Born to Gait -Spring 2022 (The First Love Issue)

SPRING 2022

One Farm, One Family, One Passion!

The story of Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm and the Brown family.

Paso Fino: An epitome of the synergy between history and genetics The Greatest Breed Discovered: The Paso Fino Why do I love the Puerto Rican Paso Fino?

Paso Fino, which means “fine step or delicate walk” in Spanish, perfectly describes the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino’s natural gait. The Paso Fino is a lateral four-beat gait performed with a short and low action, executed with elegance, poise, and swiftness, resulting in a shock absorbing action which makes it very smooth. The distinctive sound of the Paso Fino is ta-ca-ta-ca-ta-ca-ta-ca. The gait is performed in a gliding, forward movement, without rocking or bumping the saddle.

People who cannot ride other horse breeds because of back or other physical problems find that they are often able to ride again due to the extremely smooth ride of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino.

The Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino’s gait is performed at three speeds. Classic fino is a show gait and is performed fully collected with a fast footfall. The paso corto is executed when the horse is moving forward with medium extension and collection, at a speed similar to that of a trot. The paso corto is an excellent trail gait that if the horse is in good physical condition, can be executed with ease all day long. The paso largo is a ground covering gait with bold, animated, and long strides. Some horses can largo at a speed of up to 25 miles per hour.

The most important characteristics of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses are its natural gait and smoothness.

These are the qualities that the owners and breeders prize most in their animals. Natural gait and smoothness are what set them apart from other horse breeds. In addition, the Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses have excellent dispositions, great strength, intelligence, stamina, and courage. They are people-oriented horses that are beautiful and proud.

Puerto Rican horses come in a variety of colors with and without markings, and range in size from 13 to 15 hands.

Most have long flowing manes and tails. They are remarkably versatile. Contrary to popular stereotypes, they are not just wonderful show and parade horses. They can learn to jump, excel on competitive trail rides, barrel racing, and gymkhana.

On the ranch they have a natural born instinct for working cattle. Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses can do anything any other horse can do, do it well, and do it with extreme comfort for the rider.

An excerpt of the Paso Fino description from the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation website.

PUBLISHER Romualdo Olazábal EDITORIAL TEAM Cover Farm William Arias History Denisse Cancel Pedro Burgos Genetics Paola Matos Reflections at 4-beats Xiomara Arias Contributing Writer Dr. Ángel A. Custodio González Regional News Xiomara Arias - Kentucky Ramon Bodón - Texas Pedro Burgos - Florida Denisse Cancel - Florida Tracy Hernández - Missouri Joyce Machado - Oregon CONTACT & CONNECT editor.borntogait@gmail.com facebook.com/BornToGait issuu.com/borntogait

To subscribe to Born to Gait, fill the subscription form at mailchi.mp/801e14b3d828/borntogait-subscribe, or send an email with your information to editor.borntogait@gmail.com.

Spring 2022 • Volume 1 Issue 1 • March 31, 2022

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The finest...

Rolls Royce is the finest brand of cars. Diamonds are the finest piece of jewelry.

Silk is the finest of all textiles. Finest denotes the highest quality, the best among the best, la crème de la crème. This is what the “fino” in Paso Fino stands for: the finest of all the gaiting horses, because this is the breed with the finest gait.

But not all Paso Finos are the same...

The first account of the name Paso Fino dates from 1860, when a Puerto Rican historian wrote that the native breed of horse from the Island—the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino—was very admired in the Antilles. Since then, people all around the world have prized the Puerto Rican horses and their distinctive way of going, so Paso Fino became both the name of the breed and the name of its unique gait.

There are many attributes that make the Puerto Rican Paso Fino such a special breed of horses. But among all, their naturalness is the most important and the finest of them all, because our horses are born to gait.

Welcome to the first issue of Born to Gait: Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Chronicles!

Let me explain a bit about our magazine. We are a group of PPR Paso Fino enthusiasts that have come together to promote our beloved horses throughout the United States and everywhere our magazine (with your help!) can reach. This will be a quarterly digital publication that will be distributed free of cost by Issuu, email and our Facebook page.

Illustration by Arq. José Vivó.

In each issue you will find articles about history, genetics, farms, news... and everything that is important to PPR Paso Fino owners and admirers. Made by Paso Fino lovers for Paso Fino lovers. No ads, just plain good information about “the smoothest saddle horse in the world”.

I invite you to join us in this journey! Share this magazine with your friends and family, and help others get to know the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino, the horse that is born to gait!

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IN THIS ISSUE 1

Publisher’s note

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America’s first love with the Puerto Rican Paso Fino

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One farm, one family, one passion!

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Notes on the Purity of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed

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Paso Fino: An epitome of the synergy between history and genetics

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The Greatest Breed Discovered: The Paso Fino

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Why do I love the Puerto Rican Paso Fino?

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Regional News

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Owners/Farms’ directory

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Stallions’ directory

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Organizations’ directory

On the cover This is a photo of Gail Brown holding her Champion Fino mare La Reina de Pride. To read more about her and Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm, turn to our Cover Farm article on page 8.

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EDITORIAL

America’s first love with the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Romualdo Olazábal Romualdo Olazábal come from a family of horse owners and breeders: Paso Finos on his mother’s side and Thoroughbreds on his father’s. Now in his 60’s, he has spent his entire life associated with the Paso Fino horse breed. His breeding program at Hacienda Pisaflores seeks to conserve the characteristics that make the Puerto Rican Paso Fino the smoothest saddle horse in the world.

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he first horses arrived in Puerto Rico in 1509 when Juan Ponce de León brought a group of breeding mares from his farm in Hispaniola (Dominican Republic).

This breeding stock had its origins in the horses brought by the Spanish Conquistadors a few years earlier: animals of endurance and vigor, suitable for war. This type of horse was known as the Spanish Jennet, an ambling horse that was a mixture of the ancient Andalusian and the Barb (also known as Berber).

In 1797, the French naturalist André-Pierre Ledrú arrived with a French expedition to the island of Puerto Rico. The group disembarked in San Juan during the celebration of the festivities of Saint John, Saint Peter and Saint Mathew. Puerto Ricans celebrated all their festivities with horse races, and, among them, Las Carreras de San Juan were the most famous of all. Ledrú wrote about the “indigenous horses” and their particular way of moving: “they have neither trot nor the ordinary gallop, but rather a kind of amble, a gait so hasty that the most attentive eye cannot follow the movement of their legs.”1 The French scientist was describing what we call today the “Paso Largo” gait.

The first written record of the Paso Fino as a breed date from 1860, when the Puerto Rican historian Adolfo de

Hostos mentioned in his book “San Juan, Ciudad Murada,” that a group of breeders on the island “came to produce, thanks to selection, a breed known by the name of Paso Fino Horse, much admired in the Antilles.”2 The first official stud book for the Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed was established in 1943, when the “Asociación de Dueños de Caballos de Silla de Puerto Rico” (Puerto Rican Saddle Horse Owners Association) was organized. This association would later become what is known today as the “Federación del Deporte de Caballos de Paso Fino de Puerto Rico” (Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Sport’s Federation).

A recent genetic study by the University of Puerto Rico and published by Scientific Reports, examined the relationship between the Puerto Rican creole population (indigenous as Ledrú called it) and the Pure Puerto Rican (PPR) Paso Fino breed. The study concluded that the Puerto Rican creole horses represent the descendants of the original mix of horses imported from the Iberian Peninsula by the Conquistadors. From this admixture, the desired traits were selected by the local people over the span of centuries for a

smooth ride and other characteristics, long before the Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed was established. Accordingly, the study shows that the PPR Paso Fino foundation stock was originally selected from the creole genetic pool. This is a

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paragraph from the study: The PRPF [Puerto Rican Paso Fino] that arose in Puerto Rican farms were used by the landowners, and their foremen that supervised their plantations on horses, often with their entire families. They selected horses that would walk smoothly and securely on the uneven, slippery, mountainous terrain in the interior of the island. Thus, in addition to the four-beat, rhythmic, lateral ambling gait, the Puerto Rican Paso Fino developed a quick, isometric, short step in which it barely rises its hoof, and with an extensive use of its ergots and fetlocks, lands a soft footstep without any lateral deviation. In their gait, the movement of the hocks is isogonic. Through time, other characteristics were also selected, especially a long torso for a more comfortable ride. By 1840, the term “paso fino” had already been minted for this race, and additional traits with cosmetic purposes were selected for by different breeders; most common among them a thick, abundant mane, a long, elegant tail, and bright, yellow (sometimes called “tiger”) eyes.3 The military families stationed at Ramey Air Force Base in Aguadilla were the first Americans from the mainland to

purchase Paso Fino horses. These horses were mostly used for trail riding, drill teams and gymkhana events. They even had a riding club at the base, The Lazy “R” Riding Club.

Upon returning home, they brought with them the horses that they had acquired on the island. As early as 1960, Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses began to be imported to the United States on a larger scale, and in 1964 the American Paso Fino Pleasure Horse Association was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation of America, the only organization that currently promotes the PPR Paso Fino in the United States, was established in 1987 in Columbia, South Carolina.

There are a few descriptions of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino horse and its gait. Each organization has its own version, including the Paso Fino Office at the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture. Also, the few books about the breed have their definitions of how a Paso Fino horse should be described. The program from a 1967 event of the Lazy “R” Riding Club offers this concise description: Paso Fino is the name given to the gait inherent exclusively to the Puerto Rican horse breed. Paso Fino horses are

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We bred our horses so that they can go around three times in the showring, do a figure “8” and go through the soundboard twice. But something happened in 2016 that changed my view of our breed. That was the first year I visited to the Classic Celebration Show in South Carolina. On that trip I got to know the way you see the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino in the United States. I realized that this is not a “new concept,” but the original design for which the breed was developed. Puerto Rican Paso Finos are not merry-go-round horses, but the smoothest and most versatile of all saddle horse breeds. And saddle horses are meant to be enjoyed from the saddle, by their owners! That was what our forefathers intended when they bred their horses and that is what

born with this short, very rhythmical gait having a certain cadence, elasticity and ease of movement. It is essential in the nimble gait that the feet of the horse touch the ground at separates times producing such equally spaced rhythm (maintaining the back and rump in a straight uninterrupted line with almost imperceptible motion) affording rider a comfortable and almost motionless ride on the saddle. When riding a good Paso Fino horse, you can hold a glass of water filled to the brim without spilling a drop. Characteristics of the Paso Fino horse are gracefulness, liveliness and the poise with which it performs. The majesty of its carriage is manifest in the arched neck, pointed ears and gracefully extended tail. The docility of the animal is very important since the breaking of step or rhythm causes a loss of points in performance.

This short paragraph summed up the love of the military stationed in Ramey and their families for these little horses that were smooth, capable and versatile. And these are the same characteristics Americans still love about the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed. Sure, there are horses with a quick tight gait, what we called “Classic Fino,” and we will talk about them in future issues, but the first love of America with the PPR Paso Fino was because of its smooth gait and its versatility, characteristics that were embedded in the genetics of these horses since the very foundation of the breed.

I have a story to share with you. I live in Puerto Rico and, like all Paso Fino enthusiasts on the island, my idea of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino was limited to the show horses.

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America’s first love with the PPR Paso Finos was all about.

