Printed
in the Peruvian Horse Review,
Volume 2, Number 1, Spring 1975
Termino
By
Henry Curry, Jr., MD
with drawings by Karen Zahlis
Termino
is the most distinctive feature of the Peruvian Paso and is perhaps the
most difficult to analyze. It is a complicated movement
involving the entire forelimb and is executed so rapidly the human eye
can only perceive it in fragments. Even the most experienced
aficionados find it difficult to concisely describe the subtle
variations. A neophyte will probably be confused about
termino for at least a year and much of the problem lies in the lack of
a uniform definition. When I became interested in Peruvian
Pasos several years ago, the only consistent thing I heard about
termino was that all horses of the breed have it. Some people
say, "the more temino the better the horse" and other opinions are
equally adamant that exaggerated termino is undesirable.
References are made to "high termino" and "low termino" but these terms
are bantered with no common point of reference. "High
termino" to some means a movement originating in the shoulder but
others refer to it as exaggerated action in the lower leg.
Janetta
Michael and I were discussing breed standards a couple of years ago and
after discovering that it is somewhat like describing a spiral
staircase* without using your hands, we agreed on a reasonably concise
description.
"Termino
is an outward rolling of the front limbs during extension. It
should originate in the shoulders and be associated with obvious
"looseness" and fluidity in the movement of the shoulder
girdle. This allows well gaited horses to reach out and
forward in a smooth, graceful manner with minimal transmission of
vertical force to the back. Horses devoid of this quality
cannot extend smoothly and they frequently move in the front with
short, "choppy" steps. Termino in the lower forelimb consists
of anterior and lateral rotation around axes in the knee and
fetlock. As the limb extends, the foot swings out in a lateral
arc before returning squarely to the ground. The amount of
vertical action varies considerably among individuals and must be
evaluated in accord with the smoothness and elegance of
gait. For example, a horse with limited vertical movement may
be extremely smooth and extend well, but lack the crisp animation that
is desirable in a show horse. Conversely, a horse with high
action and poor extension or roughness of gait cannot be considered
desirable. Ideally termino begins with a free, fluid rolling
movement in the shoulders and is executed with good
extension. The relationship between lateral and vertical
action in the knee and fetlock should provide the appearance of brisk,
harmonious animation with no appreciable sacrifice in smoothness."
This
was subsequently incorporated into the Peruvian Paso Breed Standards
and has received the approbation of several Peruvian breeders including
Sr. Fernando Grana. Whether this definition gains popular
acceptance remains to be seen. But it isn't important to
quibble over definitions so long as everyone is aware of the importance
of looseness in the shoulders as an absolute requisite for a Peruvian
Paso to move rapidly and smoothly. A horse with flashy action
in the lower forelimb will cover ground slowly or be rough in gait if
there is not an accompanying freedom of movement in the upper
limb. conversely, a horse may have meager action in the lower
foreleg but still have smoothness and good reach because of the ability
of the shoulder to swing easily in a forward lateral arc.
Several
years ago a North American judge with little knowledge of Peruvian
Pasos, gave a high award to a horse with high, eye-catching movement in
the lower front legs but almost no lateral flexibility in the
shoulders. The rider was able to conceal the roughness of the
gait by not sitting down firmly in the saddle. The judge
didn't ride any of the horses and probably didn't suspect what a rough
unpleasant gait he was awarding as meritorious. The selection
would undoubtedly have been different had he known to observe the
shoulders for free lateral movement and not fixate entirely on "low
termino."
Example 1
Loose shoulders and
good high termino. The
optimal blend of esthetics and function is free lateral movement in the
shoulder combined with crisply animated rotation lift and extension of
the leg. A horse with this movement has the flashy action
desirable for show and can also cover ground with speed and smoothness.
|
Example 2
Loose shoulders,
meager low termino. This
action will enable a horse to move efficiently and smoothly but not
command as much attention as the first example.
|
Example 3
Tight shoulders,
high action. Visually
impressive, but not a good ride, this horse will either take short
steps, be rough in gait, or both.
|
Although
this discussion has dealt exclusively with action in the forelimbs it
is not meant to belittle the importance of other factors in determining
the quality of gait. The manner of impulsion provided by the
hind limbs is also distinctive in the Peruvian Paso and will be the
subject of future discussions. The sequence and tempo of limb
movement as well as variables in conformation demand consideration, but
are not within the scope of this article.
Probably
the best method of analyzing termino and gait is with slow motion and
stop action video analysis. Sr. Fernando Grana utilized a
video tape record of the North American Championship show in Santa
Rosa, California this year to conduct the judging seminar. It
was tremendously effective and enabled him to communicate his
observations to the group with ease and clarity. A more formal
and extensive use of video would be invaluable in a post show analysis
of the gait classes each year and over a number of years could provide
a repository of material useful in studying genetic factors in
determining gait characteristics. How would you like to see
slow motion movies of Limenito, Carnaval or Caramelo in their prime?
* Spiral
staircase -- a series of equidistant steps built in an arc around a
common vertical center with a predetermined rise and fall in each
complete circle.
