I have been thinking about paso finos in endurance lately (Duh!).? I have come to a conclusion regarding the myth that pasos can't do endurance.
When I first started this sport I heard that paso's had a harder time getting their heart rates down than... say, arabs.? I don't know the issues of other breeds, but I have ridden enough paso's to get a sense of what the breed can (and cannot) do.? I have concluded that the problem is not the heart rate, at least not directly.
Oh, there is the rare horse that has amazing heart rates.? I have never seen one that was a paso, although Karla Watson's mare is showing some promise in that direction.??I am not talking about those amazing atheletes.? I'm talking about the average arab versus the average (assuming Pete, Milagro and Vinnie are average) paso fino.??In training and at rides, when compared with other horses (i.e. Arabs), Pete's heart rates are those of the horses riding with him e.g. Ace, Billy (the arab that Aarene Storm rides).? What the problem is with paso's is brio. Definition:? "more heart, style, and brilliance " (ref?http://www.qconline.com/paso/).?
Paso are bred to have brio.? What that translates to in endurance is that they have a lot of go.? In particular it is difficult to know when they are getting tired.? They won't tell you.? As such, if you ride them like other horses, even WITH a heart rate monitor, they will tend to go overboard and wear themselves out, messing up their... HEART RATES and CRI.