If you have never had the opportunity to ride a Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino, at the end of the magazine we have a directory of all the farms listed by States. Get in touch with the one that is closest to you. I promise that if you get on a PPR Paso Fino and give it a “test drive,” you will also fall in love with these magnificent horses.

Photos from “Ramey AFB Lazy R Members” Facebook group.

Footnotes: 1 La velocidad de estos caballos indígenas es admirable: no tienen trote, ni el galope ordinario, sino una especie de andadura, un paso tan precipitado que el ojo más atento no puede seguir el movimiento de sus patas. (Ledrú, André Pierre. Viaje a la Isla de Puerto Rico en el año 1797. Translated to Spanish by Julio L. De Vizcarrondo. Imprenta Militar de J. González, Puerto Rico, 1863.)

2 El estímulo que recibieron con estas medidas los criadores había dado frutos excelentes hacia la sexta década (1860). Uno de ellos, la firma Fernández y Aponte, llegó a producir gracias a la selección, una raza conocida por este nombre de caballos de Paso Fino muy admirados en las Antillas.

(De Hostos, Adolfo. Historia de San Juan, Ciudad Murada. Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, Puerto Rico, 1966.)

3 Wolfsberger, W.W., Ayala, N.M., Castro-Marquez, S.O. et al. Genetic diversity and selection in Puerto Rican horses. Sci Rep 12, 515 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04537-5

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COVER FARM

One farm, one family, one passion!

William Arias Jr. William Arias Jr. is a retired U.S. Navy Commander. William is a native of Puerto Rico, and has dedicated his retirement days to conserving the Puerto Rican Paso Fino. He owns Hacienda Borikén in Kentucky along with his wife Teresa.

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ocumenting the ongoing history of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino in the United States requires recognizing one of the greatest contributors and champions of the effort throughout the years: Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm in Aiken, SC. This farm began as the Brown Family endeavor shortly after the beginning of the lifelong covenant between Gail Padgett and James Brown. After meeting in high school and continuing throughout their courtship, Gail and James would each ride horseback to meet at a half way location.

James and his father had always been horse enthusiasts primarily engaging with the venerable utilitarian American Quarter Horse. Gail’s horses included a Quarter Horse but were primarily gaited horses. The young relationship was nurtured by horses; somewhat prescient of the ultimate destiny! Gail inherited a 20 acre plot from the inheritory subdivision of her parents’ 200 acre farm who in turn had received the farmland from their parents. With an adjacent expansion of 100 acres the farm attained its contemporary boundaries and has been the setting for the Brown family home since 1978. The land is now in its 4th generation of stewardship.

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The challenges and responsibilities of a young family prompted a hiatus from horse ownership. As the young couple became accustomed to the regimen of family life the equine bug began biting. In an effort to portray an altruistic motivation, Gail approached her 8 year old daughter Jennifer and “planted the seed in her mind that she needed a horse” (See endnote 1). Their first two horses as the Brown family were two Tennessee Walking Horses; a natural progression toward the quest for the ultimate gaited horse.

As an avid horse enthusiast, Gail kept up to date on all things horses and her interest in the Paso Fino piqued from an article she read in the early 70’s. A little later in the mid 80’s, the Columbia, South Carolina newspaper, The State, announced that there was a Paso Fino breeder in Columbia SC. Gail strongly hinted to James “we need to see those... and of course he agreed”. Gail shares that James always loved horses and that he was “always right there with me... and had my back”. On their first visit to the Creighton Shull Paso Fino Farm (See endnote 2) Gail found the horses she had read about, and after her first ride, she knew she had found the holy grail of gaited horses! She tells James that he would not have to arrange delivery, “If we can afford this horse, I’ll just ride him home”.

Gail and James continued visiting the Creighton Shull Paso Fino farm until they decided on the purchase of their first Paso Finos in 1988: a filly and a colt. This was a new and exciting experience for Gail and James as every horse they had ever owned had been already trained. This purchase was at about the same time that the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation of America (PPRPFFA) was being established and together with Mr. Creighton, Gail and James attended the first meeting of the PPRPFFA. Also attending this meeting was a recent acquaintance that would become a lifelong friend and valuable storehouse of Paso Fino experience and knowledge: Cathy Tack. Cathy had trained Paso Finos in Puerto Rico for several years and was well versed in breeding and training techniques as well as the breed’s abilities and therefore expectations. She was a great help in sorting out these young horses. Cathy became the sole trainer at the farm for several years. She has the innate ability to get the best performance from any horse she rides and has won many times in the show ring.

Many of Creighton Shull’s horses were purchased from the PPRPFFA co-founder Edwin Sánchez Hidalgo. The Sánchez family was instrumental in the establishment of the PPRPFFA and is generally recognized to be the first

significant breeders of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino in South Carolina. Their origin stock consisted primarily of horses bred by Dr. Carlos Gaztambide in Puerto Rico. The contemporary “de Hidalgo” suffix generally points to a Sanchez family horse.

The PPRPFFA has faced many challenges throughout the years as the luxury of the equestrian world tends to follow economic cycles. Throughout these years it has maintained itself as the authoritative Pure Puerto Rican Registry in the mainland United States thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of its officers and the dedicated support of its members. Looking back, the judges for the first PPRPFFA show were legendary and recognizable contributors to the Paso Fino: Mr. Joe Pons, Dr. Carlos Gaztambide and Dr. Carloyn Ziegler. The nascent PPRPFFA’s first president was Michael Shull and only two people, Zonna Butler and Cathy Tack, have ever been responsible for the registry. Cathy is currently converting the registry into a robust digital platform.

In 1990, the Brown’s purchased their third horse from Mr. Creighton. This great gelding was enjoyed and shown for many years by Gail, Cathy, Jennifer and many others.

Even visiting Puerto Rican trainers who came to demon-

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lessons. Gail remembers Cunda as an energetic, fast-moving, and passionate trainer who was challenging to keep up with even at his advanced age. Gail and James learned a great deal from their many visitors.

With the Paso Fino fever running high, Gail was fervently seeking information, experimenting, and accumulating knowledge. Fortuitously, in the early 1990’s she had the privilege to attend a clinic in Columbia, SC conducted by the well-known Puerto Rican professor and Paso Fino enthusiast Dr. Carlos Gaztambide. As a prolific writer, his works included many historical, cultural, and agricultural themes, but only one major publication in English. Gail spoke to him at the clinic and purchased his book Breeding Better Paso Fino Horses. To this day the book remains one of the few comprehensive books in English on breeding Paso Finos. If you find one, buy it! Copies of the book are available for circulation through interlibrary loans from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Puerto Rico.

strate the breed in the United States, selected this gelding, Palmetto Pride, as the horse of choice. As a testament to this horse’s influence the farm became known as Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm so that every horse ever born on the farm carries the suffix “de Pride”: an enduring testament to a wonderful horse.

Beginning with those first horses purchased for Jennifer (wink, wink) there began a period of rapid growth for Palmetto Pride. As James commented, “I never thought Jennifer’s $600 horse would cost me a $30,000 barn”. Numerous visitors would come to the farm to admire the show horses they had seen at parades and exhibitions. Trainers from both the mainland and Puerto Rico would visit the farm, ride the horses and provide advice. Gail recalls the memorable visit of the already legendary Cunda Figueroa in the early 1990’s.

During his visit he rode Palmetto Pride and gave everyone

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Impressed by Dr. Gaztambide’s approach and his validated successes Gail sought, located, and purchased two mares that had been bred by him and brought to the United States by the Sánchez family. These two mares, Arcanciel and Dije de Oro, became the first foundation mares of Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm. Arcanciel was a good fino mare that produced Tabú de Pride (Minute Man de Faetón).

The farm still has offspring from these bloodlines. Later down the road Gail also purchased another Dr. Gaztambide bred mare, Tostada de Hidalgo, which produced several good horses.

The Brown family was blessed to have met many people along the way that have been instrumental in their success. Of distinctive note, the well-known owner/breeder/ enthusiast Pedro Burgos established a particularly strong relationship with the family. Gail and James met Pedro and his son Pedrito at the first PPRPFFA show in 1989. Pedro has been noted as one of the greatest promoters of the breed in the United States and he had come to help with the show and provide sponsorship support. The following year Pedro brought several horses from Puerto Rico to participate in the show. Rather than returning them all to Puerto Rico, he kept several at Palmetto Pride. Gail and James bought two of his pregnant mares. The first, Borinqueña, was pregnant

by Corillo and produced Muñequita de Pride. The other

mare was Herencia de Kofregrama. Herencia turned out to be Palmetto Pride’s most prolific producer with 15 offspring.

From Pedro, she came pregnant by Rey Sol and produced Miss Columbia de Pride.

farrier, a professional rider, and a member of the Professional Paso Fino Trainer’s Association, Pedrito provides guidance and advice to the Brown family that is framed with dedication and love.

As the relationship with Pedro grew stronger, the Browns were invited to visit Puerto Rico in 1995. During this visit, Gail and James toured the island, visiting farms and meeting owners, breeders and trainers. They were publically recognized for their contributions in the United States at the National Show. One trip to Puerto Rico is never enough and they returned again in 1999 and 2000. Unfortunately, their good friend Pedro had passed away in 1998.

Fortuitously, he had introduced them to many members of the Paso Fino community on the island and they were well received during their subsequent visits. During their 1999 trip, Gail and James attended the Dulce Sueño Festival, and met with notable members of the Paso Fino community as well as the heads of each of the associations. After their 2000 trip, the Browns brought back to South Carolina the mare Magia Negra who was pregnant by Réplica de Majestuoso and produced Réplica de Magia. Shortly thereafter in 2001 the mare Coralito de Omega was brought to the mainland.

As Gail proclaims unabashedly, without planting that seed in Jennifer’s mind that she needed a horse, there may not have been a Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm. Jennifer’s $600 horse began this lifelong passionate family adventure!

Jennifer is dedicated to her husband and daughter and her job is demanding but she has always been involved in supporting and participating in the family passion. She is an accomplished rider and performs at most PPRPFFA shows.

In addition to Pedrito and Jennifer, Palmetto Pride has the privilege of access to the knowledge and experience of the legendary Cunda Figueroa trained Eduardo Figueroa.

Of course, Eduardo is one of the six sons of Cunda. Eduardo originally came to South Carolina to work with the Sánchez family but has transitioned to Palmetto Pride and is currently the premier Paso Fino trainer on the farm. If Eduardo

Pedro would stay with the Brown family during all his visits to South Carolina. It was during these visits that the Brown family would come to also know and dearly love Pedrito Burgos. From a young age Pedrito has been dear to the Brown family and is considered by Gail and James to be a son. He would accompany his father on the many trips to the mainland including the memorable 1998 trip to the PPRPFFA show in Columbia, SC. Between 1992 and 2012 Pedrito has lived many stretches of time with the Brown family at Palmetto Pride. I experienced Gail’s motherly attachment to Pedrito one evening after a show when he and I were about to go out for dinner. She didn’t know we were going anywhere and as we were getting ready to leave she told him that she was going to have food for him at home and to not stay out late. Pedrito is surely blessed!

