Paso_Fino_Friends

The first Western Canadian Paso Fino Friends Get Together was hosted by Sundown Paso Finos in the Edmonton area. The event took place on the August long weekend of 2006. There was a camp over and trail ride followed by a big Bar-B-Q supper and an evening campfire. By all accounts, it was a roaring success! Although there was not a huge crowd everyone who came had a good time. All three of our most westerly provinces were represented and one person flew in from Ontario to join the fun! It was a great start for what we hope will come to be an annual event. Make sure to mark your calendar for the August long weekend in 2007 so that you can join us for the next gathering!

Marilyn and her husband came in from northern BC. Marilyn’s husband came for the drive but she could not convince him to bring his gelding and ride. Marilyn brought her beautiful stallion, Montar de Marca. Her stallion was not only beautiful, but he was also amazingly calm! Marilyn has been using natural horsemanship in her training program and Montar sure is a credit to all Marilyn’s hard work. He was very well behaved, both at the farm and on the trail. On the trail he rode along like an old pro and had no issues with any of the other horses.

Alex and Eric joined us from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. They brought two pure Puerto Rican mares to ride. Alex rode a beautiful little mare that could fino like crazy. It was her first time on a trail ride and she was a bit excited, but Alex kept her under control and she finished the ride in fine shape. Eric’s mare cut her leg before the ride and we were not sure that Eric would be able to ride her. We discussed loaning Eric a horse, but his mare was so keen to hit the trail that Eric decided to take her. He put a pair of bell boots on her to protect her cut and he hit the trail! Eric was very careful but his mare was fine, and she finished the 8-mile ride without any problems.

Fran flew in from Penatang, Ontario! Fran breeds some beautiful Paso Finos but she could not fit one in her suitcase. Luckily, Jane was able to loan Fran her mare, Dulce Poma (better known as “The Divine Miss Em”). Em has not been ridden a lot in the past few years due to Jane’s medical problems. In the beginning Fran and Em had a bit of a discussion to see who was going to be the boss, but Fran won and from there on in, Em was the lady that we know and love.

Jane rode my daughters gelding, Taz. Taz is a 17 years old Paso Fino that is steady as a rock. Jane was comfortable and confident on him. After going through a double hip replacement and spine surgery a couple of years ago, then fighting off breast cancer this spring, Jane really needed a calm reliable horse. It was a great pleasure to see her get out and about on the trails on Taz. Being that Jane has not been out riding much this spring she did not feel that it would be a good idea to do the whole ride. So after the first half of the ride, Jane turned Taz over to her husband, David.

David’s own horse is a trotting horse and he has not spent any time on a gaited horse. Every time I looked back to see how David was doing on the ride, he had that Paso Fino grin taking up half his face! After riding Taz for four miles David told Jane that he would not mind getting one of those "stepping horses" for his own! I think Jane may have to find a new home for David's Arabian gelding because I think David and Jane may soon be looking for another gaited horse to move to their farm west of Edmonton!

Sheri, my friend and neighbour from Cold Lake in north eastern Alberta came down to join us. Sheri brought two of her Paso Finos. Sheri rode her gelding, Incendios, who was bred here on our farm. Her gelding’s sire is our stallion, Sueldo TDR, while her dam was my husbands favourite riding mare. Incendios was given to Sheri as a foal. He was a thank you gift for all the help that Sheri had given us during the years we were in Cold Lake. It sure was good to see him grown up and under saddle. Although Incendios is young he did very well on the trail ride. Watch for this horse on the endurance circuit in the future!

I rode Sheri’s filly, Spritely. I was planning on taking my stallion, Sueldo, on the ride until Sheri called me. Her friend, who was planning on coming with her and riding Sheri’s filly, had cancelled out at the last minute. Sheri already had everything packed up to bring both horses and she really wanted Spritely to go on the ride. Sprite is a daughter of my stallion, Sueldo TDR. She is a very well put together filly who looks a whole lot like her dad, so when Sheri asked if I would ride Sprite for her I agreed to leave my stallion at home. This filly is for sale so if you want a nice trail horse I know Sheri can help you out!

My husband, Lorne, rode one of our big geldings. Noble is a son of Jane’s “Divine Miss Em.” Em's a dainty little lady but her son's a very big boy. He has to be because my husband is a big man and a small horse would not carry him for long. I am not sure where Noble’s size comes from but he is a great trail horse and Lorne is very attached to him. Noble was born on our farm in Cold Lake, before we sold Emily to Jane. Noble and Lorne’s attachment goes back a long way. When Noble was a baby I would often come home to find Lorne and Noble lying in the grass beside each other. To this day Noble will do anything for Lorne.