The noble Peruvian Horse is a unique and stylish breed with a sloped croup and deep girth. Lorraine Swanson/Shutterstock
North American Peruvian Horse Association
3095 Burleson Retta Road, Suite B
Burleson, Texas 76028
www.napha.net
Webster’s defines “luxury” as “the use and enjoyment of the best, most precious things that offer the most physical comfort and satisfaction.” Thus, luxury may be the single best word in the English language to describe the Peruvian Horse. This breed combines the world’s smoothest gait with the most spectacularly stylish action known of all the equine breeds. It is the Cadillac of the horse world.
The Peruvian Horse is an enigmatic blend of extremes. It has the fire of the old Spanish warhorse, and yet is noted for tractability. It is an animal of refined beauty with the strength and endurance to cover many miles a day, year after year. No artificial devices or special training aids are necessary to enable the horse to perform its specialty—a natural four-beat footfall of medium speed that provides a ride of incomparable smoothness and harmony of movement. These are the qualities genetically locked in by centuries of selection.
It is a truly unique breed of horse, but only during the past thirty years has it been well known in the United States. In Peru, it has been cherished and selectively bred for centuries.
History
The judicious fusion of several Old World breeds constitute the Peruvian Horse’s foundation. Most of its ancestors came from Spain with the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro, and were of Andalusian, African Barb, and Spanish Jennet blood. The Spanish Jennet passed on its even temperament and smooth ambling gait. The African Barb contributed great energy, strength, and stamina, while the Andalusian imparted its excellent conformation, action, proud carriage, and beauty to the new breed.
These Spanish horses were largely credited by historians for causing the fall of the centuries-old Inca Empire, as they gave the conquistadors a distinct advantage over the Incas. Explorers were aware of their horses’ importance and reportedly valued them so much that many were shod with silver and young foals were carried by porters in hammocks during the long marches.
Subsequent settlers to the Peru area bred the Spanish horses selectively. At the time when Lima became the vice royalty of New Spain, the owners of Peru’s large haciendas favored horses with fast, smooth gaits, thus succeeding generations of strict selection genetically fixed these traits.
The Peruvians did not breed exclusively for gait, as disposition was equally important. The horses were used for transportation, and riders did not want to deal with temperamental, stubborn, or nervous horses, which were culled out. In fact, the disposition of the Peruvian Horse has become its most appealing virtue, although the smooth gait is more renowned.
Once established, the Peruvian Horse was maintained in its native country as a closed population, isolated by geography and the dedication of its breeders from the influence of additional outside blood. Eventually, it became the national horse of Peru.
As a result of its strict culling, the Peruvian Horse remains elegant, intelligent, tractable, and eager to please. It is enjoyed by anyone looking for the thrill and luxury of a Cadillac ride. Additionally, it has retained the presence and arrogance of its warhorse ancestors. The modern day Peruvian Horse still travels like a conqueror.
Peruvian Horse and Paso Fino
Many people assume there is a close relationship between the Peruvian Horse and the Paso Fino. While the Peruvian horsemen were developing their native horses, other countries in Central and South America were also breeding horses from original Spanish stock. These later became known as Paso Finos.
Although these horses originated from the same Old World foundation bloods, they were bred for different purposes and characteristics. They came to the New World with different groups of settlers and were generated in entirely separate environments for different purposes.
The Paso Fino was developed in and around the Caribbean and Central and South America, while the Peruvian Horse was born within the borders of its namesake country. Over the ensuing four hundred years, the Paso Fino has become a distinct breed. Their favored gait does not require the length of stride essential for traveling long distances.
Both have a high head carriage and front leg lift, are smooth to ride, and exhibit basically the same four-beat footfall, although each executes it differently. The Peruvian, however, differs in that it is somewhat larger and deeper in the body and wider.
In the United States
In the United States, the Peruvian Horse’s adopted homeland, there is an enthusiastic and dedicated group of horse people who believe the breed rightly belongs in the United States and naturally fits in with the American way of life. They encourage others to find this best kept secret for themselves.
The Peruvian Horse is graceful and refined. Its walk is lateral. Thomas Barrat/Shutterstock
As one of the world’s last remaining naturally gaited breeds, the Peruvian Paso has become a sensation among American horse enthusiasts for several very good reasons. It can guarantee 100 percent transmission of its gait to all purebred foals. There is something for everyone with the Peruvian Paso: riding comfort and stamina for the avid trail rider; calm tractable disposition so important in the family mount; and arrogant, flashy presence and action that set the exhibitor and parade team apart from others. For knowledgeable American horse people, the Peruvian Horse offers investment potential solidly supported by its relative rarity and increasing popularity.
