged if you opt for a Classic Fino animal if you want versatility in your mount.. The performance horses have the most versatility being able to do more, then the pleasure horses come next and then come fino fino horses which are just simply more of a show horse and not suitable for trail, however there are some folks that that is all they ride is a fino-fino animal but they are slow  in forward movement covering very little ground. 

 

We ride our pleasure and performance horses both in western tack and english as well as the traditional Columbian or Puerto Rican gear.  Many people also use Austraillian type saddles and even military McClellans.  You just need to make sure your gear fits the horse and you understand its use and how to use it for the function you do.  I always tell people, if you do not understand how to use it, then dont because you can abuse it.  Use the bits you are familiar with, then learn to change over.  As long  as it is the right size to fit the animal then you have a chance of making it work.  However, once you change over, you will learn that that "foreign"  (spanish if it is PASO) tack works best.  It truly is a new world to those just starting out.

 

Many people forget (or dont know) that a QH is a "newer" breed that was developed in the US after the first horses were brought to America..  The earliest horses ridden in the new Americas when Columbus discovered new World territory were the Queen of Spains gaiteds that he brought with and then the trotting horses that were brought later that were used in the newer breeds development.  So much for a little history.  Now the gaiteds are showing up in countries that has yet to ever have them!  And sadder too can be that there is that horrible stigma about Spanish.

 

To help everyone, we have to get over those gaps and make bridges.

 

Buenos la dia!  (Good is the day!)

 

  Hope that helps!

 

(Know too, that I of course promote the spanish breeds because NOW that is what I ride.  There are many other good horses of other breeds, you just need to find the one that fits your niche the most in order to be most happy..  my first horses were Quarters, Apps, grade trotters, and many others.  I have ridden and have worked with many many breeds)

 

Karen Nesbitt

KBE FARMS

 

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