Paso Fino, pure here

This week we received a copy of the edition n February 2008 issue of Hispanic where it appears an article entitled: Pride of the Islands ... as introduction ³ n to the article, Teresa Gordon says: â € œWith ITS delicate gait and rare beauty, Puerto Ricoa € ™ s Paso Fino horse is one of the country '€ ™ s prized ICONSA € ...

To my surprise, when I start to read the article, I find that people who talk about our race are all members of The Open ... and that the â € œvisià ³ nâ € which will be presented on our Paso Fino horses is not quite right ...

Next you I leave a copy of the email that sends © Teresa Gordon ... those of you wishing to send their comments to Hispanic Magazine, at the end of my letter appear emails Marissa Rodriguez (Managing Editor) and section n â € œCartas the editor € ...

Teresa Gordon
Hispanic Magazine

Dear Ms. Gordon,

Been a Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino horse enthusiast, owner and breeder, and II was trilled when i saw your articleâ € ™ s title in the February 2008 issue of Hispanic Magazine: â € œ The Pride of Puerto Rico: The delicate gait and beauty of the Paso Fino horse Makes it an icon of the Iceland €.

Let me Explain a little bit about our breed and how we preserve and Struggle to Promote it, so you can Understand why your article WAS Such a big disappointment for us. As you Mentioned, the Paso Fino horse is a unique breed That can be Traced back to the horses Introduced by the Spaniards to the New World. This breed, the Paso Fino, WAS Developed in Puerto Rico and is truly â € Oean icon of the Iceland €.

There are other breeds of Spaniard origin thru Central and South America. All are Different from one another, and all respond to the selective breeding done by Each Country. One of those breeds, the Paso Colombiano (Colombian Paso), share the Same gait as the Puerto Rican Paso Fino, But ITS resemblance ends there. Besides STI gait, the Colombian and the Puerto Rican Paso Fino are two Different breeds of horses and Distinctive, phenotype and genotype on Both.

Back in the late â € ~ 70s, a group of Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed breeders Suggested That our infusion of needed an â € œnew They bloodâ € and the Colombian Paso Proposed as an alternative to breed € â € œrefreshâ ours. The group who ADOPTED this philosophy Promoted the concept of a â € œPaso Fino of the Americasâ € as just one breed With Two big families: one from Puerto Rico, the Paso Fino, and the other from Colombia, the Colombian Paso. ADOPTED this group the name of our breed â € "â € œPaso Finoâ € â €" as a generic term to Designate the four beats isochronal gait common to Both breeds, and with Time, the Colombian Paso Became Known as Colombian Paso Fino.

The other group of breeders Stated That Both, the Puerto Rican Paso Fino and the two Colombian Paso Were Different breeds, and as Such, They Should Remain â € œpureâ €. This second group ADOPTED the term â € € œPureâ Before The breed name to Distinguish it from the mixed stock; That is why we Refer to Puerto Rican Paso Finos as Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos. Must I point this out That is not exclusive position of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino Promoters, in Colombia Colombian Paso Also breeders believe breed is unique and Their Remains Should œpureâ € â €.

I have to admit That there is an â € € marketa œinternational who Believes on the â € œPaso € Americasâ Fino of the model, and They Both breeds register as one. The Paso Fino Horse Association, in the United States, is one of These groups, The Open, in Puerto Rico, is another. For Some Time, the accepted events Peruvian PFHA Steps in Their â € € Finoâ œPaso registry. We Recognize That the Promoters of the â € œPaso Fino of the Americasâ € Have the desire to create a new breed Puerto Rican and Colombian mixing stock, That Is Their prerogative, But we regret Their insistence on Both Claiming That When They are one breed are not.

As you can see by the figures in your article, there are huge Economic Interests Promoting the concept of a â € œPaso Fino of the Americasâ €. These Interests Encourage the misinformation about the history, Development and true nature of the Puerto Rican Paso Fino horses, and Present Their biased point of view as fact.

This is not the only breed our Struggle Had to Overcome During The Last Few Decades. For years, I we have seen how Some of our best sea Has Been bought and put to produce half-breeds instead of Pure Paso Fino stock. Since our horse Population is small, This Represented a big setback in our breed preservation and development. Also, Organizations like The Open and pro CONFEPASO Have ADOPTED to breed standard and show Colombian ruling That Openly discriminate Toward the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino disqualifying the white markings in the legs and face so common in our bred.

This is why It Was Such a big disappointment did not Interviewed That You quoted Any rules of the Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino people, But only breeders, owners and Judges who owns mostly Promotes and Colombian Paso stock â € "none of Them owns Pure Puerto Rican Paso Finos â € "even the horse is the picture is a Colombian Paso.

Puerto Ricans are very proud of our autochthonous breed of horses, the Paso Fino, and we truly believe of Them as an â € Oean icon of the Iceland €, But this is not the breed of horse you portrayed in your article.

In a Few Days we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the biggest Pure Puerto Rican Paso Fino show: Sweet dreams Fair ± o. This will be an excellent Opportunity to see the best of our breed unique and wonderful performing STI gait, the true Paso Fino.

For more information about the Puerto Rican Paso Fino breed, I invite you to visit my personal blog or PasoFinoForum.com: purodeaqui.com.

Sincerely,

Romualdo Olaza bal
romualdo@purodeaqui.com

Cc
Marissa Rodriguez / Managing Editor
marissa.rodriguez @ page1media.com
Letter to the editor
editor.hispanic @ page1media.com