Over step is so characteristic of pacing animals that it constitutes a criterion for judging their quality. The North African Barb horse was brought to Spain in the 12th century and mixed with horses in Spain. These offspring were called Spanish Jennets. The Spanish Jennet is the horse brought to Peru by the conquistadors in 1536. The Barb was a common looking horse compared to the Arabian and was bred out of existence in Europe.
People like to see pretty heads, short backs and high action, all traits of the trotting breeds.
Even now, in the showing, you see more value placed on looks, rather than efficiency of movement. Research can be valuable in respect to DNA and skeletal features, such as the number of vertebrae. This information can help us preserve the purity of the breed. The latter features are characteristic of trotting horses. As load increases, trotting horses go to two legs of diagonal support.