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Dob
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Paso Fino's?
10/03/02 01:17 AM
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I'm about ready to get my first horse since teenagerdom, a mere 25 years ago... I have somehow managed to get intrigued by Paso's. I've not been around them, but there are a few 'ranches" (that's Paso for stable) nearby that I am going to start visiting next week, plus a multi ranch "open house" on 10/12. I've yet to hear a cross word about them. Anyone out there have an opinion, good, bad or otherwise?
PS We will be getting at least 2 horses, likely a 3rd - pony for the kids that visit...
Dob
FKA Dobber30052
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cowboydoc
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: Dob]
10/03/02 08:34 AM
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What are you planning on using the horses for? If it's just general riding then they are a good animal. They can be high spirited at times and a little tough to train. Their gaits though are superb. I would also get a 30 day return policy or at the very least a week or two. And not just for a different animal but a full refund. I see too many people go and ride an animal at the place they're buying from and then get them home and it's a different story.
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LazyJ_Arabians
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: Dob]
10/03/02 10:02 AM
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Whoa Dobbin! A Paso in general is a very spirited horse for you to begin with. If you're gonna get a pony anyway, start off slow by getting it first. I'd highly recommend a Pony of the Americas gelding. Large enough to ride an adult with excellent demeanor. Let him learn you the ropes at least a few months and then go shopping for the Paso. Second only to a well bred Arab in beauty and spirit. Trust me, I've seen too many people get in over their heads quickly in these situations. Our beloved POA is known by kids for miles around. He's been the star of many birthday parties and been dressed up like a clown, a goblin, Uncle Sam, and Santa. Never requires a lead rope and we usually ride him with no tack at all. Start out with one of these type of animals and later on you'll appreciate the spirit of the Paso instead of being intimidated by it.
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Dob
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General use: yep, general riding, perhaps a few short "pack trips", like an overnighter, nothing like a hunting expedition or the like. I would definetly get a 30 day (or so) trial. I've learned with other animals and such that if a breeder or most other sellers (unless it's a "distress" sale) won't give you something like that, they are probably not worth buying from.
The "brio" is one of the attractive things about them to me. I would like to think that the trial period might help to alleviate the "over my head" (duly noted, btw) issue mentined below.
Dob
FKA Dobber30052
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cowboydoc
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: Dob]
10/04/02 09:21 AM
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To be perfectly honest with you the best horse you can buy is a quarter horse. They are the quietest, gentlest, breed that there is with regard to riding horses. Very few of them are hard to get along with. Get a western pleasure, halter bred type horse. They are the best for their minds. They are bred even more to be more docile and get along.
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Dob
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Excellent advice LazyJ. Actually, I/we are starting back in on the slow side. My wife DOES NOT want a "spirited" horse. in fact she would prefer and old trail horse, like the ones used for tourists out west - nose to tail, know the trail and its stopping points, and forgot how to lope or canter years ago! My vet has an old mare that he is going to send to us for 3 months, should be a help to "get back in the saddle" with.
I will also look into the POA angle, I am not familiar with them.
As mentioned above, the brio is one source of attraction. My first horse (pony) was a Welsh, mean sob. There were 5 horses in the pasture when we got him, within a day, he had managed to essentially beat the snot out of all of them and although the smallest (save 1 Shetland) he quickly became the leader of the pack. Granted, I was much younger then!!! This will not be an impulse decision, of course, that may require a great deal of self discipline, and I have been known to break once or twice!
I am really looking forward to this new (revisited) hobby/lifestyle!
Second only to a well bred Arab in beauty and spirit.
Only true until I get my Paso!  
Dob
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LazyJ_Arabians
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: Dob]
10/04/02 10:32 AM
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hehe.. you might beat me on beauty but I breed for spirit. Got a real keen eye for it. Amazes me how many seasoned horsepeople can't tell the diff between wild/untrained and spirited/willing with a few rough edges. Beauty's a good attribute also and Paso's definitely got lots of that.
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Dob
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CBD, you sound just like my vet! Every time, even from the time before I ever mentioned a breed, he has pushed the quarterhorses. More laid back, easy temperments, less problems... That's what he's sending over for a while. We may just wind up with a QH after all... for the wife, at least...
