Jorge Duque – Firmness for the Correct Future of the Paso Horse

PPF: Jorge, thank you so much for sharing this space with Perfiles del Paso Fino.
JD: It is a pleasure to be here spending time with you.

PPF: Thank you. Here we are amidst the Ocala Cup International Show, an event which you are judging. To get started, could you please tell me what you think of the event?
JD: Without a doubt, the first mention should be the facility where it is taking place. I don’t know if there is a better place or a facility that offers the same conditions of where we are currently working. This is a precious, we could even say perfect, location for this event.
PPF: Yes, that’s right. We are talking about the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. It is a spectacular location.
JD: It offers all the comfort for the horses, for the technical team to perform our duties, and to the audience who comes to observe the show. I think that a good group of horses has come together, of sufficient quality to perform, thus causing a great performance for anyone who has come to watch the event.
PPF: I agree.

PPF: For those who do not know you, can you please tell me about your beginnings as a horseman?
JD: Well, my family is from Tolima [Colombia] on my paternal side and from Valle del Cauca [Colombia] on my mother’s side. I was born in the city of Ibagué and grew up in the state of Tolima, where I studied veterinary medicine and zootechny. I always dreamed of being a veterinarian since I was a young boy and was able to accomplish that dream. I fulfilled my veterinary practice work at the San Luis Equine Clinic in La Estrella, Antioquia alongside Dr. Ignacio Correa. Then, I had the opportunity to participate in in my first program for artificial insemination with frozen semen. That took place for Paso horses in Panama City in 1993. After that, I went to Venezuela and worked in a couple of breeding farms. One was Criadero Agua Clara, which was very representative in the Republic of Venezuela, the other was Criadero El Vencedor. Then, I returned to Colombia to continue working in my profession. I began working at the equine events since 1988 and in 1999, I graduated as a national judge in Colombia. Later, I graduated as an international judge in 2002. Since then, I have been developing my career in both ways; exercising my profession as well as working in equine judgments.

PPF: At what point in time did you decide that what you wanted to do was be an equine judge?
JD: That is one of my anecdotes because it was a decision I made, but my initiation was through mere coincidence. Two friends of mine were judging an event. One of them was to be showing a horse, so he had to declare himself unable to judge the horses at the event and the explanation provided by the remaining judge was not to the first one’s liking, so he decided to withdraw himself from the event. I happened to be there as a spectator and the judge who remained in the show ring, Dr. Carlos Alberto Londoño, also a Colombian national judge, invited me to accompany him in judging the competition. That was the beginning of our working together in the show ring. That was a time when I was still a student in the university in 1988. That is how it all started. Later, I began to be a part of the work in the pre-ring and organizing competitive events. I would also attend festivals alongside Mr. Gustavo Mejía Escobar. He was my mentor. And well, that is how all this came to be.

PPF: I see. As a doctor of veterinary medicine, what is your principle focus at the time of judging a competition?
JD: I always pay special attention in respect to the sanitary aspect. So, in that regard, I conduct a general appreciation from one point of the horse to the other and then I pay attention to the horses’ locomotion and the absence of any claudication. From that point forward, I begin to observe the horse to find its level of approximation to the prototype needed for each modality. Then, I start to observe the aspects of each horse and its conditions, such as its conformation, its willingness to work, and I analyze the preparation it holds as far as its level of training and its physical condition. Having all those observations, I can then watch how their performance unfolds from beginning to end and how its presentation is performed. All those factors are to be analyzed during that time. We have the opportunity to implement Colombian regulations as well as Confepaso regulations when observing the individual work offs of each of the horses. Here, the presentations are much shorter, despite the show rings being much larger. Thus, there are always different moments and situations that force us to work in being more dynamic in the evaluation of the horses. Our focus is obviously always on a horse that is larger, faster, prettier, better in conformation, always having an improvement in the breed is what we always intend to find.
PPF: And we actually saw that today in the diagonal classes. It was the Trote y Galope mare class, or championship rather, where it was highlighted that the phenotype of the mare Conquista versus the bay mare, La Milonga. What is the actual requirement that a mare must fulfill in regard to handling and presentation versus her conformation?
JD: The handling. Obviously, a horse must be administered within a competition in accordance with its physical capacity. There are horses that perform very well for three minutes, or fifteen, or thirty. So, there are moments in which all eyes are focused on one horse. That is when the rider’s capacity takes precedence to get the most out of the horse in the moment that it is required all while giving it time to catch its breath and rest when the maximum performance is not necessary. Obviously, it is very important for the horse to be properly conducted and directed from the beginning until the end in order to get the maximum out of the preparation, the horse’s condition, and to offer a positive presentation.

