The gait, explained
The Caballo de Paso and its gait: why this horse moves the way it does
Left hind, left fore, right hind, right fore — the footfall sequence that makes the Peruvian Paso's ride famously smooth, and how it differs from an ordinary trot.
See Peruvian Paso horse show tickets on GetYourGuide ↗Paso llano vs trot
| Paso llano (Peruvian Paso) | Trot (most horses) | |
|---|---|---|
| Beats | Four, evenly spaced | Two, paired |
| Footfall order | Left hind, left fore, right hind, right fore | Diagonal pairs move together |
| Suspension | None — a foot is always down | A moment of suspension between pairs |
| Feel to ride | A smooth glide | A vertical bounce |
| Origin | Bred into the breed over centuries | The natural gait of most horse breeds |
Four beats, not two
Most horses trot: a two-beat gait where diagonal pairs of legs move together — right fore with left hind, then left fore with right hind — with a small moment of suspension between each pair, which is what produces the bounce a rider has to post to absorb. The Peruvian Paso performs the paso llano instead, an even four-beat gait with no pairing and no suspension at all, which is the single fact the whole show is built to demonstrate.
The exact sequence
The paso llano's footfall order is left hind, left fore, right hind, right fore — a lateral pattern, meaning the hind and fore feet on the same side land close together before the horse crosses to the other side. Because the four beats are evenly spaced in a 1-2-3-4 rhythm rather than grouped into pairs, and because a foot is essentially always in contact with the ground, the ride reads as one continuous glide rather than four separate strides. Wikipedia's article on the breed gives the same sequence.
Isochronous: why the evenness matters
The paso llano is described as isochronous: the four beats land at equal intervals, in a 1-2-3-4 rhythm. The breed's faster variant, the sobreandando, is different. Its beats sit closer together in a 1-2, 3-4 rhythm, with a longer pause between the forefoot and the rear foot on the opposite side. The paso llano is the preferred gait.
Bred in, not trained in
The gait is inherited as part of the breed rather than taught to each horse. Breeders selected for it, together with conformation and temperament, over generations.
The four centuries behind it
The breed descends from horses brought to Peru by the Spanish in the 16th century, with Jennets, Barbs and Andalusians among its ancestors. Breeders refined it over roughly four centuries of relative isolation. On the north coast's haciendas the horses worked as farm and transport animals, including carrying riders between towns and herding fighting bulls to Lima.
Termino: the other trait bred into this horse
Alongside the gait, the Peruvian Paso is known for termino: an outward swinging action of the front legs from the shoulder. It is separate from the four-beat rhythm, and a heavy termino is not necessarily a sign of a good gait. Watch the forelegs for it during the show.
Brio: temperament as part of the breed
The breed is also known for brio: vigor, energy and courage placed willingly at the rider's service. It is a quality of temperament rather than of gait.
Why it matters for the show, not just the science
The show exists to let you see this at close range, with chalanes riding Paso horses through the gait. It is worth watching the horses' legs specifically rather than only the riders, since the gait, not the costume or the setting, is the point of the afternoon.