Paso Fino Characteristics Head: Well-shaped, alert, and intelligent face. The head is refined and in proportion to the body, with a defined, but not extreme jaw, and large, expressive eyes.
Midsection: The top line should be proportionately shorter than the underline. The back is strong and muscled. Hindquarters: The croup is slightly sloping with rounded loins, broad hips, and strong hocks. The tail is carried gracefully when in motion.
Neck: Gracefully arched, medium in length, and allowing for a high carriage.
Forehand: Shoulders slope into the withers with great depth through the hearth. Info Courtesy of: www.pfha.org
Photo Courtesy of: www.pasofinotv.com
Legs: Straight with refined bones, strong, well-defined tendons, and broad, long forearms with shorter cannons. The thigh and gaskin are strong and muscled but not exaggerated. Pasterns are sloping and medium in length.
Paso Fino Horse Association Facebook Page
Paso Fino Horse Association Facebook Page
Paso Fino Geldings
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1, rises to the top today as the chestnut combines balance and breed character to a higher degree. He ties an attractive head to a long and gently arching neck which then blends into a stronger shoulder and wither. He is shorter across the top and deeper loined with a more ample hip. 2, the Palomino cannot compare to 1 today. 2 is plain about the head with a smaller eye and longer face, he is longer across his back and shallow through the loin and hip. Finally 2 stands down on a finer column of bone.
HELPFUL HINT What if you aren’t sure exactly what color a horse might be – I went back and forth on #2 here. As long as you are in the ballpark you should be fine, the reasons taker should be able to distinguish which horse you are talking about.
Notes
Paso Fino Mares
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Photos Courtesy of the Paso Fino Horse Association Facebook Page
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Paso Fino Mares
Official Placing Cuts
Placing: 4-3-1-2 Cuts: 3-2-1
4-3-1-2 3-2-1
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4,3,1,2 is my preferred alignment of the Paso Fino Mares. I found an easy top followed by a close middle pair and rounded out the class with a logical bottom. I started the class with the liver chestnut, 4, as she more completely combines the aspects of balance and breed character. 4 ties a typier, more attractive head to neck protruding higher out of a longer, more well laid back shoulder. Also, She is tighter over her topline with a rounder croup and deeper hip. She is more capacious about her thorax being deeper through the heart girth and loin. Finally, 4 stands down on a broader forearm with shorter sturdier canons. Yes, 3 is longer and leaner about the neck, but, I cannot ignore the fact that she is finer boned and more upright in her pasterns. In my closer middle pair, of larger framed mares it is 3 over 1. The bay attaches a more feminine head to a longer, leaner neck which merges with a shorter, straighter back and squarer hip. Furthermore, 3 pairs a deeper loin with a more correct top to bottom-line ratio. To finish, 3 is smoother blending from end to end with sleeker muscle definition through the shoulder and forearm. Finding no obvious grant for 1, I must fault her for being coarser made and higher in her hip. Settling on my final pair, it is breed character that pins 1 over 2. The dapple gray scopes a linger neck higher out of her shoulder and is smoother blending down her topline. In addition, 1 shows more spring to her rib along with a deeper heart girth and broader loin. I admit 2 is deeper hipped but I must leave her last as she is plainer about her head and ties a shorter neck, lower into her shoulder. Also, she is shallow in her barrel and stands back at the knee. Overall, the light gray lacks the smooth blending profile and type to place higher today. Thank you.
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