PPF: What motivated you to share your knowledge and criteria in United States show rings?
JD: I believe judging, as everything else in life, is a cycle. There is a beginning, a learning stage, a place where we begin to balance the importance of the concepts, and a point where we consider we have sufficient sense of security and a serenity within the show ring with which to resolve any situation that presents itself, despite the fact that every time you enter the show ring, you must learn something. Therefore, the time comes when you want to share your experiences. I prefer to not say my knowledge because, what we learn from horses is never-ending. We learn daily from horses. I sometimes feel I know less and less about horses because there is an infinite universe to learn about them. But, you do want to share all that you have observed, how you have felt, and I think that we then want to show the people the right path after having seen accomplishments and downfalls along the way throughout all these years.

PPF: In your opinion, which is the greatest advantage of the Paso Fino industry in the US, or rather, the Paso horse industry in the US?
JD: The greatest advantage is the desire to do things well. The desire to want to grow, to want to improve, the want to attract more audience and to increase the number of events and provide them with a greater level of importance. Look at the location where our horses are being presented, at the level of the best breeds at a worldly level. That is the greatest advantage.

PPF: And which do you think is the greatest challenge to surpass?
JD: The greatest challenge to surpass, I believe, is the inclusion of diagonals. I think that it is important, for us, Colombians- in respect to Colombia being a producer of diagonally-gaited horses- to be able to provide a horse bigger than the Paso Fino, stronger than the Paso Fino, and that has greater versatility, in respect to the Trote-Galope and Troch-Galope horses. Here in the US, I know that people tend to be of greater height and weight and, thus, need a horse that is stronger than the Paso Fino. Despite many newcomers to the breed wanting to ride our horses, they aren’t very attracted to them because they find them fragile compared to the other breeds. So, I think we should be able to emphasize obtaining horses of greater size, greater strength, and greater splendor to share with the people of North America.
PPF: Of course, we should. And all the while without losing the smoothness. Right? Because that is what attracts most attention to our breed.
JD: The conditions that our horse has of being the best saddle horse of the world cannot be lost at all. That is the essence of our horse; it is a comfortable horse, easily handled, and able to be enjoyed in different ways and different places.
PPF: Absolutely. And it is a giant accomplishment to not only see the quantity, but also the quality of diagonal horses and the attention being given to them.
JD: That is very important. Hopefully, there could be genetic material exported to the US in the way it is worked in Colombia, through artificial insemination and the transport of semen from one place to another without any difficulty. It would be great to be able to ship that material in a timely manner from Colombia to the United States, I mean if it is possible in regard to sanitary laws allowing for it. And thus, promoting the breeding of diagonal horses here in the US.

PPF: Aside from being a veterinarian and judge, in what other ways do you live your life as a horseman? Are you an owner or a breeder?
JD: I have had Paso Fino horses, that is how it all began. Then, I got tired of obtaining low quality horses and that is when I understood that in order to be a good breeder of Paso Fino horses, you must have mares of excellent quality. I became a breeder of mules, then I began breeding diagonal horses, and that’s where I am now. Amidst all that.
PPF: Where do you have your animals?
JD: Right now, I am located in Valle del Cauca. I also own a nucleus of sheep, of the Pelibüey breed. So now I am also a sheep breeder, as a hobby.

PPF: Do you personally compete your animals? Do you show them?
JD: No, I don’t… oh, the sheep I do! Not my horses, at least not yet, because I haven’t gotten to that point where I have one ready for competition. I am honestly very critical with my own horses and so, what I don’t like, simply doesn’t work for me and that is it. I will sell them.

PPF: At this moment, during these competitions you have been observing in Ocala, what can you suggest to the directors and the associations so that our industry can reach a comparative level in relation to the rest of the world?
JD: I think that the level of quality in horses is there. The difference lies in the quantity of horses shown. I consider that the event organization is correct. I wouldn’t be able to say there has been an error in the organization because I have not witnessed one. On the contrary, it has all been very well done, well thought out, the design of the show ring. I believe the advertisement of the event was sufficient. As far as us judges, we have been given perfect working conditions. Well, I also understand that there are economy problems in general, not only in our country but in all countries. I believe that is a limiting factor for there to be more horses competed at these events.

