Lima’s National Peruvian Paso Horse Competition
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.
This unique movement makes riding these horses a comfortable experience of smooth horizontal swaying, rather than both vertical and horizontal as in the case of other horses. The unique rhythm of the walk allows the Peruvian Paso Horse to be used as well in dance shows and competitions, where the man is on horseback and the woman on foot, and they dance the traditional dance of the Peruvian coast, the graceful Marinera.
The Event
The first Peruvian Stepping Horse Contest 
was held in June of 1929 in the Amancaes Pampa, with the first annual National Contest being held in April of 1945. The annual National Show in Lima is a major event in Peruvian cultural life, and is in reality, a weeklong festival. Beginning on Monday, horses and riders compete in different categories during the day and parties celebrating the music and cuisine of the Peruvian coast are thrown in the evenings. During Sunday’s closing ceremony, you can sample the different dishes of Peru in a food fair while watching the prize ceremony in which the best Peruvian stepping horses in the country demonstrate their abilities and the parade in which the horses and chalanes file to the marinera rhythm of coastal Peru. There’s also be Creole music and folkloric dances. The highlight is the IV National Marinera on Horse and Foot Contest, where the men dance on horseback and the women on foot.
Make sure to sample the pachamanca, which is a simple meal cooked in the earth by heated rocks- it’s a pre-Columbian meal that hasn’t changed much over the centuries.
When: This year, the LXVII National Peruvian Stepping Horse Contest kicks off on Sunday, April 12th and culminates the following Sunday. Entrance is free for all days except for the closing ceremony on the final day.
Where: The event takes place at the Mamacona stables near the pre-Inca ruins of Pachacámac. It’s located 19 miles south of Lima.
How: There are ranches which offer a visit to their facilities and lesson on the history of the horses, their characteristics, and training information along with visits to watch the National Contest, with a dinner or lunch included. If you’re staying in Miraflores you can get picked up, with daily departures at around 10:00am and also 3:00pm. If you’re interested in the arranging of a package, you can always stop by Pirwa Travel Service, which has information counters in our Miraflores hostel, Pirwa Inclan B&B.
When it comes to a comfortable and affordable place a stay during your travels in Lima, you can find budget-friendly private rooms or shared dormitory accomodations in Pirwa, always with cheery colors, a warm atmosphere, comfy beds, and hot water. Not to mention that communal spaces from bars to rooftop patios give you plenty of space to get to know other travelers from around the world. Pirwa Hostels has it’s own travel agency which serves our clients, Pirwa Travel Service, which can assist you with guided excursions and packages as well as separate trip elements such as transport and entrances. And since we have hostel locations in Lima, Cusco, Puno, Arequipa, Nazca, and Machu Picchu in Peru and La Paz in Bolivia, and serve our clients with unforgettable tours and treks throughout both these countries, it’s easy to get your whole itinerary taken care of in one place.