Owners have the privilege of preserving a unique breed that can never be duplicated. While the heritage of the Peruvian Horse cannot—and should not—be denied, its purely recreational role in the United States is shaping an animal that appeals particularly to the American sense of beauty and function. As a result, more and more American horse people are discovering the great joy, comfort, and excitement of owning the marvelous Peruvian Horse.
In 2005, two long-standing Peruvian Horse registries—the Peruvian Paso Horse Registry of North America (PPHRNA) and the American Association of Owners and Breeders of Peruvian Paso Horses (AAOBPPH)—merged to become the North American Peruvian Horse Association. PPHRNA and AAOBPPH were founded in the early 1970s by serious breeders who had imported stock from Peru. In a few short years, the breed gained tremendous recognition and popularity in the United States. Since their importation to North America, many Peruvian Horses have proven their ability to adapt to all climates and continue their easy keeping capabilities. They are used for show, pleasure, trail, endurance, and parade riding. American breeders have already exported horses to Europe, Australia, East Asia, and Canada.
The Peruvian Horse’s action combines termino with knee and fetlock flex. Thomas Barrat/Shutterstock
The registry has sustained moderate growth throughout its history, even during times when other breeds had seen some decline in numbers. The show ring, even at national levels, is full of amateur and junior riders who compete and win in every type of halter and performance class.
Standard
The Peruvian Horse should have the appearance of energy, grace, and refinement. Size ranges from 14.1 to 15.2 hands, with the average being about 14.2 hands.
Acceptable colors are bay, black, brown, buckskin, chestnut, dun, gray, grullo, palomino, and roan. Solid colors, grays, and dark skin are preferred.
The Peruvian Horse tends to boast long, luxurious manes and tails. The mane is abundant with fine, lustrous hair that may be wavy or straight, though tails are not as wavy due to their weight. Tails are set low, and when viewed from the rear, they are carried quietly and straight, and are held close to the buttocks.
The head is of medium size with a straight or slightly concave profile, small muzzle, oblong nostrils that extend easily, dark skin, dark expressive eyes set well apart, moderately marked jowls, and medium length ears with fine tips curved slightly inward.
The neck is of medium length with a graceful arch to the crest; it is slightly heavier in proportion to the body than that of most light saddle breeds.
The back is medium to short in length, strong, and rounded. Loins are broad and well muscled over the kidney area. The croup should be long, wide, nicely rounded, and fairly muscular with moderate slope.
The chest is wide with moderate muscling. The girth is deep, with the length of leg and depth of body approximately equal. Ribcage is well sprung and deep, as is the barrel. The underline is nearly level from the last rib to the brisket. Flanks are moderately short, full, and deep.
Quarters should be strong and of medium roundness and width. Shoulders are long, well inclined and well muscled, especially at the withers. Bones of the lower limbs should be well aligned and well articulated so that the long bones line up with each other correctly above and below the joints, with the skin tight against the bone and strong, prominent tendons. Pasterns are of medium length and springy without showing weakness. Any horse whose angle of the pastern is below horizontal, that is, the fetlock is level with or below the level of the coronet, will be heavily penalized. Cannon bones are short. There is slightly more angle to the hock than that of other light saddle breeds.
Gait Style and Training
In addition to an easy gait, early Peruvian Horse breeders desired their new breed to retain brilliant action combined with termino, typified by high lift as the knee and fetlock flex. This movement of the front legs is similar to the loose, outward rolling of a swimmer’s arms in the crawl. The outward rolling happens during front limb extension while striding and is a characteristic trademark of the Peruvian Horse. This showy action gives the Peruvian Horse the appearance of always being “on parade” and is also completely natural due to selective breeding. It is not a wing or paddle stride, but instead originates in the shoulder, giving the horse the ability to swing the leg forward with minimum vertical force to the back.
The horse exhibits termino at the walk, Paso Llano, Sobreandando (the basic gaits of the breed), and canter. It is probably most evident in the slower gaits, simply because it is easier to see. The horses are very wise with their use of termino; if they are on a trail with a lot of shrubs or a narrow path, they will accommodate themselves to it and move with less or no termino.
