Many people involved with the Paso Fino horse can agree with the fact that once a person is introduced to the breed, it always stays with that person. Furthermore, one could even say it envelops and becomes part of one’s lifestyle.
Alex Amador’s life with the Paso Fino is testament to those whose lives revolve around the Paso Fino.
Like many other people, Amador was involved with other breeds before being introduced to the Paso Fino.
“I have been involved with riding horses all my life,” said Amador “I started riding when I was three. When I first came to the United States, my first horse was a Jumper, and I competed actively with Jumpers well into my college years.”
After college that Amador began to look to other breeds besides jumpers. Soon after that,
“When I started working in my early 20’s, I realized I had to find an alternative breed for riding,” said Amador. “That was when I found the Paso Fino, and I realized that the Paso Fino brought together so many qualities that I liked.”
For Amador, switching breeds was a jarring experience.
“It was a big step down,” Amador said. “I used to ride a 17 hand jumper, and suddenly my first Paso was only 14 hands.”
Although switching breeds for Amador was difficult, she was quick to realize the advantages.
“It’s a lot safer than trying to take a five foot jump,” Amador said. “ I also found that the package of the Paso Fino holds just as much power as the huge Jumpers.
Amador goes on to mention further advantages that she has found in the Paso Fino horse.
“They also have an intelligence and sensibility to their rider that I’ve seen in no other breed of horse,” Amador said. “Some call it brio. I call it intelligence. The Paso Fino is also a horse that can be taken on a trail, be made to swim, and even jump. But then, you can take that same horse and have it go at a classic fino gait at a Paso Fino competition.”
From then on, like with so many other people involved with the breed, Amador’s life began to revolve around the Paso Fino.
“I met my husband at a Paso Fino horse show in January of 1979,” Amador said. “Then we went on to get married at a Paso Fino horse show, and from then on the rest is history.”
When developing a passion for any subject, a passion for learning sticks with it. Henceforth, a great knowledge of the subject develops. In Amador’s case that passion gave her a knowledge to discover newer and better things. Amador talks about how that knowledge led her discover the potential of the stallion, Capuchino.
“I’ve been to many shows in Colombia,” Amador said. “But, the most memorable time at a Colombian horse show for me, was the first time I saw Capuchino. When I saw that horse I thought to myself, ‘that’s the horse that is going to define the Paso Fino.”
Amador’s infatuation with the Paso Fino was also passed along to her entire family, which goes to show how a Paso Fino can truly affect almost every aspect of one’s life.
“My children have been involved with the Paso Fino all the way from lead line to now competing in amateur competitions,” Amador said “ It’s been a family affair all the way. From my wedding on a Paso Fino, to my children carrying on the tradition of the Paso Fino.”
From Up and Coming to a Leader
Kelley Cox recalls her experiences in the world of the Paso Fino
Jorge Mejia
Galopando TV Staff Writer
When one thinks of a Paso Fino, one associates countries like Puerto Rico, Colombia, Cuba, and many other Latin American Countries. However, as time goes on, it is turning out more and more clear that the Paso Fino is becoming part of the United States mainstream of horses. With this transition happening, many North American Paso Fino owners, trainers, breeders are becoming part of that same mainstream.
One of the people that come to mind is Kelley Cox. However, like most people that get introduced to the Paso Fino, Cox was around different breeds before discovering the Paso Fino.
“I was born and raised in Atlanta, GA, and have had horses since I was three years old,” Cox said. “When I turned six years old I began formal lessons on Hunter-Jumpers. Then one day we saw a sign that said ‘Paso Fino Show’, and within one week of that show we had our first Paso Fino Gelding.”
When working with Paso Finos, Cox recalls many memorable horses of the breed.
“Dinamico was one of the first horses I had met when I moved to Ocala,” Cox said. “He was very beautiful and gentle in the stall, but in the saddle he would change completely to an animal with more energy and more power that he could control. Dinamico taught me a lot of things. He was very difficult but very rewarding.”
Although the Paso Fino Horse is slowly but surely making its way into the horse mainstream of the United States, vice versa, it’s a different story, especially for a woman. Cox recalls an experience where she found it difficult for a North American woman to establish herself in the Paso Fino world.
“One time I competed in Venezuela,” Cox said “I was the only woman there, and they treated me very differently and special to the point where they pointed out every thing I would do while showing my horses. It was one of the times when I felt the most isolated in the Paso Fino horse world.”
Despite encountering certain obstacles, Cox has been able to overcome such roadblocks. In the 2004 Spectrum, she won a Championship with Arco Iris. At the 2006 Spectrum, Cox held a memorable against Maraquero with Resortin.
2007 was an important for Cox as well. At the 2007 Spectrum, Cox led Aprendiz de Colores to a championship. At the 2007 Nationals, Cox won the Fino Mares Grand Championship with Alondra. Also at the 2007 Mundial, Cox won the Performance Stallions Grand Championship with Marinero del Conde.
Like many people entering the world of the Paso Fino, Cox has people that she remembers that have helped her along the way, one of whom being Fernando Baragaño, whom Cox recalls as being like a father to her, and always providing her with confidence in the hour of competition.
