Encantadora

I photographed this Peruvian Horse at the Eastern Canada Paso Fino Horse Association Fun Show in Erin this summer - she is the first of this breed to be featured as Horse of the Week.

Betty Bassett is seen here riding her pretty 12 year old Chestnut mare, Encantadora. The Peruvian Horse breed was developed in Peru over the past 400 years from stock brought by the early Spanish colonists. They needed a horse that was comfortable to ride, had the endurance to cover long distances between settlements and a gentle disposition. Today it is considered one of the smoothest of the gaited breeds.

The preferred gait of the Peruvian Horse is called the Paso Llano, a four beat gait in which each leg works independently and is picked up and set down with even timing. The gait is genetically inherited, and is not acquired by training. Other gaits of the Peruvian are the walk, sobreandando and canter.

Notice that the front legs have a slight movement out, almost like a swimming motion. This originates from the horse's shoulder and is called termino. This is a unique characteristic of the Peruvian Horse.

Peruvian Horse owners in North America use English, Western and Australian tack, as well as the traditional Peruvian tack Betty is shown using. The costume Betty is wearing is what you would see at a Peruvian horse show: white shirt and slacks, black boots, poncho, and straw hat.

Betty raises Peruvian Horses at Ravenscroft Farm on Sixteen Road, between St. Anns and Silverdale, near Smithville, Ontario, Canada.

Congratulations to Encantadora for being our October 1^st, 2007 Horse of the Week!