Pedrito provides an invaluable asset to the Brown family. Pedrito has been in the Paso Fino world since birth and it is undeniably his passion. The senior Pedro’s dedication and commitment to championing the Puerto Rican Paso Fino lives on through Pedrito and the Brown Family. As a walking encyclopedia of the Paso Fino registry, an experienced

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about the breed stem from the show horse emphasis on the fino gait. Whereas only a small percentage of horses exhibit the classic fino gait, all horses have the corto and largo to varying speeds. This larger percentage of horses will appeal to the majority of riders for their versatility and comfort.

Perceptions need to be challenged that not all Paso Fino horses must be classic fino.

She notes among her favorite horses: Palmetto Pride, Reina, Sensación and Mago, all fino horses. She relates that in 1997, James was doing construction work for Pat and Cece Figueroa at their farm in Enoree, SC. When he came home, he announced that he had purchased a stallion! It was Boricua (Plebeyo x Suleyka). James saw Boricua in training and was instantly impressed with the colt. Boricua became one of the outstanding stallions at the farm and is still a

needs help he can always reach out to his brothers for a helping hand. Finally, Ms. Shirley is the one who keeps it all together. Ms. Shirley is a dedicated worker always willing to do whatever is necessary to keep the wheels rolling. Under her care, the farm looks well kept, the barn is always clean, and the horses are always well cared. All this is done with a great attitude and a desire to do more. Ms. Shirley also assists at all shows. The farm would not run without her.

Of course, Gail is the boss. Ultimately, she directs all the resources to the appropriate endeavor. The unexpected passing of her husband James in March of 2020 was a tragic loss for all who knew him. Gail lost the person with whom she shared this passionate equestrian journey and he is no longer available to support and “cover her back”. As a testimony to the foundation laid by Gail and James at Palmetto Pride, the family continues to breed fine Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos. In spite of some personal health problems the farm continues to thrive. There are currently 22 horses on the farm including 6 stallions but not including the foals.

The peak herd size has been 50 horses.

I asked Gail, “What has been the greatest challenge faced by the Puerto Rico Paso Fino?”. She believes the greatest challenge has been, and continues to be, “making people aware of this versatile breed”. As the smoothest riding horse in the world, it can do almost anything other horses have done while also executing it comfortably. It is an intelligent horse eager to learn. Some of the misconceptions 12

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vibrant and beautiful stallion at the age of 31. Another steed of note for all around versatility was San Mateo Mako. From classic fino to andadura with brío, fine temperament, and a flowing mane, San Mateo Mako could do it all. One line she plans to preserve is from Minute Man de Faetón. She still has two mares with those bloodlines.

But she notes that her favorite horse, her personal ride, is Música. Música is not fino but she is an exceptional mount of consistent brío, gait and comfort. She is a horse with whom the rider can connect. I had the privilege of riding Música in 2018. I say privileged because everyone in the barn was shocked when I asked where can I find my horse for today... Música? You could have heard a pin drop in the barn. Even the stalled horses were shocked. I was told no one but Gail rides Música! I can personally attest to the pleasant and comfortable experience of riding Música that day... all with Gail’s blessing.

As we move forward Gail hopes, as we all do, that our breed continues to be promoted, protected and, preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. Through selective and responsible breeding, and with adequate training, our horses can be seen for what they are, the do-it-all horse. We can all do our part by participating in demonstrations, parades, all breed shows, and trail riding with friends. A proactive and collaborative regional approach throughout the United States would extend that knowledge reach. Currently, most efforts are concentrated in the Columbia, SC area with a handful of folks responsible for most activities. Distance precludes everyone meeting in Columbia for the yearly Celebration Show but regional efforts should be our responsibility as Paso Fino enthusiasts. Gail was quick to make a special shout out to Josey Machado in Oregon. Josey has been diligently working on reconstituting a dispersed herd of Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos and encouraging others in the area to establish an association. Individual efforts when combined can yield great success.

Gail wholeheartedly supports the Born to Gait: Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Chronicles initiative as a bridge toward reaching the objectives outlined above. As Paso Fino enthusiasts sharing a common goal we can think of ourselves collectively as One Farm, One Family, One Passion and as heirs to the foundations laid by Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm.

Photos submited by Pedro Burgos.

Endnotes: 1. All quotes unless otherwise attributed are from Brown, Gail. Personal interview. 11 March 2022.

2. Creighton Shull. Legacy.com, 2012, https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/ name/creighton-shull-obituary?pid=178955478. Accessed 18 March 2022.

Creighton Shull passed away in December 2012. He was an avid horseman and owner of Creighton Shull Paso Fino Farm. He was a member and co-founder of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation serving as a past president and past treasurer. He worked diligently promoting the breed throughout the state and loved seeing the “Paso Fino grin” on the faces of people he introduced to the breed as they rode a Paso Fino for the first time (Legacy.com).

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FEATURED ARTICLE

Notes on the Purity of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed Dr. Ángel A. Custodio González PhD Animal Science Genetics, Texas A&M

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he Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed is notable for having a very high degree of purity in the specific set of genes accountable for these animals’ walk in the Paso Fino gait. The degree of purity in a breed is the result of a combination of factors. For example, the length of time since the breed has existed, the amount of pressure exerted by the breeders in the selection, the genetic composition of the animals from which the breed was started, geographic distance or the level of isolation from other breeds, the level of control exerted by the organization regarding the introduction of other breeds’ germplasm, historical, political, and economic events, the breed’s definition or the direction of the selection process. This last factor depends on how well defined are the main features that give fundamental purpose to the breed.

The definition of a breed is not an easy task and can change in time for different reasons such as changes in the needs of breeders or scientific findings that offer different ways of doing things. The definition of a breed is a process that may need to be adjusted as time goes on. For this reason, it is not strange for breeders to select for a specific

type of animal for some time and then, years later, steer in a different direction, or that some breeders seek a specific type while others seek something different. The fewer the changes in direction, greater purity will be obtained.

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The Puerto Rican Paso Fino horse population has a long history that can be traced back to the first years of Spanish colonization. When the first Spaniards came to Puerto Rico, there were no horses on the island. But they immediately brought them because horses were a very important means of land transportation at the time, and an essential resource for soldiers during wartime. It is known that don Juan Ponce de León brought horses to Puerto Rico during the very first years of Spanish colonization. The horses brought by Spaniards were from breeds available in Spain by the end of the fifteenth century, that adapted well to military and work uses. There may have been various introductions, some directly from Spain and some from other Spanish possessions in the New World. It can be assumed that no Paso Fino horses were brought in any of those introductions, because presumably, there were no Paso Fino horses in Spain or any of its possessions at the time.

We cannot discard the possibility of the introduction of horses which displayed the ambling gait, because this type of

that altered the rider’s comfort, which pleased the breeders and hence, through selection, they began to increase the frequency of those alleles in the population. This process of mating control and selection, which was carried out during centuries, produced the four-beat lateral gait that we know in Puerto Rico as Paso Fino which is, probably, the smoothest gait for the rider that can be executed by any horse.

gait did exist in some Spanish regions (the Asturcón horse, for example, which already existed in Spain, exhibits amble).

There is also the possibility that no horses with ambling gait came to Puerto Rico, but that they carried ambling gait alleles in their genomes.

In Puerto Rico, horses had a very limited military use, hence, their principal use was civil. The features that make a good military horse are not necessarily those which make them adapt well to domestic uses. Genetic and phenotypic changes in a population is attained by means of selection and mating control. From these two, crossbreeding, which is a form of mating control, produces quicker changes than selection. Breeders in Puerto Rico must have practiced both.

They crossbred and the product of that crossbreeding was used for work, as well as recreation and sport. The crossings combined the alleles of different breeds and these new combinations produced horses with different features than those of the original breeds. In these features, there were some

Relatively recent advances in genomics have made it possible to identify a specific gene, localized in chromosome 23, that affects the movement pattern in horses’ extremities.

For this gene, which scientists have named DMRT3, two forms, or alleles, have been found: a normal allele, which produces a functional protein, and a mutation allele that produces an incomplete protein. Horses bearing the normal gene exhibit the classic horse moves walk, trot, and gallop.

Horses with the mutating allele can exhibit other patterns of movements in their extremities. Paso Fino horses, as well as other paso breeds throughout the globe bear the allele with the mutating gene. There must be other loci affecting the locomotive pattern of horses, because it is evident that there are many genetic differences among the spectrum of breeds that bear the DMRT3 gene mutation. Those other genes have not been identified. There are many possibilities.

There may be one or two additional genes, each with various alleles, or there may be many other genes, some with great effects and others with very small effects on the gait. The innate locomotive forms exhibited by a horse, or the gaits that it may be able to learn may depend on the combination of alleles in its genome. What science still has not figured out about the genetic control of horse locomotion may be a simple situation or an extremely complex one with many interactions between alleles and genes.

A research by Marta Promerová, et. al., published in 2014 in Animal Genetics science journal, determined the frequency of the two DMRT3 alleles in 141 horse breeds around the world. This research study analyzed a sample of 78 Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses and found that the frequency of the mutated allele was 99.4%. For the mutated allele, there were 77 pure breed horses and only one heterozygous subject. In other words, among the 156 alleles in

that population (each animal has two alleles), there was only one allele that did not present the mutation. Very few horse breeds presented a 100% purity for this allele and they were all represented in smaller samples, which renders less precise

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results. This is not definite evidence but tends to confirm that the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed has a high grade of purity.

Let’s now take a look at some of the factors that have contributed to distinguish and purify the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed.

The following quote is from the Book of Puerto Rico, chapter IX, subtitled The Cattle Industry of Puerto Rico, and written by Dr. Jaime Bagué. The book’s editor was E. Fernández García, and it was published by El Libro Azul Publishing Co. (The Blue Book Publishing Co.) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1923. It is available on the Internet through the Virtual Library at Universidad del Turabo, in the Puerto Rican Collection of Electronic Books (page 628).

“Side by side with the cattle the horse was developed.

All the southeastern portion of the island produced goodsized, well set up horses of quite bloodlike heads, feet and legs that went to decorate the stables of the rich: residents and foreign.

The Yabucoa horses. In 1840 Mr. Ramón Aponte took to the fertile plains of Yabucoa two mares sired by an Arabian Horse that was imported by a gentleman from Ponce.

Mr. Aponte having a big farm where horses were selected, bred, and well cared for. It was a question of pride for this gentleman-farmer to win the prizes [andadura, paso fino, escape] offered by towns of Caguas, San Juan, etc. at their annual horse-fairs. The horse “El Manchado” is still remembered by the older generations; because he was as famous in his days as “Perla Fina” was in recent years. A big number of his colts were sold at one thousand dollars each; a thing unheard of, in those days. These stallions headed the fine

studs of men like Marquis de las Claras in Arecibo. They also won for the farmers of Porto Rico the respect of the people of Venezuela, Cuba and Mexico which imported them, and consequently they made reputation for Yabucoa, the town of their origin.”

The aforementioned quote presents revealing details regarding the breeding, sports use, and the import and export of horses during mid-nineteenth century in Puerto Rico. Note that by mid-nineteenth century there were horse competitions with specific Paso Fino events. This points to the fact that there were enough Paso Fino horses to warrant the competitions. It is implied that breeders had already identified and defined Paso Fino enough to have developed specific quality criteria for these horses, which in turn lets us assume that the Paso Fino horses had been on the island for many years. It is evidenced that the selection process had direction, because of the specific criteria of good Paso Fino traits, an essential requirement to be able to declare a winner in a competition. The Arab breed horses mentioned must not have participated in the Paso Fino competitions, but in other of the competition events.