Dob
FKA Dobber30052
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DavidM
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: Dob]
10/07/02 01:00 PM
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Dob,
Just want to throw in my two cents. If your goal is trail riding, then absolutely go with a gaited horse. Trotting horses are fine for working cows, but for pleasure riding they leave a great deal to be desired. After a few miles on a trail, I think that most people would agree. We have a both a paso & a walking horse and wouldn't trade either for the world. As far as "spirited" horses go, Paso's are just like any other breed. Some are more difficult than others. My 9 year old daughter has no trouble at all with our Paso (10 yr old mare). It's a matter of training and handling. That being said, never ride without a helmet. I notice that you're from Loganville, GA and I wonder if you went to the Paso Fino Grand Nationals in Perry, GA a few weeks ago? The shows are a great way to get to know a breed. By all means go on a demo ride and resist the temptation to buy the first horse you ride.
Sorry for the length of the post, hope it helps!
David
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cowboydoc
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: DavidM]
10/07/02 04:00 PM
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A quarter horse is certainly not a trotting horse. For working cattle you also have to alot of miles in the day. Quarter horses are also the #1 breed by all other horses combined so they must be doing something right. I don't think they'd be the #1 breed in the world if they weren't such a good horse. I certainly like Paso's and other gaited horses and they are smooth but no means are they any better than quarter horses in sum. Most trail rides are at a walk anyway. The only place a gaited horse beats a quarter horse is in the trot. Loping and walking there's not alot of difference. Also have you ever ridden a western pleasure or a show trail quarter horse? I guarantee there's no difference at all in the gaits there between a quarter and gaited horses. If you have any doubt they are showing the trail world championships on rfd-tv.
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Dob
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: DavidM]
10/07/02 08:37 PM
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Thanks for the pocket change.
I did not get to go to the Nationals as I only learned of it shortly before it happened - too much going on. And, it's not but about 2 hours from here. 
I almost got gipped out of the Open house this weekend - one of my nephews decided (about a week ago - give him a break he IS from Alabama  ) to get married this weekend. Luckily, the wedding is not until 6pm, so I'll get to spend most of the day there. At least 5 local ranches are represented, maybe more, it might be that the 5 on the flyer or the "sponsors". I'm really looking forward to it. Fortunately, I don’t have any closings (I'm a RE broker) until later this month - that will help suppress any impulsive thoughts I might have!
Dob
FKA Dobber30052
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Dob
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Hang in there CBDoc, your opinions/facts are not going unnoticed. Between you, my vet, and my wife, we will likely wind up with one. My wife noted, "If Doc Tolliver says to get a QH, then the only horse I'm carrying to him is a QH - you get what you want!" 
My mind is far from made up, or so I think. Of course my (best) friend commented the other day as I was rambling about getting a horse, "...I know you.... you'll have a Paso before it's all over with..."
We'll see...
Dob
FKA Dobber30052
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DavidM
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Hold Up Doc,
It sounds like you think I've said something bad about quarter horses; I haven't. I simply want to point out that there are lots of factors to consider in purchasing a horse and the blanket statement that "quarter horses are the best you can buy" is simply wrong. Having owned and ridden Quarter Horses I'm very fond of them, in fact my earliest memories of horses were Quarter Horses, but as far as pleasure riding goes now, not being exactly young anymore, I prefer gaited horses. I don't know what your definition of a trotting horse is, but if the gait between a walk and a canter is called a trot, and requires the rider to make efforts not to get pounded up and down; as far as I'm concerned, that's a trotting horse. I have seen and ridden Quarter Horses that have been trained to have a smoother trot, it is nonetheless still a trot. Further, simply because there are more Quarter Horses than others doesn't make them the finest. A similar statement would be that because there are more Honda Accords and Ford Tauruses than Mercedes and Jaguars, then the Ford and Honda must be superior vehicles. Not true. Numbers don't make quality. I don't want to get into a flame war, but the fact is, there isn't one horse that is better than another; just different or better suited to the intended use. As I said before, Quarter Horses are for working cows and there is no animal in the world better suited to that type of work; slow deliberate movement in the herd, explosive speed to chase down a calf; Quarter Horses are truly remarkable. The truth is, my intended use is riding trails at a speed somewhat faster and more interesting than a walk and being comfortable at the end; this means a gaited horse (whether Paso, TWH, foxtrotter, whatever) is a more suitable mount for my purposes than either a Quarter Horse or Morgan or any other non-gaited horse that I can think of. Again Dob, look at lots of different animals, understand what YOU are going to use the animal for and select based on YOUR needs, not a blind reccomendation from someone over a computer. Thanks.
