Viento
Breed: Paso Fino
Sex: Gelding
DOB: 2002
Height: 12.0 hh
Color: Bay
Markings:
Arrival Date: September 8, 2007
Location: Guthrie, OK
Adoption Fee: $250
 

Temperament: Viento and his brother Vistoso are lookers!!!  Viento exhibits the true Paso confirmation and has a quieter spirit than his brother.  They have cuts and abraisions all over them (poor little things) but I am not sure if is from other horses or from each other in that they fight a lot.  If they keep it up, I will have to put them in separate enclosures.  They are only about 12 hands tall right now and they are smaller than my 2 year old QH filly (she is 13.2 hands).  I will do some research, but if they put on much more than an additional hand in height, I will be surprised.  I know that Paso's grow slower than other breeds but they really are small for their age.   That may be because they are twins. The Paso breed typically has sizes ranging from 13 hands and up. 

They are very very spirited and have the typical confirmation of the Paso breed. Their action is quite smooth in that they have the gate commonly associated with Paso’s. He will come to you by calling him by his barn name (Dallas) and clapping your hands. 

Physical problems / health issues: Malnourished and many superficial wounds from fighting.

Interaction with horses: Viento and his twin, Vistoso are still acting stag and are quarrelsome towards each other, most likely because they were only recently gelded.  At the moment they are contained in a 16X 16 fortified pen.  I will keep them there until they gain a little more weight and get rid of some of their testosterone. I have separated them in that they are fighting constantly and this has seemed to help, however they still try to fight with my other geldings through the fence. 

Interaction with people: Excellent! Of the two twins, this one has the quieter personality. He seems much more willing to listen and acquiesce to training.

History: Both Vistoso and Viento came from a home where they were loved and cherished and where relinquished by no fault of their own. Their breeder became overwhelmed when life circumstances changed and she was no longer able to feed and care for them. 

Training / abilities: I laid across Viento last night and he tolerated it well. I am pleased that they allow you to catch them and will come when you call.  They are exhibiting the typical newly gelded studly behavior, but I think that will settle down some in time.   They greet me at the fence whenever I come outside and they do respond to their names.  I have been telling them that they are beautiful and special and that they need to quit quarreling with each other. It is reported that they both have had saddles on them and that they took it well.  I will be assessing that shortly.  Right now they just need to eat in that they are at least 150 lbs under weight.

Dallas is a bit pushy and not respectful of his handlers space so today we walked everywhere keeping him at a safe distance so he would learn that he doesn’t come within that safe zone. 

We then went to tying up.  There we had some trouble and it will take a few days.  He spent the afternoon tied stoutly to the "tree of knowledge" he would set back and I would say woah and settle.  When he settled down he was rewarded with a treat. I think it will take a couple of days for him to get the hang of this one.  We will keep working on it.  Dallas also got his feet trimmed today and stood perfectly.

We went ahead and put a light saddle on him and cinched it up.  He was uncomfortable and didn't like it but he accepted it readily.  We then moved on to weight on his back and I proceeded to drape myself across him.  He didn't know what was happening at first but after a couple of times he stood still and was ok with me being on his back on both sides.  I sat on his back and he accepted me there without incident.  I left him tied a bit longer so he will accept standing tied and release to pressure.  We will move on to ground driving next.

Update April ’08: He is doing better with pulling back and accepts a saddle and a person on his back.  Still needs leg cues and can be too much for an inexperienced rider.  Has a tendency to rear up if he is pressured too hard or if another male horse is present.

Experience level required to work with this horse: Advanced on the ground. Experienced in the saddle.

Has this horse ever:  Bucked? Yes. Reared? Yes. Kicked? Yes. Bitten? Yes. Other?  Strikes with front feet.

Ground handling: Catch? Yes. Lead? Yes. Tie? We're working on it. Trailer? Yes, with a little encouragement. Clip? Unknown. Trim Feet? Yes. Bathe? Hates it.

 Pictures do not do him justice.

More pictures:

Updates: April 27, 2008  

Adopt: Please contact us regarding adoptions at adoptions@habitatforhorses.org or call 1.866.HFH.LSER(866.434.5737).

Are you unable to adopt but would still like to have Viento in your life? Sponsor him through our Virtual Foster program.

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