The book also reveals that Puerto Rican horses were exported to other Latin American countries. On page 626, chapter nine, of The Book of Puerto Rico it is stated that: “the Spanish vessels arrived at our ports and bought horses to be used by the squads that, at the time, fought in the conquest of Peru.”

However, this quote refers to horse exportations occurring way before mid-sixteenth century. Most probably, mid-sixteenth century horse exportations did not include Paso Fino horses, because these horses did not exist yet in Puerto Rico.

But the possibility that some of the alleles that determine the capability of the horses to perform Paso Fino could have already been present in the Puerto Rican population (and that they could have, hence, been exported to far away countries, like Peru) cannot be discarded. In the exportations that took place in the nineteenth century, however, Paso Fino horses, or horses bearing the Paso Fino alleles may have been present.

In other parts of South America, in Colombia and Peru, for example, there are also horses that are capable of the four-beat gait like Puerto Rico’s Paso Fino horses. It is possible that, in these countries, there were crossbreeding and selection processes similar to those occurring in Puerto Rico, stemming from horses that descended from some of the

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phenotype, then breed #1 will hold an advantage.

A research project carried out in Germany by K.S. Aberle, et. al. (2004) revealed that with only forty years of no genetic exchange between horses at both sides of the Iron Curtain, populations became clearly distinguishable by genetic analysis. The political situation casted such strict prohibitions, that it was virtually impossible to mate animals from the Federal German Republic with those of the Democratic German Republic. This shows that if animals from two populations do not mate, or if the mating is very scarce, genetic differences between those populations are maintained or even increased.

breeds brought by the Spaniards to the New World. But it is also possible that Paso Fino horses, or horses with the Paso Fino alleles arrived at those countries from Puerto Rico.

Colombia and Peru’s paso horse populations have gone through long periods of time –centuries– isolated from Puerto Rico’s breeds, with little or no genetic exchange between them. This isolation has provoked genetic differences between these populations. Some of these differences might not be evident at plain sight because they are gene frequencies or gene combination differences. To illustrate this, let us imagine that we are comparing two different animal populations, and that they both have alleles Q and q. In population #1, the frequency of Q=.05 and in population #2, the frequency of Q=.25, and the frequencies of q are .95 and .75, respectively. Both alleles are present in both populations, but there is a marked genetic difference between the populations respect to the frequency of these alleles. Breed #1 will be purer for allele q. If allele q produces a more desirable

Geographic, as well as political factors have influenced the purity of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed.

Puerto Rico is an island and has been a United States possession for over a century. Both countries have kept their horse population more isolated from Latin America than other paso horse populations. In the small island of Puerto Rico, horses have experienced less crossbreeding than in larger countries or countries nestled in a large continent.

In continents, where it may be difficult to maintain strict control of the borders, there is horse movement from one country to another and breeders mate their horses with imported animals, reducing the purity of the breeds. The vast majority of Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses walk on the Paso Fino gait from very early stages, even before being tamed and trained. In other populations, many horses do not naturally walk in the Paso Fino gait, unless they are tamed and receive rigorous training.

There is another very important factor to be considered in the purity of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed, and it is the way in which the group of paso horses in Puerto Rico became a pure breed.

An important event that took place regarding this horse population was that during the second half of the nineteenth century, there were very enthusiastic breeders with economic resources, knowledge, and leadership. Because these breeders had a clear concept of quality, they identified some horses that displayed a set of traits that would make them into superior paso horses. They identified a horse by the name of Manchado, which was not only excellent in his execution, but was also a great stallion with an excellent breeding value (good genes). Dr. Carlos Gaztambide, in his book called

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Breeding Better Paso Fino Horses, and attorney Eduardo A. Quijano, in his book called Paso Fino, the Breed that Distinguishes a Country, both mention the influence of Manchado in Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed. According to the facts presented by both, breeders at the time developed a bloodline that descended from Manchado, which suggests something similar to what is known as linebreeding.

Linebreeding refers to the practice of creating a breed line of individuals, all in the bloodline of one or more excellent ancestors. For linebreeding to be successful, two conditions must be met: that the forebear be excellent, both phenotypically and genotypically, and that mating control be combined with the selection process to increase purity in the breed line. The idea behind linebreeding is that in the line of the individuals generated, the genetics of that extraordinary forebear –that shining star that rarely emerges in a population– be perpetuated. One of the consequences of linebreeding is that certain degree of inbreeding is inevitable and this inbreeding, along with the fact that all animals are genetically connected to the same forebear, results in an increase of purity within the breed.

Another important event took place later in the twentieth century: Another excellent horse, the famous Dulce Sueño, was identified. Again, the extraordinary quality of the stallion was combined with the leadership and good judgement of the owner, don Genaro Cautiño. With Dulce Sueño, linebreeding was also practiced, which resulted in a 18

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large bloodline of descendants of Dulce Sueño. Interestingly, Dulce Sueño was probably a descendant of the Manchado bloodline, which led to two different linebreeding successes in the same bloodline. This resulted in even more purity for the Puerto Rican Paso Fino population.

Many of Dulce Sueño’s descendants resulted in excellent animals, which in turn, bred a numerous and high-quality progeny. Due to its great influence in the size and quality of the breed, Dulce Sueño has been dubbed the father of modern Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed.

Two things must be made clear. First, it is not completely accurate to affirm that a rigorous linebreeding was carried out, because surely the breeders did not design the breeding system to be a linebreeding, or they might not have systematically executed it in practice. What we have stated is that the way that mating control was exerted, resembles that of the linebreeding system. Secondly, not all of Puerto Rico’s Paso Fino population descends from the Manchado-Dulce Sueño bloodline, and it may even be possible that Dulce Sueño is not a descendant of Manchado. There are horses that do not descend from these bloodlines, and maybe even an external genetic influence may have been introduced along these lines. But this does not exclude the great influence that these horses had in increasing the genetic purity of the population.

By early 1940’s, during Dulce Sueño’s influence, there

was a horse population that walked in the Paso Fino gait and had its own identity for at least a century. Many formal events took place with those horses, but that animal population was not yet a pure breed as such. For an animal population to be called a pure breed, there must exist a duly organized breeder association. There must also exist a breed registry administrated by the breeders’ association or by the government, with regulations for animal inscription. In 1943, a group of breeders under the name of Asociación de Dueños de Caballos de Silla de Puerto Rico (later, Federación del Deporte de Caballos de Paso Fino de Puerto Rico) created the Breed Registry. Thus, Puerto Rican Paso Fino became a formal horse breed with its own official name. The registry remains “closed,” which means that no horse can be registered unless it is an offspring of registered animals (descendants of the Puerto Rican bloodlines). This restriction, along with the use of genetic technology, which provides for precise verification of the forebears’ identity, has greatly contributed to maintain, and even increase, the breed’s purity.

Many Puerto Rican pure Paso Fino horse breeders have made their selection and mating decisions emphasizing on the quality of the gait and have made little or no efforts to avoid inbreeding (the mating of animals that share the same bloodline). Even though the level of endogamy (a byprod-

uct of inbreeding) in the Puerto Rican Paso Fino horse population has not been properly calculated, it is estimated to be fairly high. An effect of inbreeding is that it increases the purity of the animals, so it has contributed to the purity of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed (we warn that inbreeding has positive and negative effects).

Another important fact in the history of the pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed is that there have been various breeders’ associations. Many times, the organizations have rivaled, in their zeal for the breed’s purity. Furthermore, some of these organizations have been formed precisely because of that zeal. The constant oversight that those organizations exert on the breeders, and among them, has helped maintain the purity of the breed.

We affirm that the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horse Breed is a unique breed in the world, even though there may be other breeds that share very similar traits. This breed is the result of the interaction of many different factors and thousands of decisions taken by the breeders through hundreds of years, that are impossible to replicate. This means that, if someone should try to begin a new breed, trying to mirror this one, he or she would face a very long and expensive endeavor and, with luck, he or she might end up with a similar breed, but it will very unlikely be the same. Hence, this breed is a priceless asset for the animal owners, for the country and for humanity. This invaluable resource deserves to be protected –quality wise and purity wise– and preserved for the benefit of future generations. If we ever lose this breed, we will have forever lost it.

Photos by Romualdo Olazábal and Fracisco Rodríguez.

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GENETICS

Paso Fino: An epitome of the synergy between history and genetics Paola M. Matos Ruiz Paola Matos is a medical student based in Boston, MA and part of the Criadero Matos family located in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. She is a Paso Fino owner and enthusiast and member of the Federación del Deporte de Caballos de Paso Fino de Puerto Rico.

U

ntil now, there has not been extensive scientific data about the origins of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino horse breed. However, early in Januar y 2022, the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, in collaboration with Oakland University, published a study that assessed the origins of the breed by including the creole (also known as “Criollo”) horse population and the Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed. The study “Genetic diversity and selection in Puerto Rican horses,” published in the scientific magazine Scientific Reports, validated what history always stated: Paso Fino is a unique breed carefully crafted by the efforts of rigorous selection processes by the people of Puerto Rico.

You may be asking yourself, “How did researchers quantify the selective historical metrics of the Paso Fino breed at the DNA level?”.

To address this question, scientists from across the globe and Puerto Rican Paso Fino breeders1 collaborated to map the origins of the Paso Fino breed genetically. From history, we know Paso Fino horses originated from the

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creole pool of horses. Nevertheless, the genetic link between these two horse populations was not officially established until this study was published.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a powerful molecule widely used to investigate organisms’ disease processes and study ancestry to trace historical events. Interestingly, the study used two types of DNA as their ground material: mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and nuclear DNA (nDNA).

Albeit the chemical properties of mtDNA and nDNA are similar, there are well-demarcated differences in the mode of inheritance and recombination events. mtDNA is uniquely inherited by the mother, while nDNA is inherited from both parents on an equal ratio under normal circumstances. mtDNA’s lack of genetic recombination provides scientists with a “molecular clock” to footprint events in history. At the same time, the maternal mode of inheritance partly studies the breed’s maternal lineages.

Using mtDNA, they examined 200 horsehair samples

–168 of the Puerto Rican Non-Pure Breed (PRNPB) and 28 of the Puerto Rico Pure Paso Fino (PRPF)– and identified the presence of 20 different haplogroups. The goal and main findings of the mtDNA analysis were the following:

“The main purpose of the haplotype network analysis was to show that there was no breed-specific structure between mitochondrial sequences in our samples. [...] Our study of the mtDNA diversity in the two Puerto Rican horses also points to the mainly Iberian origins, since haplotypes D and X are the ones most represented. [...] The majority of the haplotypes (19) could be found among the PRNPB, while only 12 haplotypes were found among the PRPF, and 11 of these were also shared with the PRNPB. In other words, the maternal lineages of the two breeds are largely the same. The complete absence of specific maternal lineages dedicated to the PRPF supports the close genetic connection between the two breeds on the island.”

This is the very first time the mtDNA of the PRPF and creole horse populations has been studied. Although the mtDNA is relatively minuscule (~16 kilobases of nucleotides encoding ~30 genes), it holds crucial genetic material to meet cell’s metabolic needs. It mainly contains genes related to oxidative phosphorylation, which is a biochemical process that takes place in the mitochondria of cells where glucose is catabolized in the presence of oxygen to produce energy.

