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Spotlight On The Breed: The Peruvian Horse |
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by M. Y. Mim |
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A frequent answer to "Why did you buy a Peruvian?" goes something like: "I had given up riding because of a bad back, neck injury, or other problem. Then I heard about this wonderful horse with a ride as smooth as a rocking chair. Now I go on all-day trail rides and have no problems. This horse is so-o-o smooth!"
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Because no indigenous equines roamed the Americas, the Peruvian owes its ancestry to Francisco Pizarro's introduction of the horse from Spain in 1532. Pizarro brought Andalusians, Barbs, and Fresians, all sturdy, dependable horses that the Spanish conquistadors used as warhorses. The conquerors swept across the continent in their conquest of the Inca empire. The capability of the horses to endure long forced marches gave the conquistadors unbelievable mobility and tremendous advantage over their slower, surprised enemies.
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Photograph of Bonito Nino by Debbie Pye |
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Photo of Gringo by Debbie Pye |
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Because Peru is isolated by the Pacific to the west and the Andes to the east, very little cross-breeding of outside blood was done with the Peruvian Horse, thus preserving a genetic lineage which has remained pure to this day.
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Over the next 450 years, careful attention was paid to breeding a sturdy, horse with an extremely comfortable gait. The four-beat, lateral gait of the Peruvian Horse is according to enthusiasts, the most comfortable ride in the world.
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From its very origin, the Peruvian Horse has been bred for luxury. Covering the vast haciendas in Peru, one needed an animal of great endurance, but, also important to the rider, an animal capable of providing a smooth, comfortable ride over those great distances. Careful breeding produced a horse with the unique combination of the smoothest ride and the utmost ground-covering stride.
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The horses were expected to carry their riders twenty to forty miles in a single workday that required mounting and dismounting many times a day. As one rider noted," It is much easier to mount and dismount a horse under 15 hands many times a day, as compared to a horse that stands 16 to 17 hands." |
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In addition to their use on ranches, the horses were used in the savage mountain ranges of the Andes where their compact size made them ideal for navigating the narrow, treacherous mountain passes.
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What makes the Peruvian so smooth yet fast? The answer lies in their gait, a natural, inbred quality in these horses. The Peruvian is the only gaited horse on earth that can guarantee its natural gait will be passed on to its offspring.
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The Peruvian Paso is a truly unique breed, but only during the last thirty-five years or so, has it been well known in the United States. In Peru, they have been cherished and selectively bred for centuries. The owners of Peru's large haciendas favored horses with fast smooth gaits and generations of strict selection have genetically fixed these traits and the breed transmits its gait to all purebred foals. One of the major principles of the Peruvian breeder is that a great Peruvian horse is born - not trained. |
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Photo of Mario Luna by Debbie Pye |
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Photo of Noble Soul by Debbie Pye |
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The gait of the Peruvian Paso Horse is a broken pace (Paso Llano) which gives the rider neither the vertical movement of the trot, nor the lateral motion of the pace. The trademark of the Peruvian is a characteristic known as "Termino," or the outward rolling of the front limb during extension and is completely natural due to selective breeding. It is not a wing or paddle and originates in the shoulder, giving the horse the ability to swing the leg forward with minimum vertical force and maximum extension. |
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The Peruvian Horse was not bred just for gait: disposition was equally as important. As a result of strict culling over the centuries, the Peruvian Horse is also intelligent, tractable and |
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eager to please, and yet maintains his presence and arrogance. |
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A good Peruvian Horse also demonstrates a trait called "brio." It means intelligent; spirited yet docile; with great dignity and presence - almost an arrogance - not found in many breeds. The Peruvian Horse is extremely gentle and loves people. They become very devoted to their owners and will go past endurance when asked, never knowing when to stop. Brio encompasses all of this.
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Today there are only about 40,000 Peruvian Horses in existence in the world, and about three-fourths of them are currently in the United States.
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So many people confused the Peruvian Paso and the Paso Fino, two distinct breeds, that in 2005, the Peruvian Paso Horse Registry of North America (PPHRNA) was renamed the North American Peruvian Horse Association (NAPHA).
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Photo of Tesoro de Oro by Debbie Pye |
Photo of Shakira by Debbie Pye |
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The next year, the American Association of Owners and Breeders of Peruvian Paso Horses (AAOBPPH) merged into NAPHA forming one national association and registry to serve the Peruvian Horse owners in the United States. NAPHA is the only U.S. association and registry officially recognized by Peru, Canada, and other international countries, and its main objective is to register purebred Peruvian Horses, promote the breed and educate the public.
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These smooth-riding Peruvian Horses, with their fascinating history, may just be the perfect breed for aging baby boomers. |
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About the Author: M. Y. Mim is a free-lance journalist based in Santa Barbara, Ca. She may be reached at mymim3@cox.net, or through her agent R. Almqvist, 805-705-5349.
The Author wishes to thank Mr. R. Almqvist for his invaluable assistance in making this article possible. |
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Read comments or post your own comments to this article at the bottom of this page. |
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Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved. The above article is the property of the Author and may not be duplicated or redistributed in any way without permission. |
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Reader comments for this article |
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Name: Kat Time: 2008-09-12 18:09:32
Comment: Love seeing Debbie Pye's photos in this well-written article. And my husband on his horse, FF Tesoro de Oro and my other friend's horses, Mario Luna and Noble Sol! Thanks for an excellent view of our breed.
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