Diagonals
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TROTE, TROCHA, AND GALOPE
THE SMOOTHEST DIAGONAL GAITS
By DIEGO BRAVO
From the magazine PASO FINO
REPORT
Vol.3 – Num.4 February/March 2004
ORIGINS The first horses who began repopulating the American continent were
those 25 Barb breed brought by Christopher Columbus on the second trip to
America on 1493, who were multi-gaited due to the interbreeding and natural
selection occurred in North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula. Many
more horses were brought in the following trips. So, the Barb breed were the foundation of most current horse breeds throughout America.
The differences between the many current horse
breeds in the American continent are based on the crosses made between the
initial Barb and other breeds, selection for different purposes, geographic
isolation, and variation on living conditions.
The first horses in Colombia were those taken
by the Spanish conquerors led by Rodrigo de Bastidas in 1524, which were also
the first horses to arrive to South America. Over time the current four well
differenced Colombian gaits began developing due to many reasons, such as mixing
the Barb foundation with other breeds (as well as the Andalusian), the horse
adaptation to living in a different environment, working on diverse terrains
(mostly mountainous), a particular training, and selection according to the
gait.
Although the Colombian horses were produced for
work and transportation, some animals became very smooth, sometimes multi-gated.
Then, the development of out-standing specimens amazingly well gaited and
remarkably well conformed, favored for the beginning of the horse shows in
Colombia during the 40’s decade of XX century, and the foundation of the horse
breeders associations as well.
Currently, 25 associations of horse breeders
are affiliated to FEDEQUINAS (Federación Nacional Colombiana de Asociaciones
Equinas) whose purpose is promoting and regulating the DIAGONAL PASO HORSES (Colombian Collected Trote And Galope, Pure
Colombian Trocha, Colombian Trocha And Galope), and the COLOMBIAN PASO
FINO HORSES (worldwide called PASO FINO).
DIEGO BRAVO: zoo-technician with a great deal of professional
experience not only as a consultant on many horse farms, but as university
professor of Equine Production at the University of Antioquia and the National
University of Colombia (in Medellin). He has written many articles regarding
horses in international magazines, and is the author of the book “Caballo
Colombiano Ciencia y Arte” He currently resides in Ocala, Florida, where he has founded Ocala's School of Equestrian Art - Paso Horses.
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EQUITATION
trote y galopetrocha y galope
and galope The expression DIAGONAL PASO HORSES makes reference to the group of
Colombian smoothly gaited horses whose mechanics of
the gait is diagonal (opposite side front and hind legs).
Although most horse breeds in the world perform
diagonal gaits, these DIAGONAL PASO HORSES perform the smoothest diagonal gaits;
that is the reason why the rider can enjoy a long, smooth ride without posting.
The smoothness of the Diagonal Paso Horses is
mainly due to the following reasons:
The initial breeds involved were
hard working on the Colombian
mountains where they were developed
A long, strong selection for smoothness
The particular training
, after the rider develops the proper skills to ride the Diagonal Paso Horses,
he can keep the same position that the Paso Fino rider, which is described as
follows:
The Head should be straight with the Chin up to
make the Face become vertical; the Neck should never be tensed but elegant. The
Back should also be straight and perpendicular, but flexible. Shoulders apart,
straight, and leveled, but never tensed.
The Arm should hang naturally from the Shoulder,
as vertical as possible; Elbow can never pass behind the Back. Forearm and Hand
should be aligned with both the rein and the bit. Both Hands should be evenly
held neither perpendicular nor horizontal, located above the horse’s Withers.
Both Hands have to be flexible, located a little apart, and showing a perfect
control of the horse.
The rider should sit on the deepest part of the
saddle’s seat, avoiding to slip back on the saddle’s cantle. At any gait the
rider must contact the saddle with his Buttocks well distributed on it.
The Legs should rest in a natural position; the
Knee-caps should point forward and be located forward than the Hip. Calves
should be perpendicular. Foot should be parallel to the horse’s body with the
Ball resting inside the stirrup, and the Heel located one inch lower than toes.
The three spectacular Colombian Diagonal Paso
Horse breeds (Trote and Galope, Pure Trocha, Trocha and Galope) are smooth and
very enjoyable gaited horses, either for show, trail rides, work and mean of transportation, endurance
competition, equine-therapy, and company.
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