Therefore, studying more in-depth the mtDNA of the Paso Fino can provide us with valuable information about the metabolic demands of our breed and whether or not they are related to the traits exhibited in the breed (e.g., desire to work; “bríos”). Additionally, do not underestimate the contribution of mares in the mating process. If we consider mtDNA, dams may contribute slightly more genetic material than stallions, given the maternal mode of inheritance of the mtDNA. Whether that small extra amount of maternal genetic material is statistically significant or not would need

to be validated scientifically before claiming conclusions.

The other tool scientists used to address the historical and scientific hypothesis of the origins of the Paso Fino horse was nDNA. Scientists used 65,157 genetic markers obtained from Illumina® Neogen Equine Community Array. Through this analysis, they were able to study 65,157 regions within the genome of the PRNPB and PRPF horses. These genetic markers have already been studied thoroughly in 38 equine populations and serve to analyze genetic diversity. The highlight of this part of the study was the following: “The three Iberian breeds that occupy the same branch on the phylogenetic tree (Lusitano, Andalusian and Mangalanga Paulista, are clustered nearby, as expected but, horses from other branches seem to cluster even closer, specifically, the Caspian and Tuvan horses. While some of the diversity in the nonpurebred NPB Puerto Rican Criollo horses is also shared with the Peruvian Paso, the PRPF horse genotypes form a clearly distinct cluster, distinctive from all other breeds.”

The fact that the PRNPB shares a larger portion of genetic elements with the Peruvian Paso horse than the PRPF strongly correlates with what history tells about the transportation of horses from Puerto Rico by Francisco Pizarro to conquer Perú. Additionally, the PRPF forms a distinct cluster from all other breeds. This grouping of the PRPF is undeniable evidence of the progressive isolation

and cautious selection efforts of many PRPB breeders onset hundreds of years ago.

Another important finding was the allele frequency of

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How come the DMTR3 mutant allele frequency is this high in the PRNPB?

the DMRT3 gene and the identification of signatures of selection in both horse population genomes. The nonsense mutation Ser301Stop in the DMRT3 gene has been previously associated with the locomotion patterns exhibited in gaited horse breeds. A nonsense mutation is a change in the nucleotide sequence of a gene that dictates a premature stop codon in the reading frame. As a result, a shorter version of the gene is produced. The consequence of this mutation in equines has been considered “beneficial” by breeders who prefer gaited breeds. A study published by Promevorá et al. (2014) in Animal Genetics investigated the frequency of the DMRT3 mutation in 141 horse breeds from across the world. The scientists reported that breeds lacking the DMRT3 mutation (i.e., homozygous wild-types) were all the non-gaited horses, except for horses used for harness racing. Therefore, this mutation seems to allow horses that carry it in their genomes an advantage to perform alternative gaits (i.e., four-beat ambling gaits). It is crucial to highlight that this mutation is not unique to the PFPR, but plays a vital role in conferring part of the gait characteristics of the breed. Although the frequency of the DMTR3 mutation in the creole was unknown, the researchers took the lead on investigating it and compared their findings to the PRPF population. They noted the allele frequency of the DMTR3 mutation to be 87.4% in the PRNPB cohort and 100% in the PRPF group. Indeed, it was a shocking finding.

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The creole horses are a product of admixture between the multiple horse breeds brought by the Spanish Conquistadores to Puerto Rico in the 1540s. Thus, some of the exported horses from the Iberian Peninsula may have carried this mutation beforehand. To best elucidate the intensive selection pressures behind designing a breed, the investigators opted to study signatures of selection across the genome of the two breeds. Signatures of selection are pieces of DNA sequences heavily shared among the horses of a particular genetic pool. The fact that PRPF cohort did not display the signature of selection marks close to the DMRT3 locus but did in other genes loci (plural for locus) demonstrate PRPF breeders were selecting for other traits that are not necessarily near the DMTR3 locus. As breeders well know, the PRPF breed is a set of characteristics that have been artificially selected for hundreds of years. These other signatures identified in other loci in the PRPF genome may reflect other important traits treasured in our breed. For example, a long torso for a more comfortable ride, a strong, arched neck, delicate fetlocks and cannons, a thick, abundant mane, a long, elegant tail, and the yellow eyes. From Mack et al. (2017) study published in G3 Genes, Genomes, Genetics, it is known that the yellow eyes trait –also known as tiger eye or goat eyes– is due to a recessive mutation in the SLC12A5 gene. So far, the SLC12A5 mutation has only been reported in the literature to be found in the PFPR breed. However, the genotype reflections of the other phenotypic and behavioral traits favored by the breeders remain unknown.

Some important historical claims of the Paso Fino breed were addressed. Yet, more questions are awaiting answers. Which genes within the signature of selection regions in the Paso Fino genome define our breed? What are the functional consequences of these genes in our breed? How can we use this information, as breeders, to inform our mating choices and improve the breed’s development? This study already proposed some candidate genes, such as the MYH7, a muscle myosin gene. How does this gene (and potentially others) define our breed?

The study validated history and the Paso Fino cultural heritage. Paso Fino is a gift the people of Puerto Rico gave us to care with diligence, preserve with commitment, and love unconditionally. To continue with the invaluable mis-

sion of safeguarding the Paso Fino breed, the role of genetics could not be undermined.

References: University of Puerto Rico- Mayagüez and Oakland University investigation Wolfsberger, W.W., Ayala, N.M., Castro-Marquez, S.O., Irizarry-Negron, Shchubelka, K., Potish, L., Majeske, A.J., Figueroa Oliver, L., Díaz Lameiro, A., Martínez-Cruzado, J.C., Lindgren, G., Oleksyk, T.K. Genetic diversity and selection in Puerto Rican horses. Sci Rep 12, 515 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-04537-5 DMRT3 role in locomotion Andersson, L., Larhammar, M., Memic, F. et al. Mutations in DMRT3 affect locomotion in horses and spinal circuit function in mice. Nature 488, 642–646 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11399

Important terminologies: Allele: variants or multiple versions of a gene.

Genetic recombination: is a natural genetic process in which DNA produces new combinations of alleles.

Genetic markers (also known as polymorphisms): are specific genetic sequences with a known location within the genome.

Haplogroup: refers to a set of alleles located within the same chromosome that are usually inherited together. A haplogroup is a group of genetic markers that are inherited together.

DMTR3 frequency in different horse breeds

Gene locus: specific spot within a chromosome that contains a particular gene or DNA sequence.

Promerová M, Andersson LS, Juras R, Penedo MC, Reissmann M, Tozaki T, et al. Worldwide frequency distribution of the ‘Gait keeper’ mutation in the DMRT3 gene. Anim Genet. 45(2): 274-82 (2014).

Footnotes:

SLC12A5 association to tiger eyes Mack M, Kowalski E, Grahn R, Bras D, Penedo MCT, Bellone R. Two Variants in SLC24A5 Are Associated with “Tiger-Eye” Iris Pigmentation in Puerto Rican Paso Fino Horses. G3 (Bethesda).7(8): 2799-2806 (2017).

1 Juan J. Soldevila-Bartolomei, María E. Arsuaga-Santana, Eduardo A. Martín-Guardiola, Joe Pons, Hostos M. Gallardo, Julio Pamias, Samuel Pamias, Saúl Chico, and José Víctor Oliver (RIP).

Photos by Romualdo Olazábal, Jo-Ann Ferré Crossley and WikiMedia.

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HISTORY

The Greatest Breed Discovered: The Paso Fino Denisse Cancel Denisse Cancel is the senior Operations Manager for the University of Florida’s Animal Care Services department for the Office of Research. She is on the Board and Historical Committee of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation of America, Inc., and owns three Paso Finos under the banner of D’Mi Borinquen Paso Finos residing in Micanopy, Florida.

I

t was the mid 1940’s and The Greatest Generation ever known knew they found something exceptionally special in that little island paradise in the Caribbean called Puerto Rico. The servicemen and their families stationed on the military bases quickly fell in love with the island horses. Corrals, makeshift stables and other buildings were created for the enjoyment of the families on base or near properties. There were moonlight rides, breakfast rides, overnight campout rides down the beach and gymkhana type horse shows at Ramey Air Force Base, Fort Buchanan and the Roosevelt “Rosy” Roads installations. Many of the horses were passed down or sold to other families when their tour ended, but there were some that went stateside as a member of the family as early as mid-1940’s. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, as tours ended and the military presence decreased on the island, more servicemen went home taking a large contingency of the island horses to the states. Horses were loaded and shipped off to the great states of the continental USA. They spread through the continent (Pennsylvania, Wyoming, Idaho, Florida and the Carolinas) and were well received. By the end of the 1960’s it was estimated that there were 600 Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses in the states.

It was a time of growth and excitement and the Paso Fino thrived in the new land they arrived to. With better care, diet and rich pastures the horses grew to their full potential and produced bigger offspring. Farms and Clubs

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were formed by the owners and the phrase “The Smoothest Riding Horse” was established. The interest in the breed was increasing.

The first association for Paso Fino horses in North America was incorporated in 1964 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, under the name of American Paso Fino Pleasure Horse Association, Inc. The founding owners were Richard Bailey and William Lohrentz. The Board of Directors included military servicemen returning from Ramey Air Force Base, George LaHood, and Rosalie MacWilliam among others.

APFPHA would later be renamed The American Paso Fino Horse Association (APF for short). APF was a registry and focused on smooth gait and the well-rounded pleasure family horse that servicemen and their families fell in love with.

Their archives hold the original documents and pictures of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino original imports.

by some members of APF to actively promote the showing of the horses and, in the Summer of 1972, joined by other APF members who disagreed on how APF interpreted the regulations and wanting to be more involved in the managing the organization, decided to form the Paso Fino Owners & Breeders Association (PFOBA), in Knoxville, Tennessee. The original founders of PFOBA were Dr. Raye N. and Sandy Byrd, Marlow and Mildred Jacobsen, George J. LaHood III, Gonza LaHood, Rosalie MacWilliam, Tommy Moreland Jr., Robert Mcintee, Donna and Phil Neimark, Ben and Shirley Nolt, Geraldine and Leonard Reith, Ellis Shires, Charles and Lib Tate, Carolyn Ziegler and Dr. John Ziegler. In 1985, PFOBA changed its name to the still active Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA). Some of the original horses that captivated the audience at the PFOBA Nationals the first few years and awarded the title of National Champion were the horses Toledo, Marichal and Frío Viento.

From the 1960’s into early 1970’s the Puerto Rican Paso Fino was the dominant Paso breed, but during these years and through the 1980’s other Paso breeds made their way to the states and the crossbreeding began in search of a “better” horse, and the concept of the American Paso Fino (blending of the breeds) was born. If there is one thing that has been learned is that the Puerto Rican Paso Fino injects consistency to its progeny, but to be able to pass it on consistently it must remain true to its origins.

Between 1969 and 1972 there was interest from some APF members to show the horses and compete. Another group reporting to APF sponsoring and promoting shows was created named the International Paso Fino Society (IPFS). During these years many exhibitions were given, and owners were invited to attend and display their Paso Finos at All Breed Shows.

