Upcoming Events
MN Horse Expo April 25 - 27, 2025
Paso Finos are needed for the MN Horse Expo We are seeking two Paso Fino horses to represent MAPFHA at the Minnesota Horse Expo! This is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your horse(s) and introduce this incredible breed to tens of thousands of visitors. Help us spread the word and highlight the unique qualities of the Paso Fino to a large audience.
Join us at the MN Horse Expo and make a lasting impression! Contact Us
Join Us at the Spring Kick-Off May 10-11th!
2025's Spring Kick-off will be at Fort Ridgley Start Park in near Fairfax, MN. Come join us for a weekend of riding and comradery. Make sure to reserve your spot soon through the MN State Park service website. We can’t wait to see you there!
Annual Membership Meeting
When: May 10, 2025
Where: Fort Ridgely State Park, Farmhouse
Host: MAPFHA Board
You're invited to join us for our Annual Membership Meeting on May 10th at Fort Ridgely State Park in Fairfax, MN. The meeting will take place at the farmhouse near the horse camp, which has been reserved for our event.
This meeting offers a great opportunity to meet and greet fellow members, socialize, and discuss important topics. We’ll be voting on Board positions, so your participation is crucial. Additionally, we’ll be celebrating the end-of-year 2024 awards for our Saddle Time Program, recognizing those who have spent hours in the saddle.
This is also a perfect time to share your thoughts and ideas on the direction of MAPFHA. We look forward to seeing you there and hearing your valuable input!
Only 7 spots are still open for the Trail Horse Clinic
Clinician: Tracy Porter
When: May 31 - June 1, 2025
Where: RnR Ranch, St. Criox Falls, WI
Sign up now for our 2-day Trail Horse Clinic, designed around the PFHA THT curriculum. This clinic is perfect for horses at any stage of training, helping them build confidence and readiness for the trail. Whether you're introducing a young horse to the trails, preparing for the upcoming trail season, getting ready for the next PFHA THT, or simply looking to expand your knowledge, this clinic offers the ideal opportunity.
The Trail Horse Clinic will include:
- Trailer Loading
- Grooming and Tacking
- Groundwork: leading, lunging, turns on forehand and haunches
- Saddle Exercises: transitions, leg yields, side pass, turns on forehand and haunches
- Interacting with other horses
- Maneuvering through trail obstacles
- Understanding your horse's temperament and how to support their progress
We can't wait to see you and your horse at the clinic! It’s going to be an amazing experience filled with learning, growth, and plenty of fun! Be sure to register on our website!
MAPFHA is Hosting a Gaited Horse Clinic
Clinician: Elizabeth Graves
When: June 21 - 22, 2025
Where: Outback Ranch, Houston, MN
We’re excited to announce an upcoming Gaited Horse Clinic featuring the esteemed clinician, Liz Graves. This clinic is tailored to provide personalized attention to each participant, ensuring a focused and enriching experience. To maintain a supportive environment, we are limiting enrollment to just 6-9 participants, allowing Liz to give everyone the individual guidance they deserve.
The clinic will take place at the scenic Outback Ranch in Houston, MN, offering an ideal blend of learning and relaxation. The ranch boasts a spacious outdoor arena for our clinic sessions and miles of picturesque trails for evening rides. In addition, Outback Ranch provides convenient amenities, including electric camping, cabin rentals, stalls, and pastures, making it a comfortable retreat for both you and your horse.
With decades of experience working with all gaited breeds, Liz Graves specializes in recognizing and addressing each horse’s unique needs. Whether you're working to keep your horse in gait or fine-tuning your riding skills, Liz’s expertise will offer practical strategies to improve your horse’s gait, performance, and overall connection.
We’re eager to have you join us at this exclusive clinic to help you and your horse reach new heights!
Information
Mount Orienteering Ride
NEW for 2025 PFHA approved Competitive Mounted Orienteering for the PFHA Sport Horse Program!
The Paso Fino Sport Horse (PFSH) program recognizes and rewards both riders and horses that excel in all-breed competitions beyond the traditional Paso Fino horse community. Learn more about the PFHA Sport Horse Program here.
Our President Ben Davidson is hosting a CMO for the North American Competitive Mounted Orienteering (NACMO) association and welcomes all members to attend.
The ride will be at Outback Ranch in Houston, MN June 28 & 29th. A ride will be hosted each day, so join us for one or for both. Currently numerous campsites and cabins are available.
What is CMO? Each competitor is given a map at the starting line with the area's roads and trails clearly marked. Scattered throughout the ride area are ten numbered circles marked on the map - these are the locations of the treasure in this mounted treasure hunt! The treasure is a 9" paper plate with two highlighted letters, the ride date and a station number written on it - hidden somewhere within the circle.
On the back of the map after each station number are compass bearings taken TO or FROM identifiable clues. The circle on the map indicates the approximate area on the map where the objective station and the supporting clues are located.
The object of the sport is to ride out and find as many of the Treasures as you can and get back in the least amount of time, on either a long course (10 Treasures) or short course (5 Treasures). Learn More Here
2024 PFHA Support
We’re grateful for the incredible support the PFHA has shown MAPFHA. In 2024, the PFHA provided us with $2,500 in activity funds to help promote the breed and MAPFHA activities. These funds allowed us to host our first sanctioned event in years—the PFHA Trail Horse Test—and also helped cover the costs of promoting Paso Finos at the Minnesota Horse Expo. The only requirement for these funds is that we share updates and photos of our events with the PFHA, which strengthens our connection and visibility within the larger Paso Fino community.
In addition, PFHA reimburseded us for the cost of our Zoom account in 2024 to encourage membership participation. We host bi-monthly (every odd month on the 4th Thursday) Event Committee meetings that are open to all members, and this support helps make those meetings more accessible.
Thank you!