Excerpt from

The Blue Book of Peruvian Paso Bloodlines

text by Verne R. Albright

drawings by Karen A. Zahlis

copyright dated 1974.

Provided here with permission of the Author.

The "Enfrenadura"

There is a chalk circle outlined on the ground, with a horse and rider in the center.  The rider moves his horse toward the judges, stops in front of them, removes his hat in salute and then begins to guide his mount through the complicated maneuvers of the "enfrenadura".

The "enfrenadura" reining test is one of the highlights of the annual National Tournament of Peruvian Paso Horses.  Once a year, the best reined Paso horses in all Peru meet at the tournament in Lima to compete for the "premio enfrenadura".

It takes a long time to prepare a horse to enter that chalk circle and to perform the intricate "enfrenadura" before the watchful eyes of Peru's leading judges.  Some Peruvian Paso horses are so well schooled in "enfrenadura" that they can go through most of the routine riderless on the end of a long line.  Even though the "premio enfrenadura" is little esteemed by breeders, competition is fierce because the trainer's pride and reputation are on the line.

The horse executes the entire test inside a small chalk circle, which he must not leave by even a fraction of an inch.  Pivoting is done on the front legs instead of the hind legs.  The horse plants his forequarters and literally "walks around them" with his hindquarters.  This involves great dexterity, and its purpose is to keep the rider's position relatively unchanged during the entire pivot.  The position of the rider, in relation to a fixed spot on the ground beneath him, moves very little -- something very important in the bullring, where most of the "enfrendura" maneuvers originated.

During subsequent maneuvers, the horse bends his neck into a U-shape and puts his nose against the right stirrup, where he leaves it until he has completed a series of right turns to the right.  Then the muzzle is touched against the left stirrup where it remains during a series of similar left turns.  The horse is seldom planted in one position, but is always nimbly moving from one spot to another.

The average Peruvian breeder might tell you that the "enfrenadura" has no purpose, that it is a thing of beauty and tradition rather than function.  "Enfrenadura" reining is not considered, by most modern Peruvians, to be a useful skill.  But their ancestors considered it to be a useful skill indeed, for the tradition of the "enfrenadura" began in the bullrings of colonial Peru, where a new exciting type of bullfighting from horseback was originated.  This style of bullfighting depended upon the horse's dexterity, not upon his speed, as do most styles of horseback bullfighting.  The "torero" and his horse remained constantly near the bull, never protected by great distance.

Pivoting on the front legs helped the horse avoid the bull while the rider remained in a relatively stable position so that he could fight his enemy.  Also, forequarter pivots allowed the horse to avoid the bull who tends to charge the rear of a horse.

Many years ago, this skillful maneuvering of the bullfight horse left the Peruvian bullring and became the "enfrenadura".  Time has shown that the "enfrenadura" is an exercise which can "loosen up" a Peruvian horse -- especially in the hind legs -- and teach him balance and grace.