In January 1972, the Great Lakes Paso Fino Federation (GLPFF) was incorporated as a nonprofit organization in Ohio by Leonard Reith, Herb Whitacre and Dr. Carolyn Ziegler. It was decided to use the term of the oldest Puerto Rican organization, which was “federation”. Making the GLPFF the oldest incorporated region in PFOBA. In May of 1972 the first all Paso show was held with 21 horses. The show was approved by the American Paso Fino Horse Association. The GLPFF was a short-lived organization formed

On October 13, 1987, in Columbia, South Carolina, there was a push to preserve, protect and promote the original Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed and the “Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation of America, Inc.” (PPRPFFA) was established. This is the official US registry for Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos in the states. The founding members of this organization were Edwin and Ruthie Sanchez Hidalgo with the brothers Michael and Creighton Shull. With great effort they hosted their first educational clinic in Columbia, South Carolina, the speakers were the esteemed Dr. Carlos Gaztambide Arrillaga, Mr. Rafael and Ela Cuevas and Mr. Joe Pons who spoke on the topics of genetics, conformation, equitation and gait. Since 1989 the PPRPFFA has had their National Show in and during the yearly South Carolina State Fair.

In October of 2000 a group in Pennsylvania met

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and decided to establish the “North Atlantic Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Organization, Inc.,” it was incorporated in December of 2002. The original group was headed by Mrs. Barbara A. Nichols and Mrs. Gay Campbell, they received help and guidance from Mr. Héctor Hernández and Mrs. Zona Butler. I attended my first show in the states in 2007 in Vineland, New Jersey, where I met a few members like James Zeno and his mare Polaris de Las Viejas and stallion Diamante de Pechudo. I met Mildred and William López and their horses Shannowood Corazon, Lovely de Airoso and Corazón Dulce de López. I also got the opportunity to meet one of the founders Mrs. Gay Campbell and her mare Caibri del Cumbre. Since this show I have dedicated most of my spare time to learning and collecting the history of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino horse in the states.

As you can see, the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino has been present in the horse industry for over 70 years now and it’s still a hidden gem. We look forward to sharing more information and opportunities for you, the reader, to get to know them. Once you ride a Paso Fino, we know you will not want to ride another breed. Stay Tuned for our next editions as we delve into the history of each organization, the founding members and, of course, the horses and how they influenced the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed of today.

See you Next time...

Photos by Pedro Burgos and Denisse Cancel. The collage is from the 2007 NAPPRPFO Show at Vineland, NJ.

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REFLECTIONS AT 4-BEATS

Why do I love the Puerto Rican Paso Fino?

Xiomara Arias Xiomara Arias is an undergraduate student at The University of Kentucky majoring in Agricultural and Medical Biotechnology. Along with her parents, she cares for three Puerto Rican Paso Finos at their farm Hacienda Borikén in the rolling hills of Kentucky. She enjoys showing and promoting the Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed.

T

a-ca-ta-ca-ta-ca-ta-ca. When you think of Paso Finos, does this sound quickly come to mind? The melodious rhythm of their four beat gait fills some of my best memories. This sound often permeates the mind when thinking of a Paso Fino. Though possibly hard to believe, their fine gait is not the only quality that sets this breed apart from others. Their heart, intelligence, gait, and verve combine among a multitude of other qualities to create an exemplary model of a noble steed.

As a little girl, I grew up hearing stories of my father growing up in Puerto Rico. Part of these stories included Paso Finos. In my mind, Puerto Rico was a mystical island, filled with exotic fruits, beautiful landscapes, and magnificent horses. These horses didn’t feel real– they were too good to be true. Gorgeous, powerful, pure of heart. Seven-year-old Xiomara didn’t dream of unicorns– she dreamed of Paso Finos. My father’s dream to own these horses again was fulfilled upon his retirement. The Puerto Rican Paso Fino he found was everything I had been told: majestic, strong, and graceful. I cannot adequately express to you, dear reader, the 28

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excitement I felt when I was able to begin the search for my own gallant steed. Now, on any given day, I know I can run out to the barn and find a faithful companion greeting me with a knicker.

On sunny days, I can groom him, saddle up, and forget the stresses of the day with a soothing ride. On a rainy day, I can still derive pleasure from teaching tricks and exploring his intelligence. On rough days, there is no better feeling than horse mane laced between your fingers, a fuzzy chin or jaw resting against your shoulder, and a thick neck covered in soft hair to collect tears. On a show day, I can enjoy the intensity of a competitive spirit and partnership. On adventurous days, I can gallop across a grassy field feeling the wind through my hair, the powerful stretch of his muscles, and the vigorous pounding of his heart. On trail riding days, I can enjoy a calm, peaceful, smooth ride through a forest and trust my companion will take care of me. There is no better feeling than the synergy between a horse and owner putting the entirety of their being into the time they spend together.

In the above paragraphs, you have heard why I love the Puerto Rican Paso Fino. However, there is one feature I do NOT love about the Paso Fino. This characteristic is a source of much consternation for myself, and almost all other Paso Fino owners I know. The feature I discuss is the breed’s classification as endangered by The Livestock Conservancy. With only around 500 in the United States, and 2,500 in Puerto Rico, the Puerto Rican Paso Fino fits snugly into the concerning region of endangerment. If I imagine, for a moment, the extinction of the breed, my heart cannot handle the feeling of loss. Many considerations touch my heart, such as the loss of biodiversity, the loss of heritage, and the realization that future generations may never experience the unique aspects of this breed. This extinction is preventable. Together, we can transform the breed population into a feature we love about the Puerto Rican Paso Fino.

The Puerto Rican Paso Fino is not only a show horse– it is a versatile companion who will take you wherever you want, to do whatever you wish. The versatility of this breed knows no bounds. Their gait and intelligence are not the

Regardless of the activity, I can trust my horse, and he can trust me. His quirks make me laugh, his power leaves me in awe, and his willingness to perform makes me feel honored. I am often reminded on any given day I can only give 100% effort. However, a Paso Fino will give you 110% effort every day of their lives. What other horse can completely combine a smooth gait, powerful gallop, and graceful canter in the way the Paso Fino does?

This horse is my family, my brother. He learns to read my emotions as I read his expressions. This horse is a prey animal, but chooses to put his trust in me, a member in one of the most dangerous predator species. This horse has no reason to do what I ask him but chooses to deliver his all with each request. I can trust my horse to be noble when I set my little nieces on his back. He feels the difference between a knowledgeable rider and an apprentice and acts accordingly. He humbly follows the smallest tug on his halter from tiny, naive hands, and gently delivers an unforgettable memory for the girls. Minutes later, I can ride him and feel his brio –his verve– spring to the surface, ready for our next adventure.

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only features which make the breed valuable. 4-H events, trail riding, Paso shows, therapy, rodeo, pleasure shows, the list goes on! Puerto Rican Paso Finos have flourished within each of these events. If you can dream it, your Paso Fino will take you there. So, why do I love the Puerto Rican Paso Fino? Try as I might, I cannot pick one reason. Is it their heart? Their mind? Beauty? Perhaps their willing spirit or their smooth gait? Maybe it is their verve. I cannot choose.

The choice must fall to you, dear reader.

Regardless of why you appreciate the Puerto Rican Paso Fino, I can assure you the journey of owning one is an adventure every equestrian should experience. While the versatility, comfort, and intelligence of the breed makes an unforgettable relationship with the horse, anyone who owns a Puerto Rican Paso Fino is contributing to the conserva-

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tion of these animals. The Puerto Rican Paso Fino is a breed worth saving, and you can play your part in preserving them!

If you wish to experience this relationship yourself, reach out to a breeder near you. Find your companion. You will never regret the experience.

Photos of Xiomara Arias with her horse Omega de Pride (San Mateo Mako x Herencia de Kofregrama).

News from Missouri Camelia de Pride was bred to Don Juan de América and a new Paso Fino foal is expected by late June. Camelia is by Mago de Pride out of Lorena de Espectacular. Don Juan is by Juan Jesús out of Srta.

Constitución. Both Camelia and Don Juan are owned by Tracy Hernández.

News from Oregon There is a new mare at Puerto Rican Paso Fino Heart Throbs Farm, her name is Royalty’s Greeting aka “Ginger” (Turabo Segundo x Carrissa de CdC). Ginger and a group of other mares will be bred to Armani del Sol, the Puerto Rican Bellas Formas Champion they have at stud on the farm.

Royalty’s Montana del Vaho (Royalty’s Vaho del Cumbre x Carrissa de CdC) was certified in foal. Armani del Sol is the sire of the future foal. We want to congratulate Josey Machado and the group of PPR Paso Fino enthusiasts in Oregon for the extraordinary efforts they are making in the preservation of our breed.

You can share your news writing to editor.borntogait@gmail.com

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News from Texas Amaretto Royal will be Ramón Bodón’s and Kofresí Royal Farm’s next show sensation. This colt started his training in preparation for the next championship show at Columbia, SC, in October. Amaretto was sired by Allegretto Royal out of Faraona Royal.

Also from Kofresí Royal Farm, Nequita de Paces (San Mateo Mako x Muñequita de Pride) is pregnant by Allegretto Royal, the foal is expected by the end of April and will be the last foal by Allegretto.

News from Kentucky Embajadora de Krysia, the Puerto Rican filly imported by the Arias family, just started her training with Ángel Flores at Hacienda Radiante in Virginia. Embajadora (aka “Baja”) is by Doble Réplica del Caribe out of Lombardía de Krysia, and will be at this year’s Classic Celebration Show in October.

You can share your news writing to editor.borntogait@gmail.com

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News from Florida Pascua de Villa Burgos, Pedro Burgos’ filly, is certified in foal and the birth is expected by August. The foal’s sire is Fuego Rápido de Pride.

Pascua is by Mago de Pride out of La Reina de Pride; and Fuego Rápido is by San Mateo Mako out of Diamante Negra de Pride.

Criadero Villa Burgos and Palmetto Pride acquired Borinquen de Mi Orgullo, the Mago de Pride and Belinda de Réplica 3 years colt bred

by James Zeno. Borinquen will be shown at October’s Show in South Carolina.

A new colt was born to Denisse Cancel, his name is “Emisario de Milagros”. The dam is Dulce Milagro de Luz aka “Lucy” (San Mateo Mako x La Rubia Peligrosa). The sire is the Puerto Rican Paso Fino Grand Champion Mariscal III (Turán de Espectacular x Tortura de Euro).

Diseño Taino D’Mi Borinquen, Denisse Cancel’s colt, started his training with Shaw Laney at Cedar Lane Stable in South Carolina. He will make his debut at the Classic Celebration Show in October. Diseño is

by Mago de Pride out of Aroma de Las Magnolias.

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Owners’ directory ALABAMA Barbara Thompson Montgomery, AL T.

Cindy & Brent Forehand Paces Creek Stables Monticello, FL T. 850-661-7777 E. bcforehand@gmail.com

E.

Edgardo Fullana

CALIFORNIA William Sanders Baroque Dressage __, CA T. E.

COLORADO Eric Aurelius Testori Englewood, CO T. E. 1_cipo@yahoo.com

FLORIDA Ann Shirley Ashley Benifay, FL T. 801-622-3237 E. Penny Bollhorst Mayo, FL

Pedro Burgos Castadero Villa Burgos Tallahassee, FL T. 787-244-0832 E. pfg2121@yahoo.com Denisse Cancel D’Mi Borinquen Paso Fino Micanopy, Florida T. 352-246-9983 E. denissecancel@hotmail.com

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Karl Nussbaum Dreamalot Scottsburg, IN T. E.

