Paso Fino office trots off to Kentucky

The international headquarters of the Paso Fino Horse Association is leaving downtown after about 15 years.

The association is moving from 101 N. Collins St. to horse-rich Lexington, Ky.

None of the 11 employees who worked in Plant City will be retained, said Mary Emmons, the director of administration at the local Paso Fino office.

"I expect the Collins Street office to be empty by the end of this month, certainly by the end of May," she said.

Among other duties, the association maintains records on bloodlines for the Paso Fino, a horse prized for its gentle gait.

Emmons said the association's board of directors decided to close the Plant City office as part of a downsizing approved during a January meeting in Las Vegas.

"The vote was unanimous, and the change was supposed to happen within weeks," Emmons said.

The logistics of the move proved more complicated than expected; as of Monday, there were three employees still working at the 7,200-square-foot Plant City office.

Emmons said she has been told that three employees will be hired in Lexington to work in a small office at the United States Equestrian Federation headquarters.

"The decision was made to free up money for marketing of the horses and the association," Emmons said. "Only time will tell if the level of service to the membership will merit additional staff in the Kentucky office."

Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce President Marion Smith said the association will be missed.

"They have been a good corporate neighbor and added a unique presence in Plant City as a world headquarters and participating member of the chamber," she said. "They have organized several events over the years where Paso Fino horses were on display downtown. I am disappointed to see them go."

The Paso Fino Horse Association formed in 1972 with offices in a home near Charlotte, N.C., Emmons said. Several years later, the offices relocated to Florida's Bowling Green and eventually to Plant City.

Emmons said the two-story building at Collins and Drane streets is debt-free and will be offered on the market as the association sees fit.

The association was formed for people who own or like to ride Paso Finos. The horses were originally bred in Spain and are popular for temperament, a short, high-stepping gait, and appearance.

Emmons said the association has 5,400 members with about 55,000 horses registered - 500 more members and more than double the number of horses registered in 1994. Membership reached its peak about five years ago at 8,400. .

Most of the membership resides in the United States, with many of the horses registered in the Southeast.