A Peculiar Breed: The World’s Smoothest Ride

The Peruvian Stepping horse developed in the northern regions of Peru through 400 year process of isolation and selective breeding using Spanish and Berber breeds of horses which were originally introduced during the period of the Spanish Conquest and the beginning of the colonial period. It is instantly recognizable by its peculiar and elegant gait a side-stepping method consisting of a series of synchronized movements of the front and hind legs in a parallel. Where other horses trot when moving at medium-speed, the compact and muscular Peruvian Paso horse employs this 4-beat lateral step, known as the paso llano.

Although Cusco boasts a number of historic neighborhoods, San Blas is different from the rest. It’s immediately recognizable thanks to its blue colonial balconies and a preponderance of artisan shops. Just four (admittedly steep) blocks up from the main square, San Blas has a distinctively artistic and bohemian feel. Though modern backpackers and traveling musicians add to this ambience, the neighborhood actually functioned as the city’s artists’ quarter during the time of the Incas as well.