Editing Peruvian Paso (section)

==History==

Smooth-gaited horses, generally known as [[Palfrey]]s, existed in the [[Middle Ages]], and the [[Jennet]] in particular was noted for its [[ambling]] gaits.<ref>Bennett, Deb. (1998). ''Conquerors: The Roots of New World Horsemanship,'' First Edition, Amigo Publications. {{ISBN|0-9658533-0-6}}</ref> Peruvians trace their [[foundation bloodstock|ancestry]] to these ambling Jennets; as well as to the [[Barb (horse)|Barb]], which contributed strength and stamina; and to the [[Andalusian horse|Andalusian]] which added style, conformation and action.<ref name="IMH">[http://www.imh.org/museum/breeds.php?pageid=8&breed=73&alpha=Four "Peruvian Paso."  ''Horse Breeds of the World,'' International Museum of the Horse.] Accessed July 4, 2008</ref><ref>Albright, Verne. [http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/peruvianpaso/index.htm "Peruvian Paso"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080611104701/http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/horses/peruvianpaso/index.htm |date=2008-06-11 }}. Oklahoma State University.  Accessed July 03, 2008.</ref>

Horses arrived in [[South America]] during the [[Spanish Conquest]], beginning with the arrival of [[Francisco Pizarro|Pizarro]] in 1531. [[Foundation bloodstock]] came from Spain, Jamaica, Panama and other areas of Central America.<ref>{{cite book|author=Hendricks, Bonnie L. and Anthony Dent|title=International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds|page=340}}</ref> Importations increased after 1542, when the Spanish created the Viceroyalty of New Castilla.  This later became the [[Viceroyalty of Peru]], an important center of Spain's [[New World]] viceroyalties in the eighteenth century.
[[Image:Peruvian Paso.jpg|thumb|right|275px|A Peruvian Horse in traditional tack]]

Once in [[Peru]], they were used primarily for transportation and [[horse breeding|breeding]] stock. In the north of Peru, the vast size of sugar and cotton [[plantation]]s meant that overseers needed to travel long distances, often taking days to cross the plantation. In the south of Peru, the arid deserts that separated settlements required sturdy, strong horses.  In both cases, smooth-gaited horses with good endurance were required.  On the other hand, Peru did not develop a livestock-based economy, and thus did not need to breed for the speed or agility characteristic of [[stock horse]]s.

Over time, Peruvian breeders kept the bloodlines clean and selectively bred primarily for [[horse gait|gait]], [[equine conformation|conformation]], and temperament. They wanted strong, hardy animals that were comfortable to ride and easy to control. Over four centuries, their dedication to breeding only the best gaited bloodstock resulted in the modern Peruvian Horse.

A decline in the use of Peruvians was seen in the southern part of Peru in the early 1900s, following the building of major highways that allowed motor travel to replace the use of the horse. Many of the major breeders in the area gave their best horses away to peasants living in the nearby ''quebradas'' (valleys). It was in one of these quebradas that breeder Gustavo de la Borda found the horse that was to become the most important modern sire in the breed, Sol de Oro (Viejo).<ref>[http://www.peruvian-pasos.com/horses.html Sol De Oro]</ref>

The Peruvian Horse continued to flourish in the northern regions because it was still needed for transportation on the [[hacienda]]s. This changed with the harsh Agrarian Reforms instituted by the government of [[Juan Velasco Alvarado]] in the late 1960s that had a devastating effect on the Peruvian Horse within Peru. Major breeding operations were broken up and breeding stock was lost. Because interest in the Peruvian Horse was growing in the United States and Central America at the same time, many of the finest Peruvians  were exported, leading to a period where it appeared the Peruvian Horse would fade in its homeland.

Don [[Pedro Venturo Zapata]] was a major breeder of the Peruvians in his "[[Hacienda Higuereta|Hacienda Higuereta y Anexos - Negociacion Vinicola Pedro Venturo S.A.]]" from 1925 to 1952.

The last quarter of the 20th century saw a resurgence in the Peruvian Horse's fortune in Peru. The annual National Show in Lima is a major event in Peruvian cultural life. The Peruvian has been declared a ''Patrimonio Cultural'' (Cultural Heritage) of Peru in an attempt to shore up the breed within the country. There are now laws in place that restrict the export of national champion horses.

Peruvian Horses are noted internationally for their good temperament and comfortable ride.  As of 2003, there are approximately 25,000 horses worldwide, used for [[pleasure riding]], [[trail riding|trail]], [[horse show]]s, [[parade horse|parades]], and [[endurance riding]].<!--added from different section, fits better to keep all info about chronology together-->