Palm City, Florida T. 561-797-8052 E. fullanae@hotmail.com Barbara Preiss

KENTUCKY William & Teresa Arias Hacienda Boriken

Weirsdale, FL

Salivisa, KY

T. 352-821-1300

T. 904-233-0092

E. cwpreiss@aol.com

E. william@ariasonline.net

Carlos Rosado Hacienda RB

Xiomara Arias Hacienda Boriken

Ocala Florida

Salivisa, KY

T.

T. 904-233-0092

E. wen_bur@yahoo.com

E. xio@ariasonline.net

Ruth L. Thompson Raison Dunnellon, FL

MICHIGAN

T. 740-935-5252

Rosie Spagnuolo Bickert Gentle HoofBeats Paso Finos

E. ruth@raisongroup.com James Zeno Finca La Charca

DeWitt, Michigan T. 517-490-7712

Morriston, FL

E. bickertr@msu.edu

T. 845-522-3361

www.gentlehoofbeats.com

E. civillawcasemanagement@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/rosiebickert

T. 540-493-6423 E. pennyb@sitstar.net

INDIANA

GEORGIA Rufino Figueroa Toccoa, GA T. 706-244-1294 E. rufinofigueroa@icloud.com LuAnn Lackey Ellijay, GA

Debra Sandusky Adrian, MI T. E. Karen Timberman Waldron, MI T. E. timberidgekb@gmail.com

T. 706-636-1682 E. llackey@ellijay.com Rence Slappy

MINNESOTA Víctor Rivera

Fortson, GA

Eden Pairie, MN

T. 706-505-5217

T. 952-835-5665

E. arslappy@gmail.com

E. cucourivera@hotmail.com

Owners’ directory MISSISSIPPI

NEW JERSEY

Janet J. Brown

William & Mildred López Criadero López Paso Finos

Meridian, MS T. 601-917-4700

Vineland, NJ

E. giddyupgogo11@yahoo.com

T. 856-794-8843

Bonnie Cannon Shannonwood Farm Wiggins, MS T. 601-928-9777 E. luvselah@gmail.com

MISSOURI Jesse & Tabitha Dillanhay Lockwood, MO T. 417-861-4523 E. Tracy Hernández Buckeye Ridge Lockwood, MO T. 417-861-0303 E. pfrider@earthlink.net Lauren Hill Sarcoxie, MO T. 417-338-9374 E. John & Cassandra Kline

E.

NEW YORK Louie Giorgi Mt. Pisgah Paso Finos

E. theoneacrewood@comcast.net David & Millie Holderread Blue Bird Paradise Paso Finos

E. mtnxtreme@gmail.com

E. smoothride@bluebirdpasofinos.com www.bluebirdpasofinos.com

OKLAHOMA Tonia Colburn Cuatro Beat Pasos Muskogee, Oklahoma T. 918-441-9902 T. 918-781-9901 E. cuatrobeat@yahoo.com www.facebook.com/Cuatro-Beat-PasoFino-Horses-1508319659481832

OREGON Janice Chipman Aurora, OR

Peg Cornell Corvallis, OR T. 541-754-3984

T.

E. rob.cornell@comcast.net

Wilmot, NH

Gaston, OR

T. 541-929-5338

Wentzville, MO

Cheryl Watson

Turk & Debbie Gravley

Corvallis, OR

E.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

E. vonszel@gmail.com

T. 845-532-3535

T. 417-335-1428

E. ron501@swbell.net

T. 503-830-7520

New Kingston, NY

T. 503-983-8702

Ronald Palmer

Terrebonne, OR

T. 503-929-7161

Kissee Mills, MO E. jckline123@gmail.com

Robert & Ann Graham

Joshua Dallman Eugene, OR T. 541-953-464 E. joshuadallman@gmail.com Summer Douglas

T.

Vernonia, OR

E.

T. 503-429-0802 E. cd2day@gmail.com E. earth2summer@gmail.com

Heather LaBarre Hillsboro, OR T. 503-708-3985 E. lsbarrefamilyfarm@comcast.net Josey & Bruce Machado Puerto Rican Paso Fino Heart Throbs Prineville, OR T. 503-983-8702 E. prpfheartthrobs@yahoo.com E. 4hoofbeats@gmail.com Rhonda Marquis Terrebonne, OR T. 541-420-9398 E. hrsnarnd55@gmail.com Paula Miller Baker City, OR T. E. kurt_pj@q.com Wanita Miller Philomath, OR T. 541-929-3507 E. wmillerdgreen@yahoo.com Dee Myers Golden Sunset Ranch Baker City, OR T. E.

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Owners’ directory Robin Perry Grants Pass, OR

Mandy Orvosh Heart of Gold Paso Finos

Gail Brown Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm

T. 541-660-6042

Rochester Mills, PA

Batesburg, SC

E. randarubin@gmail.com

T. 412-400-5132

T. 803-657-5682

E. 9-orvosh@yahoo.com

E. gailbrown45@hotmail.com

Donna Randall Winds of Freedom Farm Albany, OR

SOUTH CAROLINA

T. 541-730-0588

Marueen Adkins & Alexis DeMeza

T. 541-990-2212 E. donnaparty69@live.com www.facebook.com/windsoffreedomfarm www.donnaparty69.wixsite.com/ windsoffreedom Laura J. Sparks Eagle Creek, OR T. 503-539-4424 E. Margie Stevenson Grants Pass, OR T. 541-955-8378 E. margies@oigp.net Randy & Deeanna Marie Wallace Mountaindale, OR T. E. 1_cipo@yahoo.com Mark Watson Portland, OR T. E. karlawatson@comcast.net

PENNSYLVANIA

Columbia, SC T. 803-894-6173 T. 803-466-0029 E. madkins270@pbtcomm.net Grayson Anthony Lexington, SC T. 803-356-0875 E. ranthony@sc.rr.com Regan Anthony Lexington, SC T. 803-479-5632 E. ranthony0427@gmail.com John A. Ashley

www.facebook.com/ purepuertoricanpasofinohorses Sam & Glenda Cerezo Camden, SC T. 803-432-8306 E. Jim Davis Camden, SC T. 803-432-3611 E. Staige DeBenedetti Camden, SC T. 209-810-7490 E. sprinceh@mindspring.com Joyce Dickinson Valley Stream Farms Leesville, SC

Gilbert, SC

T. 803-718-3347

T.

E. joyce.dickinson@davita.com

E. Elizabeth Baerreis Cornwell Farm

Lindsy Dickinson Valley Stream Farms Leesville, SC

Swansea, SC

T. 803-718-5587

T. 803-568-2258

E. lcdickinson0117@gmail.com

E. rubs@pbtcomm.net Diane Black & Richard Tidwell

Gloria C. Douglass Merrylane Farms

Aiken, SC

Columbia, SC

Gail Brennan

T. 803-646-3446

T. 803-254-1239

Indiana, PA

T. 803-646-3335

E. gcdouglass@aol.com

T.

E. dianepaso@gmail.com

E.

E. kf4joi@yahoo.com

Lorna Gay Campbell

Fernando Bodón

Tionesta, PA

Lexington, SC

T. 814-755-3768

T. 803-705-9907

E. hunterrun@verizon.net

E. postiza2000@aol.com

Edwardo Figueroa Batesburg, SC T. E. familiamunguia@hotmail.com Clifford Fisher Margaritas Paso Fino Farm Lexington, SC T. 803-331-0091 E. clifford@owens-fisher.com

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Owners’ directory Juan García

Johnny Lanier

Kayla & Brandon Sturkey

Kershaw, SC

Kershaw, SC

Aiken, SC

T. 803-475-1136

T. 803-475-1136

T. 803-295-1723

E.

T. 803-508-1383

Ann & Al Gilpatrick Conway, SC T. 803-645-8837

Stella Manberg-Wise Great Blazes Farm

T. 803-646-1429

Windsor, SC

E. gilpatrick@yahoo.com

T. 803-646-3327

E. bsturkie07@gmail.com E. kaylapaso803@gmail.com Bill & Lori Sutton Carolina Brio Paso Fino Farm

E. greatblazesfarm@gmail.com

Irmo, SC

Lexington, SC

www.facebook.com/Great-Blazes-FarmPaso-Finos-PLUS-1114680431877243

T. 803-606-9537

T. 803-530-5110

www.greatblazes.com

Cindy Griggs

E. griggsck@windstream.net Teresa & Ronnie Grissom Pelion, SC T. 803-429-1695 E. rtgrissom1@yahoo.com E. grissomt@rcgov.us Rosemary Harrell Eagle’s Rest Johns Island, SC T. 843-442-7005 E. rosmith26@hotmail.com Roni Hicks Leesville, SC T. 803-532-3003 T. 803-318-0102 E. ronilynnhicks@gmail.com E. wondermybaby@aol.com Jim Holland Florence, SC T. 843-665-6615 E. Maggie & Tom Johnson West Columbia, SC T. 803-791-3459 E. maggie1501@sc.rr.com Joan Kalec Leesville, SC T. 803-361-4935 E. joankalec.art@gmail.com

Melina Marsh Country Springs Lexington, SC T. 803-319-4231 E. marshmelina@yahoo.com Diane & Ronald Maury Foxhill Farm Wagener, SC T. 803-351-1589 E. Clyde & Francis Meares Columbia, SC T. 803-772-5945 E. Beth Postell Ravenel, SC T. 803-763-9339 E. Greg & Rita Rice Elgin, SC T. 803-206-3909 E. gregr@reborn..com E. paso5777@gmail.com Patti Smith

E. dzineforu@aol.com Katelin Swygert Wagener, SC T. 803-600-3767 E. mercerdeshull@aol.com Lynn & Kevin Swygert Wagener, SC T. 803-600-3767 E. klkswy@aol.com Cathy Tack Leesville, SC T. 803-381-5992 E. tackat@yahoo.com Michelle Thomas Macree Cameron, SC T. 803-823-2792 E. Jennifer Watkins Palmetto Pride Paso Fino Farm Batesburg, SC T. 803-657-6967 E. jenniferwatkins100@gmail.com www.facebook.com/ purepuertoricanpasofinohorses Robbyn Young Ravenel, SC

Columbia, SC

T. 704-778-2777

T. 803-422-1817

E. robbyncita@yahoo.com

E. montage@sc.rr.com Donald F. Smith Cayce, SC T. 803-794-0770 E. vasmith@sc.rr.com

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Owners’ directory TEXAS

WASHINGTON

Mary Berg Sonriente Paso Finos

Sharon DeLaney Enumclaw, WA

Taylor, TX

T. 206-321-5087

T. 512-998-9719

E. delasl@aol.com

E. mary@k9element.com www.facebook.com/sonrientepasofinos Ramón and Mildred Bodón Kofresí Royal Farm Killeen, TX T. 254-462-7982 E. salsabodon@aol.com www.facebook.com/Kofresi-RoyalFarm-550812661692030 Marj Douglas Rancho Mi Estrella

CANADA César A. Romero Saskatoon, Canada T. 306-242-9309 E. cesar.alejandro.romero@gmail.com www.facebook.com/PA50F1N0 Stefanie Schermerhorn Trademark Farms Saskatchewan, Canada

Dale, TX

T. 306-500-1746 (Sask)

T. 512-787-3019

T. 731-845-3718 (Tennessee)

E. marj_douglas@yahoo.com

E. info@pintopaso.com

www.facebook.com/ pasofinosofranchomiestrella

www.facebook.com/pintopasofino www.pintopaso.com

Rafael and Margarita García Velarama Royal Farm Killeen, TX T. 808-778-8164 (Rafael) T. 808-779-0094 (Margarita) E. boricuakendo@gmail.com

VIRGINIA Patricia & James Muncy Bentonville, VA T. 540-635-9568 E. John & Trish Novaro T. 757-859-6449 E.

