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Vilcabamba Glimpse #10

Zamorano

I attended a fair in Loja (35 minutes from Vilcabamba) this past weekend. The fair is annual event.

The attached photos are of Zamorano, a pure bred Peruvian Paso horse, two and a half years old, that I purchased.

As you can see, he is beautiful. In the second photo that shows Zamorano with me (today), you can see that he is also very friendly (he is nudging me around the corral).

What is a Peruvian Paso horse? A description follows:

The Peruvian Paso is the smoothest gaited horse in the world. Descended from the horses of the Conquistadors, Peruvian horses possess the royal heritage of the Spanish breeds. A fiery spirit and gentle nature in a horse willing to work and eager to please.

The gait of Peruvian Paso horse accounts for the smooth ride. It is a four beat lateral pattern with the footfalls being : right hind -- right front -- left hind -- left front. The execution trends slightly to the laterals particularly with increasing speed. By any description, the result is the smoothest ride of any breed of horse. For riding pleasure, the ultimate is the Peruvian Paso.

I arrived in Vilcabamba last August with no pets. I now own five horses and two kittens. Probably, I will soon have a dog (a puppy). Plenty of room at the hacienda for animals as it is spacious.

Best wishes,

The photos:

Best, Joe

Joe Simonetta
Owner/Architect
Hacienda San Joaquin
Vilcabamba, Ecuador


P.S. International Living named Ecuador "The Best Place in the World to Retire" http://www.haciendasanjoaquin.com/best_in_the_world.html