David
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LazyJ_Arabians
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: DavidM]
10/08/02 10:26 AM
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LazyJ drives a Porsche.. no Accords in my driveway, hehe
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cowboydoc
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: DavidM]
10/08/02 01:41 PM
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No I'm just pointing out the facts. A trotter is a specific horse. Miss. foxtrotters, etc. That's certainly not a quarter horse. All horse have a walk, trot, and lope. Shoot I don't care what a person buys with regards to trail horses. They'll all work for that. But for a person that is just starting out a nice, quiet, easy-going, slow quarter horse would certainly be my choice. You may suggest another breed and someone else may suggest something else. It's up to Dob to make that decision. Most people go riding to enjoy the scenery and take it nice and easy. Yes there sure are alot of people as well that want to get on a horse and go and no way can a quarter horse keep up at to what the walking and gaited horses do. But I've also worked alot of those horses and been around alot of them that needed a heck of alot of work to control. I still think for his first horse that you can't beat a quarter. After awhile the quarter may be too docile and he may want a more spirited and faster trail horse. Then by all means go for one of the more spirited and faster riding horses.
I think it's pretty hard to compare horses to cars as well. You see more of the cheaper cars because they're cheaper. That certainly isn't the case with horses. You can get one as cheap or as expensive from one breed to the next. All things being equal with price, etc. more people choose a quarter horse.
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Dob
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Talk about spirit !
All opinions and facts (and the wisdom to know the difference ) are appreciated.
I do kung fu, and have for several years, as a lead instructor and mouthpiece for the school, I am often asked, what is the best martial art? My answer is usually something like: Well, of course Hop Gar (my style) is! If I didn't think so, why would I be doing it??? Followed by a laugh, then a query as to what they are looking for... If it's sport, not us, if it's passive evasion, or something like the old Shaolin mantra don't fight unless you have to, if you must, don't hurt, if you must, don't mame, if you must, don't kill, if you must, well it pretty much stops there - that's not us either. Different strokes for different folks < that saying pretty much applies to everything, without it we'd all be bored to tears.
FWIW, my reasons for considering a Paso, in no particular order include: I think they are beautiful creatures, I like the smaller package (even though I'm 6'1", but slim at #160), brio - seems like a well raised teenager (full of energy, yet "controlable" - maybe not the best analogy, but say compared to a free range raised Mustang - I'm gonna stop rationalizing here, I know I'm getting into training to a certain extent...), and gaited - seems to me - why not? - unless you have specific needs such as driving cattle as mentioned above.
This will be a pleasure venture. I have zero interest in showing. Nothing hardcore one way or the other. Pleasure riding, maybe a light pack trip once in a while, tooling around hunting camp off season. My trail riding will not be all walking either, to me that's kinda like sailing, I like a little more "excitement" and goings on. Not that a gale in a sailboat is not exciting, been there done that too! (Sorry, Hazmat, if you're lurking)
Anyhow, thanks again for the insights and brio !
Dob
FKA Dobber30052
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hazmat
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Re: Paso Fino's?
[re: Dob]
10/09/02 11:17 AM
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My trail riding will not be all walking either, to me that's kinda like sailing, I like a little more "excitement" and goings on. Not that a gale in a sailboat is not exciting, been there done that too! (Sorry, Hazmat, if you're lurking)
Cought ya! Similar to how you guys have different horses for different uses/enjoyment. I / My family has different boats
38' Freedom Sloop (single masted sailboat for you stinkpot drivers)
17' Boston Whaler (90 HORSEpower motor -- keeping on topic  )
2 Kayaks
Assorted hard & soft dingies
My true love is sailing, but it is fun to whip my buddies around on a tube behind the whaler. The kayak is a great way to quietly explore the coast and be a bit more "at one" with nature.
Oh yeah and my handle "Hazmat" is the name of the Whaler. The sailboat is Duet which I think is a little boring. The previous sailboat was Steadfast which I liked the name better anyway.
Hazmat
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Dob
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Only have a minute... But, we got our 1st - should make "everybody" happy...
Our vet "lent" us "Cindy", a QH mare to (re)acclimate us to horse ownership. She's sweet, but needs some work.
BTW, Paso open house was awesome!!! I'm virtually sold on them. They put me on a couple, including the one that was the most "hot on the ground" - most fun I had all day! No pics of them (Paso's), but Cindy is in the attached...
Dob
FKA Dobber30052
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