Our Story
Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation of America
In 1987, the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation of America was founded by Creighton Shull and Edwin Sanchez in Columbia, SC. James and Gail Brown along with Cathy Tack were invited to attend the first meeting. On January 2 1992, the Federation was officially incorporated and established as a South Carolina Non Profit by the following Officers: Sam Cerezo (President), Dr. Carolyn Ziegler ( Vice President), and Gail Brown (Treasurer). It's had a few Presidents over the years, but the very first President was Michael Shull. Since the Federation's founding, it has only ever had two Registrars: Zona Butler, and Cathy Tack. Currently, Cathy is working diligently on getting all of the Registration Paperwork uploaded into a searchable database. Today, with Jennifer Watkins as our President, the Federation is still focused on promoting, and preserving the integrity of the Smoothest Riding Horse in the World: the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino.
ABOUT THE PURE PUERTO RICAN PASO FINO
In 1493, Columbus, on his second voyage, introduced the ancestors of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos to the New World. during his and subsequent trips by Columbus and other conquistadors, Andalusians, Barbs and Spanish Jennets were brought into what is now Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and other areas of the Caribbean. The Spanish Jennet - now extinct - was the primary contributor to the uniquely smooth gait. The Spanish Jennet consistently passed on their smooth natural gait to their offspring - even when blended with Barbs and Andalusians. The selectively bred offspring became the foundation stock for the conquistadors' remount stations and eventually what was to become known as "Los Caballos de Paso Fino" the horses with the fine gait - or Paso Finos.
The descendants of the jennet became particularly prized for their four-beat lateral gait. As colonization spread, demand grew for these smooth riding horses on haciendas and plantations. These horses provided a refined mount for the gentry as well as a tireless work horse for the managers and owners of vast sugarcane plantations.
Over the last 500 years many of the specific details of the Paso Fino history have been lost, but the fact that the smooth gait remains, especially in the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses, is a great testimony to the breeders who had the foresight to preserve it.
The Puerto Ricans have generally prized the presence of gait and smoothness as primary considerations for choosing their breeding stock. Hence, the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos are consistent in terms of passing on gait to their offspring.
While owners of many other paso fino horses have to hire trainers to train the lateral gait into their horses, this practice is unknown among Puerto Rican Paso Fino owners. Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos gait naturally from birth, without special training or appliances!
With fewer than 500 Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos registered with the Federation and only a relatively few breeders in the U.S. & Puerto Rico who have not yet diluted their bloodstock with horses of outside origin, the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos are very rare and valuable horses.
If you decide to become an owner of these wonderful Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos, while it may not be easy to find this rare stock available, we believe your search will be more than amply rewarded by these horses of great temperament as well as smooth gait!​
CHECK OUT OUR NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to receive a preview of our Member's Only quarterly newsletter!
