Colombian Paso Fino Horse Shows 2026: November's Fedequinas Calendar

Colombian paso fino horse shows 2026: the November calendar

Colombian paso fino horse shows 2026 hit one of their busiest stretches this month: Fedequinas' official calendar lists 19 shows and events between November 6 and November 29, from Sibaté outside Bogotá to Valledupar in the Caribbean region. The headline dates are Pitalito's Grado A show around the November 16 holiday Monday and Asocaba's Grado A show in El Retiro, Antioquia, on November 19–21.

Every event is run by a regional association, shown in the last column. Here is the month as it appears in Fedequinas' downloadable 2026 calendar:

The calendar PDF dates Arjona, a show for non-professional riders (jinetes no profesionales, JNP), Friday to Saturday, November 6–7, and Popayán Friday to Saturday, November 27–28. The event listings on Fedequinas' website still show November 7–8 and 27–29, so check with the organizers before you travel. Two other events are marked cancelled: the Acevedo Liga on November 1 and the Villavicencio Liga on November 14.

Palmira also hosted the Copa América Equina from October 29 to November 1. We covered it in our Copa América Equina guide.

The dates worth circling

Not every show on the list is the same size. These are the ones that stand out.

Pitalito, November 14–16

Asocala's show in Pitalito, Huila, is listed as Grado A and runs three days to take in Monday, November 16, a national holiday. Fedequinas has already posted its three judges. Asocala also runs Timaná (Nov 21–22) and San Agustín (Nov 28–29), so southern Huila has a show almost every weekend this month.

The November 14–15 weekend

The same weekend brings Pesca, Socorro, Palmira and Neira, plus Útica on the 13th and 14th. If you are searching for the Socorro show, Fedequinas lists it under Asocaballos of Santander.

El Retiro, November 19–21

Asocaba's show is a Grado A event. Fedequinas lists it as the Copa Antioquia, while the address of its event page still carries the name Copa Ciudad de Medellín, which is why both names circulate. Four judges are named on the event page.

Tabio and the end of the month

Asdepaso holds the Copa Cundinamarca, a Grado A show, in Tabio on November 20–22 and returns to Tabio on November 27–29 for an equitation Válida. The month closes with two more Grado A shows, Popayán (November 27–28) and Carmen de Apicalá (November 27–29), plus San Agustín, Valledupar and a one-day Liga event in Armenia on November 28.

Who organizes a feria equina

Fedequinas, Colombia's national federation of equine associations, sets the rules, trains and assigns the judges and publishes the calendar. The shows themselves are run by its member associations, each covering a region.

That is why the listings read like "Pitalito-Huila-Asocala": town, department, association. The association books the venue, takes entries and sets hours and entry conditions for visitors.

The scale is large. In December 2025 Fedequinas announced 143 events for 2026, according to Agronegocios. The calendar it links now numbers its events up to No. 154 (Guayabal de Síquima, December 19–20). It includes four equitation válidas (Palmira, El Retiro, Villavicencio and Tabio) and one festival de amazonas, in Tenjo. Fifteen events are marked cancelled.

What Grado AA, A and B mean

Grades tell you how big and important a show is on the circuit. Think of them as tiers:

• Grado AA: the top tier. Fedequinas' 2025 management report counts three in 2025: the Copa América in Palmira (Asdeoccidente), Agroexpo in Bogotá (Asdepaso) and the Feria de las Flores show in Rionegro (Asdesilla), the largest of the three with 706 horses entered. Manizales earned Grado AA for 2026.
• Grado A: major regional shows. Pitalito, El Retiro, Tabio's Copa Cundinamarca, Carmen de Apicalá, Popayán and December's Copa Costa Norte in Cartagena are all listed as Grado A. The same report counts 29 Grado A exposiciones in 2025.
• Grado B: the local backbone of the circuit, with 88 shows in 2025. Many small-town ferias sit here.

Grade also shapes the judging. An Agronegocios explainer notes that a Grado A show uses three judges, two drawn by lot and one invited. New judges start as aspirants at Grado B shows before moving up.

What the judges are scoring: the four andares

The horses are Colombian Criollo horses, shown in four gaits, or andares. Fedequinas numbers them:

1. P1, trote y galope: a diagonal trot plus a canter.
2. P2, trocha y galope: a quick diagonal four-beat gait plus a canter.
3. P3, trocha pura: the trocha on its own.
4. P4, paso fino: the short, fast, four-beat lateral gait the breed is famous for.

We explain how each gait feels and sounds in What Is a Paso Fino Horse?. The short version: every gait has its own rhythm, and judges are trained to hear it.

According to the same Agronegocios explainer, judges weigh three things:

• Phenotype (conformation and type): 35%
• Training (adiestramiento): 25%
• Movement in the gait: 40%

Judges can also excuse a horse from the ring for lameness, for serious behavior problems such as rearing, or for being shown outside its gait class. Each gait has its own classes, so a day's program can run long.

How to watch a show as a visitor

You don't need to own a horse to enjoy a feria equina. The atmosphere, the music and the drumroll of hooves on the track are half the fun.

Before you go:

• Check the event on the Fedequinas calendar a few days ahead. Dates can move.
• Look up the organizing association's social media for hours, venue and whether entry is free or ticketed. Fedequinas doesn't publish those details, and we won't guess them.
• Plan for long days. Classes run back to back, so bring water, a hat and patience.

At the show:

• Watch from the stands or behind the rail, never from the warm-up path.
• Keep children close and away from the back end of tied horses. Our safety page covers the basics.
• Skip camera flashes and sudden noises near the ring.
• Ask before touching any horse. Show horses are working.

If you are new to horses, our breeds hub and glossary will help you follow the announcer.

Cabalgatas, Guayatá and the welfare rules

Many town fairs pair a show with a cabalgata, a horseback parade. Guayatá, Boyacá, holds its 86th Ferias y Fiestas November 13–17 with a muestra equina and a gran cabalgata, according to La Voz de San Luis. The town has not published a day-by-day schedule yet.

Cabalgatas are not judged shows, and they bring their own risks: crowds, noise, heat and long hours on pavement. In Manizales, a first-instance court ruling banned alcohol for cabalgata riders and allowed animal-welfare monitors to step in when a horse is hurt. It is under appeal, so it is not final yet; see our Manizales cabalgata article.

If you ride in one, take water for your horse, plan rest stops and keep drinking out of the saddle.

What to watch next

• November 14–16: the holiday-weekend cluster, led by Pitalito's Grado A show.
• November 19–22: El Retiro's Grado A show and the Copa Cundinamarca in Tabio.
• Late November: Popayán, Carmen de Apicalá, Valledupar and the rest of the month's closing shows.
• December 18–20: the Copa Costa Norte, a Grado A show in Cartagena. Its venue and hours are not confirmed yet.
• 2027: the January fair season, including Manizales, whose show was Grado AA in 2026. The 2027 grades will come with Fedequinas' 2027 calendar.

This calendar repeats every year, so bookmark Fedequinas and your nearest association. For more horse news from the Americas, browse Horse Academy trends.