1999 Paso Fino Mule
(Black Bart  X  Promesa la Manana)

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Maya at 2 days of age
(...have you ever seen anything more adorable  !?)
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I  have long anticipated the arrival of my Paso Fino mule...
I  have wanted one since 1987, when I bought my first Paso Fino
(solely with the hopes of raising a naturally gaited mule from her).

Well, I got sidetracked for 11 years,
but finally in 1998 I had my best Paso Fino  mare bred via
artificial insemination to the best Mammoth Jack available.
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For the story of how this mule came into being, go to this page
( including a photo of her  famous sire, Black Bart),
see this page:
 The Making of Canada's First Paso Fino Mule

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Flor de Maya is the result of this cross.
It was a long wait, but she was worth every minute of it!!!
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Here are some more pictures:

Promesa la Manana  and Flor de Maya
(2 days old)

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Here is a shot of Maya  gaiting in typical Paso Fino style!

This photo was taken when Maya was a mere 2 days old...
 proving once again that the Paso Fino gait is pure and natural,
not man-made or trained into the animals,
as it is in some of the other
breeds of horses.

The big question when I bred Promesa for this mule baby
was whether or not the mule would be gaited...
A purebred Paso Fino foal is basically guaranteed to gait,
but a half Paso Fino
may or may not inherit the incredibly smooth gait.
Most horse foals that are only half Paso Fino do not inherit
the Paso Fino gait at all,
or they *may* show some "single foot" type gait,
which is different than pure Paso Fino gait.

I am very happy that Maya was blessed with pure gait!

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Maya at 2 days old

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A Proud mom with her baby...

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More of Maya  here:
 Maya's Second Page
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Paso Finos Larimar
Carol Merz Todd
RR3, 2698 Nazko Rd.,
Quesnel, BC
V2J-3H7