The finest bloodline in Paso Fino horses, bred at the original place where the first horses arrived in the new world. In December of 1493, Columbus arrives on the island of La Hispaniola, now Dominican Republic and Haiti, on his second voyage. He brings with him 25 horses, five broodmares and 20 stallions, establishing royal studs and colonizing the island with the first horses. They were descendents of Andalusians, Spanish Barbs from North Africa, and Spanish Jennets bred for their stamina, smooth step and beauty. These horses would form the foundation of the Paso Fino (="Fine Step") breed of the Spanish Conquistadores. In spite of this promissing start, due to the development of history, for many years the Dominican Republic may not have been a main breeding location of the Paso Fino horse like Colombia, it prides itself to be the first place where these Spanish horses arrived in the "New World". This sorrel horse was one of the best Paso Fino sires of Colombia and the entire world, because of his potential capacity to transmit all his qualities and goodness to his offspring. He was bred by the famous colombian sports journalist Javier Giraldo Neira on his well-known breeding farm "La Palmera", which is located in the city of Manizalez, department of Caldas (Colombia). Being just a colt, Terremoto was bought by Mr. Roberto Escobar Gaviria, who took it to his breeding farm "Potrerillo", located in the same city; but really most of the time, Terremoto spent his days at another of Roberto´s farms, that was called "Lomalinda", and that was located in the town of Rionegro, Antioquia.

If something made this horse different, it was that he was the only horse in the history of the colombian Paso Fino horses whose name was allowed to be changed. Before Roberto Escobar bought him, his real name was Principe de la Palmera. It was Mr. Escobar who made the decision to change the horse´s name to Terremoto de Manizalez.
In the year 1992 Terremoto rendered his service as a stallion to impregnate a lot of mares on the famous farm of the recognized family Ochoa, called "La Loma" (located in Envigado, Antioquia). Then he was stolen by the terrorist organization "Los Pepes"; the reazon of the theft was the war that by that time had started between Medellín´s Drug Cartel (Mr. Roberto Escobar was one of it´s members, he was full brother to the terrible gangster Pablo Escobar) and Cali´s Cartel. Roberto´s enemies knew that the best point where they could affect him, was his prefered horse, which no doubt was Terremoto. Even though the Ochoa family and it´s trainers put all their efforts to avoid the theft, it was impossible. As part of their efforts, they tried to offer one of his best horses, Atrevido del 8, in the place of Terremoto, but nothing worked. Hours later the grand Terremoto was abandoned in a well- transited avenue of Medellín, properly called "La Aguacatala". But the horse was no longer the same, he was gelded by these cruel people, who finished the excellent quality of sire that this noble horse had been.

Mr. Roberto was really affected, if we consider that this horse was the son of two grand champions. And most of all, he executed an extra fast and incomparably fine gait, a quality that brought him the opportunity to defeat, in many Colombian expositions, other well-known Paso Fino horses such as Francisco el Hombre, Bachue, J.R Simbolo and Postin. Some of them had been declared "Out of Contest" years later and the others won a lot of Championships. That´s why probably if Terremoto hadn´t been gelded, actually he would have been "Out of Contest".

Even though Terremoto has received a lot of prizes and Championships through the different colombian horse fairs, the most important of all is the excellent quality of descendents he has left, which is represented in a lot of stallions and mares who posses his same unequalled characteristics. Some of them are: Refuego de la Palmera (exported recently to the U.S), Recompensa (Out of Contest mare in Colombia and also exported to the U.S), the Grand U.S Champion Hussein and his full brother who is in Colombia, Artesano; the World Paso Fino Champion of 1999, Vitral and many more. In our days, colombian Paso Fino horse breeders of all the world are looking for Terremoto´s lineage to improve their Paso Fino pedigrees. People pay enormous amounts of money to obtain Terremoto´s offspring or their stud fees.

Finally, Terremoto´s tragedy did not take away Mr. Roberto´s love for his favorite horse. In our days, this unforgettable horse is his property and passes his time on the farm where one day he impregnated some mothers of his excellent descendents, on the Potrerillo breeding farm.