PPF: What can you suggest at an educational level? Generally, these competitions have many children participating in all the categories and many owners as well. That is very common in this country. But at the educational level, there aren’t enough resources as there could be. In your experience, where you are from – Colombia-, where could we start to help improve that situation?
JD: The easiest way and it’s completely free, is to provide an explanation at the end of every competitive class. I believe that is a great way to compliment all the efforts being made if the objective is to illustrate, just as we did in the Trote y Galope classes. Competitors must be told what judges are looking for and why each horse wins or doesn’t win in each instance. Children especially need to be taught that there are times you win and times you do not win. That is as far as the culture. Now, as far as the concepts specifically referring to the horses, they must be mentioned in a clear manner to show what judges are seeking. Why that sound? Why that size? How necessary is the speed of gait and up to what point it is justified to have a horse with rapid movement rather than clarity of gait. That is what is most important to promote.

PPF: People are constantly becoming accustomed to that Paso-Trocha because perhaps it is what is popular right now. Likewise, the elevated headset. I have also noticed that becoming more common. When I first started riding Pasos, there was a clear stamp to the competition Paso horse and now that has gone away.
JD: Those are tendencies that have always come up from the beginning, but that should be corrected. Every explanation should indicate which is a correct angulation between the head and the neck. We must also mention proper alignment of hooves, and that speed isn’t everything. That speed isn’t as important. It is best to find a correct phenotype and a correct style of horse that impacts and is liked by everyone alike. And most of all, that isn’t leading to the deterioration of the breed. We see a lot of very fast horses with problems in their hooves, with weakness mostly in their posteriors, with a slim chest, of short height. It isn’t justifiable for those types of horses to be included in the reproduction of the breed. In order for people to be clear on that, we must illustrate it and we must tell it like it is, I believe. Obviously, everything must be said in a respectful way, but it must be shown to the people of the industry that a horse with a good height and with good bodily proportions, a horse that has exterior beauty and besides that, that has a correct sense of training and a proper angulation of head and neck, and that has an attractive and elegant ensemble, therefore, will be better. That horse will be better because it will represent the breed well.

PPF: There are actually few competitions in the US that have those explanations, the majority belonging to this regional association in Ocala. Generally, the other competitions do not have any explanations and that is a huge factor. And the other factor is that, for the most part, the spectators, owners, and participants do not understand that exhibiting a horse is not just about that moment in the show ring. It’s not just about those 5 or 15 minutes of presentation, but it is also about the reproductive aspect. So, sometimes there is a lot of conflict regarding judgments, and they will say ‘but the horse was in gait.’ Well, yes, but is that what we want to reproduce? No.
JD: I think that at every competition, when the explanation is given, it represents a level of choosing within the breed. A selection, that is what takes place during a judgment, a selection. The rulebooks and the point system indicate that it is more important to have good conformation and a good level of movements than the actual way that a particular work off is conducted. Two good horses that do an individual work off, let’s just talk about a figure 8 right now, two good horses that perform the work off correctly is one thing, but another thing is when there is one superior to the other and they both perform the work off differently, well, the quality of the horse must obviously stand above.

PPF: Absolutely. A little while ago you mentioned the sanity of a horse at the moment of judgment inside the show ring, a combination of factors is observed but most of all, that the horse is in good health. Talk to me about the pre-ring then, about the importance of having a revision before even entering that show ring.
JD: There should always be a filter for horses who arrive with wounds or with defects. The rulebook is clear and indicates which horses can enter the show ring and in what condition they are allowed to enter the show ring. So, when those conditions are not met, there should be an ideal person to serve as that filter before those horses enter the competition.
PPF: And that, again, must be a part of the regulations for each competition in each region.
JD: It exists in our country, it exists in CONFEPASO, and I know that here there is also a group of people who receive the horses before a competition to review them in detail. There is also a doping revision on the way out of the show ring. So, at this point, it is a matter of complimenting what exists with what is missing, and I am sure that everything will continue to function in the best way. It is so good for this factor to exist because all these methods prepare people and provides them with the knowledge so that when they go to acquire a horse, they are not deceived to buy something that they should not buy. Or, sometimes people have a horse and hope to participate in a competition and that person must know if that horse has a level sufficient enough to compete or at least know at what level of competition it can participate.

PPF: I greatly appreciate the teachings you have shared today and your explanation of your point of view as a judge. I thank you for this interview today and for your participation in this event. I am a member of this region and have always enjoyed precisely that, the educative aspect. I believe it is very important. Thank you very much.
JD: Thanks to you for this time and for allowing me to express a bit of all this which is necessary to comment and to share. I am here to serve you, today and always.
PPF: Thank you very much.
JD: With great pleasure.