Home of Aruba's Happy Horses

At Rancho Notorious we are very concerned with the condition and well being of our horses. The horses are trained and taken care off in the best possible way. That's why Aruba's Happiest horses live at Rancho Notorious! So not only you can enjoy the ride, but the horses do as well! You will see that our horses are in perfect health.

The Ranch exsists over 20 years and was named after the old Hollywood movie(1954) "Rancho Notorious" starring Marlene Dietrich and Arthur Kennedy . While the horses have been named for the notorious, such as Al Capone, Marlene, Evita, Billy the Kid, Bonnie & Clide, they most assuredly are not! Riders consistently comment on the remarkeable condition of the animals;how well cared for & how healthy & content the Rancho Notorious horses are. Led by multi-lingual, knowledgeable & Aruba friendly guides, the tours are planned for group riding safely & easily to choice destinations through Aruba's unusual scenery.

The horses in Aruba are not the same as the horses in the USA or Europe. They're much smaller; you can compare them with Arabians. At Rancho Notorious the following horse types can be found: Paso Fino, Trocha, Trotton, and the South-American Quarter horse.

We provide both Western and English tack.

The Paso Fino horse

The history of the Paso Fino horse began in Spain where the chance mix of breeds (Barb, Andalusian and Spanish Jennet) sparked the seed that became one of the wolrds finest riding horses. The Paso Fino horse has been breed in Latin America since the days of the conquistadors. Used as the foundations stock for remount of the conquistadors, these horses came to be known as Los Caballos de Paso Fino, 'the horse with the fine step'.

The Paso Fino horse reflects his Spanish heritage trough his proud carriage, grace and elegance. He is born with a gait unique to the breed; the gait, being totally natural, is smooth, rhythmic, purposeful, straight, balanced in flexion and synchronous front to rear resulting in unequaled comfort for the rider. Rather than the trot, which can be uncomfortable, the Paso Fino gait assures the rider of a pleasant, thrilling ride.