“Also, one of the first people that ever showed me how to start a horse was Robin Ratliff,” Cox said. “I also learned a lot from master trainer Alvaro Iriarte at his clinics. Furthermore, I met master trainer David Castro when I was a little girl, and since I moved to Ocala, I must say that he has been the one that has helped me out the most.
As the Paso Fino breed continues to grow in the United States issues with gender and nationality are to be encountered. However, through discipline and determination, yet always being down to earth and soft spoken, Kelley Cox has shown great leadership, and has broken many barriers for up and coming riders.
Raising a family Paso Fino Style
Jorge Mejia
Galopando TV Staff Writer
The Paso Fino is a horse with many wonderful qualities, and one of its most outstanding qualities is the fact that any person of any age can enjoy it. Bearing that in mind, that quality makes it a perfect horse to raise a family around, and it can even be used as a tool to provide a family with good upbringing.
Myrna Conde, mother of Joselin, Jorge, Jaime, and Javier Suarez, can confirm the notion that the Paso is a horse that makes a family come together.
Conde recalls always loving horses. In earlier days when, in Puerto Rico, Paso Fino Competitions were on held long stretches of road, or in ball parks, she would go watch these horses. However, she never imagined owning one herself.
“When my boys were young, they all loved horses. But their main interest earlier in life was swimming,” Conde said. “They all loved swimming except for Jorge. He always had a passion for horses.
It was an peculiar ordeal with Jorge that led them to owning their first Paso Fino horse.
“Jorge didn’t want to learn how to read,” Conde said “So we told him that we would buy him a horse if he learned how to read. By the end of that month, Jorge was reading out of the newspaper. That’s how we ended up owning our first horse.”
After getting that first horse, the boys stopped swimming, and horses became their life.
“For me, the Paso Fino helped me raise my children,” Conde said. “I never had to worry about the boys going out to party and getting in trouble. The competitions were always on Sundays, so the boys would stay home on a Saturday night polishing their saddles and boot for the next day’s competition.”
For Conde’s family, being involved with the Paso Fino has been, and still is, a family affair.
Conde recalls some of the horses that have made an impression in her life and the life of her family.
“There’s two horses, among many others, that have helped us significantly along the way,” Conde said. “There’s Manuela del Conde, which has produced JLM Jaranero and Profeta Segundo de Besilu, two very important Stallions among Paso Finos. We also have Carrilera del Conde, which has produced Pedregal del Conde and Tornado del Conde, two international champions that have been outstanding among other Paso Finos. It has been our honor to provide horses that have provided more esteem to the Paso Fino.”
24 years later, those boys have become some of the most influential people in the Paso Fino world, and to show that any one can enjoy a Paso, even their children have begun competing with Paso Finos.
“Joselin, my oldest son, has two girls, one of which is very involved with the Paso Fino,” Conde Said. “ Jaime has three children whom all three ride and do very well when they compete. Jorge has three kids, one of which is more obsessed with riding than any of them.”
With so many appealing qualities for all families, it’s no wonder that the Paso Fino breed of horses became such an influential part, and created an extensive legacy, in the life of Myrna Conde’s family.
Paso Finos shine at awards show
Breaking Barriers is never an easy task. However, with the help of Univision, Galopando TV, and the Florida Paso Fino Horse Association the Paso Fino horse has done just that.
On Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008, 15 million homes, nationwide, and 5000 spectators at the American Airlines Arena were witness to four Paso Fino stallions: Carmesi de la Vitrina, Tornado del Conde, Pedregal del conde, and Imponente de la Libertad, gracing the stage at “Premio lo Nuestro,” Latin America’s largest awards show on the Univision network.
“It was a great privilege to help the Paso Fino horse reach new lengths and find a broader audience,” said Alejandro Acosta, president of Galopando TV. “We are very grateful to Univision and the Florida Paso Fino Horse Association for their aid and to the breeders that lent their stallions for Pepe Aguilar’s performance.”
For those who saw the show, footage of the horses were shown in the jumbo screens during a performance with Mexican singer, Pepe Aguilar.
“It’s always been of great interest for me to show many traditions that we have in Latin America,” said Aguilar.
Acosta goes on to mention further details of the horses’ appearance at Premio lo Nuestro.“Galopando TV produced a video of the stallions at Criadero la Libertad with top riders, Jorge Suarez, Javier Suarez, Johan Rojas and Gustavo Ruiz in traditional Mexican attire,” Acosta said.
With this performance, the Paso Fino horse has expanded its horizons in more ways than one. The Paso Fino has been introduced to an unexplored, Mexican market, and reaffirmed its position in the Puerto Rican, Colombian, Dominican Republic, and American markets. The Paso Fino has also been exposed through more press on Univision’s news shows: Despierta America, and Primer Impacto.The riders that appeared at Premios lo Nuestro also made a guest appearance on Primer Impacto to talk about the stallions that made a guest appearance at this year’s Premio lo Nuestro.
On Despierta America, Alex Amador, president of the Florida Paso Fino Horse Association, has been invited to give further insight on the Paso Fino horse. The Stallions, Extasis, ridden by David Zapata, and Marinero, owned by Criadero el Asombro will also make an appearance on the show.
With the Paso Fino’s appearance at Premio lo Nuestro, Despierta America, and Primer Impacto, the Paso Fino horse breed has now been exposed to a nationwide audience, furthermore, it has taken more steps in the right direction to break even more boundaries.
