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A View from the Saddle
Text by Tina
Causey-Escobedo
Photography by Steve Keith and Rona Coster
Aruba's long
history with the horse
In profiling the best of
the island, one of Aruba's advertising campaigns of a few years back
portrayed a woman in a flowing white dress sitting astride a horse,
galloping along the beach, with the California Lighthouse in the background,
set off by a sky decorated with the flamboyant streaks of red and orange
produced by the setting sun. It was an image that helped promote the island
for its picturesque beauty and its romantic charm, and which helped
reinforce the desire of more than one visitor of the island to pursue a ride
along the beach—in, hopefully, slightly more appropriate attire than a
dress—as one of their vacation highlights. But the role played by Aruba's
horse is greater than fulfilling the occasional trail ride. It was once an
integral part of the island's economy and today functions as a piece of the
social fabric linking together the many horsey folk of Aruba.
It was the Spanish who first introduced the horse to Aruba, utilizing their
claim of the small island as a rather large horse ranch. By the time the
Dutch came into possession of the island in 1636, Aruba continued to be used
as a trading post for horses. The harbor area of what is still known as
Paardenbaai (Bay of Horses) was where horses were either unceremoniously
dropped from the boats or hoisted aboard via pulleys.
Over the course of the island's history, a number of breeds have been
introduced including, in more recent times, the thoroughbred racehorse and
quarterhorse hunter/jumper, but the horse that is most valued in Aruba today
is, without a doubt, the Paso Fino. The Paso Fino, also known as the
Colombian “Criollo” horse, is one of the oldest native breeds in the
Americas, a descendent of those first horses brought by the Spanish. The
Barb, Andalusian, and Spanish Jennet horses, used by the Conquistadors, were
interbred, resulting in a naturally gaited horse known as the Paso Fino for
its “fine step,’’ and loved for its aesthetics as much as for its smooth
ride.
“When it comes to horses, Aruba is more culturally aligned with Latin
America,” explains Kenneth Faustin, owner of Rancho del Campo, about Aruba's
propensity to favor the Paso Fino. “Most of us were raised on Mexican
[western] movies, listened to Mariachi groups, and there is that image
imprinted in our minds of Simon Bolivar, always as a man on his horse. The
highly social atmosphere that surrounds any horse event in Colombia or
Venezuela is also the type of celebration we enjoy.’’
With a number of “ranchos” found throughout the island, an often-planned
occurrence is the “cabalgata,” in which horses will be trailed in from other
ranches in order for everyone to get together in a procession of horses
through the city streets. After a number of rest stops, the parade of horses
and riders makes its way back to the host ranch, where additional friends
and family join up for a BBQ or simply a lazy day of drinks and animated
conversation.
 
More formal events include a regular round of horse shows, with the
organization of local competitions and participation in regional and
international events. Male “jinete” and female “amazona” riders compete in
confirmation and performance classes dressed in traditional hat and, for
men, the oversized cow skin “zamarros” chaps. Confirmation classes are
classified according to age, gender, and type of horse of which the
highlight is always the Paso Fino category. Its four beat lateral gait (with
each hoof hitting in succession, left rear, left fore, right rear, right
fore) is differentiated from the Trocha, which also has a four beat rhythm
except done in a diagonal sequence, but with each type having the similar
affect of being able to mesmerize spectators with its poetry of motion.
Smaller than its northern cousins, at between 13.5 and 15 hands, Paso Fino
and Trocha, as well as Aruba's other gaited breeds such as Trote y Galope,
Troton, and Paseo, are well-formed, powerful horses that are almost dainty
in their precise movements. Its rapid, high-stepping collected stride is
appreciated both visually and audibly with horses and riders required to
pass over the wooden “pista” plank.
Although total seriousness is taken in the actual judging of the event, with
certified judges from Colombia often brought to Aruba for its local
competitions, the highly social attitude is ever present; competitions often
run late into the evening as spectators enjoy the festive atmosphere as much
as the actual exhibition of horses. However, this is not to say Aruba has
not earned its reputation among its equestrian peers of the region. Some of
the finest bloodlines in the world, from such notable horses as Amadeus,
Resorte 4, Cappuccino, Capitan, and Profeta, can be found in Aruba, with
horses worth tens of thousands of dollars and upwards owned and bred by
local horsemen including Herbie Merryweather and Alex Mansur.
 
The accomplishments of such trailblazers as Luis “Lucho” Claro, owner of
Rancho La Ponderosa, who not only helped found the Aruba Horsemen's
Association, Organizacion Caballista Arubano (OCA), but is also known for
identifying and training Casanova, Aruba's first grand champion to gain
international recognition, has helped gain the island a reputation on the
Paso Fino show circuit. It is a reputation that continues to grow with the
achievements of young riders such as Chayon Kock, who at five-years old won
Aruba its first gold medal in international competition during a recent show
in Puerto Rico. His father Anthony proudly classifies his son's win as an
exhibition of something great that a small island such as Aruba can
accomplish.
Whether for competition or pleasure, Aruba's horse is admired for its beauty
and appreciated for the sense of freedom it can deliver in the symbiotic
flow of motion of horse and rider. With centuries of history on the island,
the horse continues to maintain a cherished spot within the Aruban
imagination.
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