Trocha, Trocha y Galope, Trote y Galope

by Charly van de Sande

Paso Finos are great but are you familar with the other Paso Gaits such as Trocha, Trocha y Galope, or Trote y Galope. You may have had the pleasure to see some of these wonderful Pasos at the recent Mundial in Tampa and if not you sure missed a treat.

Having a Trocha y Galope or Trote y Galope Paso is something else, I can guarantee you! The horse can be brought out in shows (except USA), used for day to day work and trail riding, for the whole day if you like. While my show Paso Fino’s and Trochador’s stay at home, mainly because they are plainly boring to take out, since you have to keep them into their gait and you never can gallop with them for fear of spoiling their gait.

Now if you own a Trocha y Galope, or Trote y Galope you know what I am talking about. They are just as smooth to ride as the Paso Fino however much more pleasurable due to the variation of gaits.

Now all Paso Fino aficionados know that the resting gait for the Paso Fino horse is trocha. Question is "Where did this gait come from?". Paso Fino’s already existed for some time and I was curious to find out how we got Trocha, Trocha y Galope and Trote y Galope’s. Sometimes we also get Trocha puro Colombiano out of Paso fino gaited horses. To name a few very famous ones out of the past: Carey (Resorte I x Tosca), Carey (Gaucho x Jirafa), Duque o Caruzo (Monarca I x Silueta) and Zar o Rey Cometa (Cometa x Nieta).

The Trocha, Trocha y Galope and Trote y Galope of the last 40 years can be traced to one single Dam. Yes it all started with a Dam called Danesa. She has become known as the best Colombian belly of all time and has passed her X chromosome to all the major offspring of Trocha, Trocha y Galope and Trote y Galope Pasos of today: With Rey Cometa > Don Danilo, with Caballo Viejo o Canario > Dalila I, with Cabuyero> Dalila V, with Vinol de Urbano > Danes, with Dandy. Nefertitus, with Marques > Tango, with Carey > Zarzamora, with Resorte III> Ney Uribe > Reliquia>Rosalinda..

Danesa’s Dam was La Diana, her Sire was a Lucitanian bull fighting horse, brought to Colombia by the famous bullfighter Lady Conchita Cintron in 1946. Danesa herself earned the Fuera de Concurso (out of contest because of 10 Championships) title in 1971 at Ibague, Colombia in the Trote y Galope gait.

Her most famous son, Don Danilo, was born on the Hacienda de Farallones de Bolivar in Antioquia, Colombia on February 20, 1954, his Sire was the famous Zar O Rey Cometa (Cometa x Nieta) Cometa (Resorte I x Gaviota de Sopetran) his lineage is therefor 100% paso fino.

Don Danilo in accordance with the stories was capable to show all 4 different gaits, Paso Fino, Trocha, Trocha y Galope and Trote y Galope. However his best gait was the Trocha y Galope and he got his Fuera de Concurso title in 1965 at Bogota, Colombia. Obviously he has many offspring but special mention deserves the get of Sire’s El Arco and Rebelde, both sons of Don Danilo.

El Arco (Don Danilo x La Flecha de Bellavilla) whom got his Fuera de Concurso title in 1970 in the Trocha Gait. His son Cascabel, F.de.C (1990) Trote y Galope, Pincel de Pahuana Paso Fino, Caqique Calarca Trocha F.de.C (1982), Cassio and Monenegro F.de.C in Trocha. Dictador had a famous son Dic Par II de la Peninsula F.de.C (1990) Trocha and J.R.Regente his son J.R.Coqueto F.de.C and many more excellent offsprings.

Rebelde (Don Danilo with1/2 sister Zarzamora (Carey x Danesa) F.de.C (1969) in Trocha y Galope sired famous sons Majestuoso F.de.C (1982) Trocha y Galope, who sired Barabbas (Trocha) the Sire of World Champion Soberbio de la Luisa and also the Sire of the Reserve World Champion, ½ brother of Serberbio, both Trote y Galope, the other famous son of Rebelde named Consul II F.de.C (1982) in Trote y Galope who Sired Monarca IV F.de.C (1985) in Trocha y Galope, Conde de Baro Blanco F.de.C (1986) in Trote y Galope, As de Oros F.de.C (1990) in Trote y Galope , Candidato F.de.C (1987) Trote y Galope etc.etc..

Monarca IV who sired Cartel del 8 F.de.C (1997) with Fantasia III daughter of Majestuoso and Principe Heredero F.de.C (1990), his famous, get of Sire, Duelo (Monarca IV x Venenosa de Sopetran), Pretor and many other Champions. Monarca IV is a legend in his own right.

I met the "new" owner of Antanas Mockus, a son of Duelo, who won the Grand Trocha y Galope Championship in Tampa at the Mundial ’99 at the airport in Aruba, she saw my straw hat and asked if I was into Fino’s, (we where visiting Aruba for the International Paso Fino show, November 1999). She told me the story of their buying this horse, Antanas Mockus, from his Colombian owner prior to the show and the horse became world champion afterwards, wow the guy must have been "a hum" lets say, not happy.

Tongolele became world champion in Trote y Galope at the Tampa Mundial and her sister, Malena, became the Reserve World Champion at this same show and yes they where both sired by Duelo.

Danes F.de.C in Trocha y Galope (out of Vinol de Urbano (Trocha) x Danesa) sired Napoleon F.de.C (1977) Trote y Galope, and Napoleon sired the famous Papillon F.de.C (1983) Trote y Galope. Danes sired also sired Colombia F.de.C (1982) Trochadora with his half sister Rosalinda (Resorte III x Danesa) F.de.C (1985).

Danesa being herself a grand champion, Fuera de Concurso and a brood mare, at the same time, is what makes her such an awesome influence to those other neglected Paso gaits.

So from the above we learned that these gaits have existed since 1950-1955 in Colombia, Venezuela, Aruba, Curacao and now due to the owner of Antanas Mockus the United States now has it first World Champions Trocha y Galope!! And now maybe soon Trocha, Trocha y Galope and Trote y Galope will not be a neglected gait in the US.

Charly van de Sande
Rancho El Paso
Curacao, Netherlands Antilles
elpaso@curinfo.an

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