Why Paso Finos Trocha!

by Pedro Luis Mogollon

This is a general comment on Colombian horses. When discussing trocha, one would have to consider the main characteristics of that gait before and after Don Danilo. Before Don Danilo, all Colombian Paso Finos would do the trocha (and most still do today) when rein pressure was relaxed. This was considered an advantage, as long distance traveling in the native trocha would still be very smooth for the rider, would cover more ground, and was not (and is not) as energy consuming for the horse.

When Don Danilo appeared, things changed. The latter had 1/4 Lusitano blood, and many breeders went wild with Danilo's trocha (inherited by his offspring and also transmitted by several of these, the most important of which was El Arco) which was more spectacular than the native trocha because it involved a higher elevation of feet and hands inherited from the Lusitano breed.

At about the same time (1950's and 60´s), Colombia began to develop its road network, which lessened the importance of horses for travel (and business) as cars and buses began to operate all over our country. Parallel to this, horse shows became more common and more frequent throughout Colombia, allowing horses to become a sort of spectator sport. Danilo´s offspring fit right in to this new format due to what was considered their spectacular style (highly raised feet and hands).

So appearance became relatively more important and more commercially desirable than the comfort of the native trocha and fino. As a matter of fact, the Don Danilo rage was so intense, that the fino disappeared almost entirely from some regions, as many (most!) important mares were bred to Don Danilo and his offspring. At this time, many breeders began to breed specifically for the trocha as a gait apart from the fino, and the rule of thumb that developed, which is still true here in Colombia even today is that "all finos may do the trocha and still be finos, whilst a trocha horse, to be truly considered one, cannot go into the fino".

So it was the Danilo bloodline that first made certain breeders want to breed for trocha only, and rules were developed to disqualify any trocha horse that would slip into the fino. Today´s true trocha horse may not, and will not, go into the fino gait. However, it is still VERY common that horses from most fino bloodlines begin their saddled life in the trocha, and then they slip into the fino when collected under the bit, and again into the trocha at the rider´s will whenever rein pressure is relaxed. One must emphasize that the type of trocha executed by a true genetic fino is very smooth, and sometimes is distinguished from the fino gait only by ear, as it may in many cases de indistinguishable to the naked eye. I'm sure most of you are aware of this.

Another change that Don Danilo introduced into the native Colombian horse, in spite of the fact that he himself was small, was a larger size and a different configuration, as his offspring in general were not only taller and fuller than the native horses, but also had a more rounded rump and a higher tail set. Necks also tended to become shorter and wider.

One of the main conclusions that one would have to draw from all of the above is that the native trocha (which existed before Don Danilo), with all of its quickness and smoothness, is the flip side of the Paso Fino, and is part of the Colombian Paso Fino´s genetic makeup.

However, as Paso Fino breeders specialize more and more, this native trocha ability may eventually give way to a "truer" form of fino. The "other" trocha belongs to Don Danilo and his descendants, and although related to the native trocha of the Paso Fino in its origins, it is now different from the former.

It goes without saying that Don Danilo and his offspring had powerful
opponents, who considered that these horses had not only ruined the Paso gait, but also the appearance of the native Colombian horse, as blazes, white stockings, white hooves, and pink skin, began to appear everywhere.

Don Danilo was not the only rage to hit this country. In the 1930´s and
40's, Polo became a popular sport amongst the social elite of Bogotá,
Medellín, and Cali, and many TB´s were bred not only to native Colombian trotters, but in certain social circles, to all mares.

So the Paso Fino in Colombia has survived some pretty tough "attacks" on its genetic integrity, and I would add that the large US market had a lot to do in bringing back the Fino in Colombia from the seventies to the present.
Pedro Luis Mogollon