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(Author unknown)

Dearest God in Heaven, give me the strength to guide my horse. Make my hands soft and my head clear. Let my horse understand me, and I him.

My heart You have blessed with a special love of these animals, let me never lose sight of it. My soul You have gifted with a deep need for them. Let that need never lessen.

Always let my breath catch as the sun gleams on an elegant head. Always may my throat tighten at the sound of a gentle nicker. Let the scent of fresh hay and a new bag of grain always be sweet to me.

Let the warm touch of a warm nose on my hand always bring a smile.

I adore the joy of a warm day on the farm. The grace and splendor of a running horse, the thunder of its hooves makes my eyes burn and my heart soar.

Let it always be so.

E. margaretgarcia109@gmail.com

Zuni, VA

Horseman’s Prayer

This section is a work in progress, if you want to be included in this directory or want to add more information to your listing, please send your information to editor.borntogait@ gmail.com or contact us through our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ BornToGait .

Dearest God, grant me patience, for horses are harnessed wind and wind can be flighty. Let me not frighten or harm them. Instead show me ways to understand.

Above all, Dear God, fill my life with them. When I pass from this world, send my soul to no Heaven without them. For this love You have given me graces my existence. I shall cherish it and praise You for it for all time. Amen.

Stallions’ directory FLORIDA

MISSOURI

OREGON

Borinquen de Mi Orgullo

Don Juan de América

Armani del Sol

Mago de Pride x Belinda de Réplica

Juan Jesus x Srta. Constitución

Barba Roja de Kofresí II x Alborada del Sol

Pedro Burgos

Tracy Hernández

César Romero

Castadero Villa Burgos

Buckeye Ridge

Tallahassee, Florida

Lockwood, Missouri

Standing at Puerto Rican Paso Fino Heart Throbs

T. 787-244-0832

T. 417-861-0303

Diseño Taino D’Mi Borinquen Mago de Pride x Aroma de Las Magnolias

E. pfrider@earthlink.net

Denisse Cancel

NEW YORK

D’Mi Borinquen Paso Fino

Magnum

Micanopy, Florida T. 352-246-9983 E. denissecancel@hotmail.com Don Tatá D’Borikén Poema de Altura x Sombra del Brujo Edgardo Fullana

E. fullanae@hotmail.com Romeo de Pride

Contact Josey Machado T. 503-983-8702 E. prpfheartthrobs@yahoo.com Royalty’s Prince Killian Thorin

Ser Extremo Esperanza x Ilusionista

Turabo Segundo x Royalty’s Toña La Negra

Louie Giorgi

Summer Douglas

Mt. Pisgah Paso Finos

Vernonia, Oregon

New Kingston, New York

Not available for stud services at this time.

T. 845-532-3535 E. mtnxtreme@gmail.com

Royalty’s Turabo D’Alicante (aka Zorro) David Holderread

Palm City, Florida T. 561-797-8052

Prineville, Oregon

OKLAHOMA Cuatro Beat Obsession Color: Tobiano Pinto

Blue Bird Paradise Paso Finos Corvallis, Oregon T. E. smoothride@bluebirdpasofinos.com

Amante de Pride x Yesenia de Toro Negro

Santo Serrano x Milicirin’s Miracle

Pedro Burgos

Tonia Colburn

Castadero Villa Burgos

Cuatro Beat Pasos

Cale’s Helado Oro x Medalla de Pride

Tallahassee, Florida

Muskogee, Oklahoma

Donna Randall

T. 787-244-0832

T. 918-441-9902

Winds of Freedom Farm

T. 918-781-9901

Albany, Oregon

E. cuatrobeat@yahoo.com

T. 541-730-0588

MICHIGAN Curioso Milagro de Nieve x Farola Rosie Spagnuolo Bickert Gentle HoofBeats Paso Finos DeWitt, Michigan T. 517-490-7712 E. bickertr@msu.edu

Royalty’s Vaho del Cumbre Vaho de Montana x Carmina B Tonia Colburn

Yuquiyú

T. 541-990-2212 E. donnaparty69@live.com

Cuatro Beat Pasos

SOUTH CAROLINA

Muskogee, Oklahoma

Boricua

T. 918-441-9902

Plebeyo x Suleyka

T. 918-781-9901

Gail Brown and Jennifer Watkins

E. cuatrobeat@yahoo.com

Palmetto Pride Puerto Rican Paso Fino Farm Batesburg, South Carolina T. 803-532-8805 E. gailbrown45@hotmail.com

BORN TO GAIT • SPRING 2022

41

Stallions’ directory Diamante Pechudo x Tiffany’s Travesura Stella Manberg-Wise Great Blazes Farm Windsor, South Carolina T. 803-646-3327 E. greatblazesfarm@gmail.com Fuego Rápido de Pride San Mateo Mako x Diamante Negra de Pride Cathy Tack Palmetto Pride Puerto Rican Paso Fino Farm

TEXAS

CANADA

Amaretto Royal

Cale’s Ayudo de Pintura

Allegretto Royal x Faraona Royal

San Mateo Mako x Pintura LaCE

Ramón and Mildred Bodón

Stefanie Schermerhorn

Kofresí Royal Farm

Trademark Farms

Killeen, Texas

Saskatchewan, Canada

T. 254-462-7982

T. 306-500-1746 (Sask)

E. salsabodon@aol.com

T. 731-845-3718 (Tennessee)

Galante de Pride San Mateo Mako x Herencia de Kofregrama Rafael and Margarita García

Batesburg, South Carolina

Velarama Royal Farm

T. 803-687-1565

Killeen, Texas

E. tackcat@yahoo.com

T. 808-778-8164 (Rafael)

JB Legado de Pride Boricua x Camelia de Pride Gail Brown and Jennifer Watkins Palmetto Pride Puerto Rican Paso Fino Farm Batesburg, South Carolina T. 803-532-8805 E. gailbrown45@hotmail.com Mago de Pride Rejonero de Labriego x Magia Negra de Toro Negro Gail Brown and Jennifer Watkins Palmetto Pride Puerto Rican Paso Fino Farm

T. 808-779-0094 (Margarita) E. boricuakendo@gmail.com E. margaretgarcia109@gmail.com

E. gailbrown45@hotmail.com

BORN TO GAIT • SPRING 2022

T. 306-500-1746 (Sask) T. 731-845-3718 (Tennessee) E. info@pintopaso.com

E. salsabodon@aol.com Rayito de Oro Color: Cremello Cale’s Helado Oro x Tostada de Hidalgo

T. 512-787-3019 E. marj_douglas@yahoo.com Rojo Rey de Cuerno Grande Águila de Negro x Azúcar Morena Mary Berg Sonriente Paso Finos Taylor, Texas T. 512-998-9719 E. mary@k9element.com

42

Saskatchewan, Canada

T. 254-462-7982

Dale, Texas

T. 803-532-8805

Trademark Farms

Killeen, Texas

Rancho Mi Estrella

Batesburg, South Carolina

Stefanie Schermerhorn

Kofresí Royal Farm

E. gailbrown45@hotmail.com

Palmetto Pride Puerto Rican Paso Fino Farm

Brillador de Pisgah x Reina de Margarita

Ramón and Mildred Bodón

Marj Douglas

Gail Brown and Jennifer Watkins

Color: Tobiano Pinto

Boricua x Candela de Kofresí

T. 803-532-8805

Boricua x Magia de Réplica

Domingo del Escudero

Imperio Royal

Batesburg, South Carolina

Plebeyo de Pride

E. info@pintopaso.com

This listing includes PPR Paso Fino Stallions properly registered with one of the PPR Paso Fino organizations in the United States or Puerto Rico. The horse must reside in the United State to be included in this list.

If you want to include your stallion in this directory or want to add more information to your listing, please send the information to editor.borntogait@ gmail.com or contact us through our Facebook page www.facebook.com/ BornToGait .

Organization’s directory UNITED STATES

PUERTO RICO

SOCIAL MEDIA

Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Federation of America

Federación del Deporte de Caballos de Paso Fino de Puerto Rico

Paso Fino Preservation

PO Box 2027, Leesville SC 29070-2027 T. 803-532-8805

PMB 220, #138 Ave. Winston Churchill, San Juan PR 00926-6013

E. gailbrown45@hotmail.com

T.

www.pprpffa.org

E. federacionpasofino@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/PPRPFFA

www.facebook.com/FDCPFPR

The Livestock Conservancy PO Box 477, 33 Hillsboro, St. Pittsboro, NC 27312 T. 919-542-5704 E. info@livestockconservancy.org www.livestockconservancy.org www.facebook.com/livestockconservancy

Asociación Nacional del Deporte de Caballos de Paso Fino de Puerto Rico Cond. El Atlántico, Aptdo. L-1, Levittown PR 00949-4223 T. E. nacionalpasofino@gmail.com www.facebook.com/ AsociacionNacionaldePasoFino Asociación Insular Dueños y Criadores Paso Fino Puro Puertorriqueño PO Box 1013, Guaynabo PR 00970-1013 T. 787-365-4087 E. insularpasofino.pr@gmail.com www.facebook.com/ AsociacionInsularPasoFinoPuro Oficina de Paso Fino Departamento de Agricultura de PR Box 10163, San Juan PR 00908-1163 T. (787) 721-2120

www.facebook.com/Paso-FinoPreservation-773845989440462 Paso Fino, puro de aquí www.facebook.com/purodeaqui Paso Fino Raza Puertorriqueña www.facebook.com/ pasofinorazapuertorriquena/ www.pasofinopur.com PNW Puerto Rican Paso Finos www.facebook.com/ groups/742342929878629 PPR Paso Fino Group www.facebook.com/ groups/1906531239409437 Raza Autóctona TV Paso Fino, Raza Autóctona de Puerto Rico T. 787-910-2729 E. jhuertasmelendez@yahoo.com www.youtube.com/c/ PasoFinoRazaAutóctonadePuertoRico www.facebook.com/ pasofinorazaautoctonadePR www.facebook.com/ groups/704893746370347

E. info@agricultura.pr.gov www.agricultura.pr Paso Fino Puerto Rico Horse Breed Foundation – PFBREED PMB 1736, Calle París #243, San Juan PR 00917 T. 787-403-7545 E. pasofinoprbreedfoundation@gmail.com www.facebook.com/pfbreed

MAGAZINES Paso Fino, Raza de Puerto Rico Magazine Rafael Arbelo T. (863) 838-3932 E. yumac1@hotmail.com www.facebook.com/ PasoFinoaPuertoRicanBreed www.pasofinomagazine.com

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