If you have ever seen a Paso Fino horse walk or gallop, you may be very impressed and left with a lot of questions. This is because Paso Fino horses walk with a uniformly spaced four beat gait that is referred to as the natural lateral ambling gait. While a Paso Fino horse is walking in this gait, any time one of the feet hits the ground, it is holding the entire weight by itself. The speed of a Paso Fino horse’s gait is a bit faster than a normal horse’s walk, but slower than a gallop. 

Why do Paso Fino Horses walk like that?

Paso Fino Horses walk like that because it puts all of its weight on one foot at a time, while all the other 3 stay very close to the ground in order to be there for support.

Thus, the overall height that the foot reaches when it is off the ground is not very high at all. This leads to a very smooth ride for the person on top, because there is very little up and down motion. 

Other horses reach a much higher elevation, which is one of the reasons why your knees hurt when you ride a horse.

Scientists believe that it was a genetic mutation that originally caused paso fino horses to walk like that. But after people realized how smooth they were, they were bred very frequently. Paso Fino horses were originally bred on South American plantations, where it was essential for the horse to have long endurance while also being steady and smooth. 

Nowadays, Paso Fino horses are commonly used as trail horses and excursions. This is because their smooth and gentle trot is perfect for beginners who are riding a horse for the first time. Paso Fino Horses also have very strong legs and feet, so they can master just about any type of terrain. 

In the past, Paso Fino horses have also been used in the military. While it usually moves in a slow trot, the fastest Paso Fino horses can reach speeds up to 32 miles per hour.