Perhaps the most misunderstood of all traits that distinguishes the Peruvian Horse is brio, a quality of spirit that enables it to perform with arrogance and exuberance that can only be described as thrilling. Brio and stamina give the Peruvian its willingness and ability to perform tirelessly for many hours and many miles in the service of its rider.
A major philosophy among Peruvian breeders about training is that great Peruvian Horses are born—not trained. Training is designed to bring out the animal’s inherent ability, but not modify it artificially. To help ensure retention of completely natural action and gait, no horse is allowed in the show ring with shoes or with hooves longer than 4 inches. All Peruvian breeders use basically the same training methods and equipment so that no advantage is gained through artificial devices or aids. If a horse will not collect properly or cannot be managed with a mild bit, it is not deemed suitable for breeding. If a horse lacks termino, well known exercises to increase this trait are not used, as this would only prolong the existence of the fault in future generations. The guiding philosophy is that it is easier to cull undesirable qualities immediately than to deal with them in future generations.
Gaits
The gait of the Peruvian Paso is a broken pace that gives the rider neither the vertical movement of the trot nor the lateral motion of the pace. It is undoubtedly the smoothest ride in the horse world.
The Paso Llano and Sobreandando, along with the walk, are the basic gaits of the breed.
The Paso Llano is a totally equal, four-beat gait. The timing and footfall is: one-two-three-four, which is left hind–left front–right hind–right front.
The Sobreandando is a slightly more lateral gait and usually faster. The footfall is the same: left hind– left front, right hind–right front, but the timing is more lateral. The left hind hits, then the left fore. There is a slight pause, the right hind hits, and then the right fore. So the timing and footfall are more like one-two . . . three-four; left hind–left front . . . right hind–right front.
The walk should be a relaxed, equal four-beat lateral movement. The horse should be on the bit, but the contact is light. The head should be steady.
A horse should be penalized if it does not walk or does not “cap.” Cap means that at a slow speed, the rear lateral hoof will step, or preferably extend over (step farther forward than), the print of the front hoof. This is also called overreach. When the gait is extended, the rear hoof print will always reach over the front hoof print. This type of motion allows the horse to cover more ground with less effort. It also allows for a greater smoothness of gait and greater longevity of the limbs. The rear foot should reach to about the midsection of the horse and within 6 inches of a line extending down from the cinch area.
Horses that do not gait (Paso Llano or Sobreandando) at all should be dismissed from the class, and one that breaks gait should be heavily penalized.
The Enfrenadura is specifically a Peruvian Paso class and is the equivalent of a Peruvian reining class. The poncho is to be folded on the saddle. The show premium must specify exact patterns and sequences. The following patterns are those of the Traditional Peruvian Reining Class:
(a) Horse is to be stopped twice, once with the right hind leg farthest under the horse, and once with the left hind leg farthest under.
(b) Horse backs at least eight steps either straight back, or quartering to left and/or right, with the horse facing squarely forward. When the movement to the rear stops, the horse should pick both forelegs up and surge forward off the hind legs before gaiting forward.
(c) Horse should make a circle of 20 to 30 feet in diameter, which is completed at least three times with the horse following exactly the same circle. The hind legs should not cuarteado (inside hind leg stepping into or across the path of the outside hind leg in the turn).
(d) To perform the caracol, the horse first travels in a 30-foot circle and then gradually makes smaller and smaller concentric circles until it reaches the center. As the concentric circles become smaller, the horse will begin cuarteando and will begin turning its head in toward the center of the circle, with the amount of cuarteando becoming greater as the circle becomes smaller. When the horse reaches the center of the circle, it will have its head turned into the inside stirrup, and its hindquarters will make a complete circle around its forequarters. Then the process is reversed without stopping, and the concentric circles gradually become larger until the original starting point is reached. The carocal may be done to the left and/or right and may also be reversed in the center of the circle.
(e) The figure six is done in both directions; that is, with the loop of the “6” to the right once and to the left once. At the discretion of the judge, this maneuver may be done at a gallop.
(f) The figure eight should be composed of two perfect circles and not have an “X” in the center.
(g) Spurs are mandatory. No type of gamarilla, bozalillo, or maquinaria (pieces of headgear which tie the mouth shut or in any way lift the bit up from its normal position in the mouth) is permitted. Opening of the horse’s mouth shall be penalized.
The class is judged 80 percent on performance, with emphasis on a soft mouth and a horse that is responsive to subtle aids; 10 percent on condition; and 10 percent on gait. Entries that do not follow the pattern should be heavily penalized or disqualified.
Credit: North American Peruvian Horse Association