I ride from time to time with two older ladies (a surgical nurse and a psychiatrist). One rides a Paso Fino and the other owns two Peruvian Pasos.
These three horses are very nice sensible horses. Both riders have some fear, but they are quite appropriately mounted. We took the Paso Fino up a steep mountain trail not long ago - or I guess more correctly, he took us. His rider is quite heavy and he was leading two endurance horses and a young endurance prospect. He did great and was the least winded at the top. There was a boarder at Creekside in this mid 80's whose family bought him a four year old Paso Fino mare when his old horse died. You can imagine what we all thought of this choice. She was absolutely amazing. He had broken a leg in a horse accident in his later years and was very slow moving. It took forever for him to get his right leg over her back and into the stirrup. She would stand and stand and stand - all day I think. She would stand quietly for the eternity it took him to tack up. He was very independent and would not accept help. His health no longer allows him to ride and one of his daughter's has the little mare. Nancy
