Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I think that it depends on the horse, as with any breed.  My husband does 50s on his Paso Fino gelding.  Diamante has plenty of brios...he can be hot as a firecracker, and lives to fly down the trail.  But he has learned his job well.  He knows that when he comes into a vet check it's time to chill out.  He relaxes right away and pulses down quickly...he can (and has) in fact out-recover many Arabs.  And, he will tell my husband when he needs a little break on the trail...he's not a horse who will run himself into the ground, although he will continue on if asked, even when he has indicated he'd like a break (such as when we're only 1/2 mile from camp or some such).  One has to learn his subtle signals.  He eats and drinks like a champ, both in camp and on the trail. 

 

So I think Paso temperaments and behavior varies from horse to horse, just like with other breeds.  FWIW, Diamante didn't start out like this...in the beginning, he was like a sports car with the throttle wide open...wanting to go full speed the whole ride.  My husband had to do all of the thinking for the two of them.  <G>  As he learned the sport, he figured out the ground rules and how things work.  He's extremely smart, and quickly learns how to work things to his advantage.  He is very well suited to the sport...when on trail he's all business, very forward and having fun...come into a vet check, and he immediately switches into relax mode, ready to "take 5" and refuel and rest, getting ready for the next loop.

 

Dawn Carrie

 

On 7/3/07, M Paul latiolais <hmpl@xxxxxxx> wrote:

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.

 

What do you think?

 

-Paul