Rare Horse Breed
The Caspian Horse

An introduction to a rare and
elegant breed of horse called the "Caspian Horse."

Trojan-Caspian Stallion

Close your eyes and visualize an Arabian horse: delicate head with the classic dished-face, protruding eyes and wide flaring nostrils, silky mane and tail flowing as he glides past with a floating action, head and tail held high - poetry in motion. Now imagine that same horse in a pony size, but even more exquisitely refined and elegant.

Behold! The Caspian.

Ucuncu-Caspian Stallion

The Caspian is a horse, not a pony, because of its perfect proportions and gaits, although it stands at only 10-13 hands. A photo of a Caspian without a person standing beside the horse for perspective, gives the illusion of a much larger Thoroughbred or Arabian.

The main colors are chestnut, bay and gray. Occasionally, a black or buckskin color may appear. Grays can go through many changes with maturity, often dappling and turning white over time.

The coat is very fine and silky. Some Caspians carry a dorsal stripe. In the winter, the coat can become dense, making the Caspian adaptable to various climates. The hooves are oval, the bone structure is very dense, defying the Caspian's "refined" appearance.

Because the Caspian has origins in the mountainous areas of Iran, they have deer-like movements of agility and they are superb jumpers. Caspians are browsers as opposed to grazers.

Karamat-Caspian Stallion

The Caspian has great intelligence and courage. They learn very quickly. They are extremely curious and very people friendly. The Caspian is affectionate towards its owner and very entertaining for spectators. They are very curious and love to be active. They are notorious for stealing hearts away!

When turned out in a field of other breeds of horses, they will most often prefer to graze with their own kind. Caspian stallions most often prefer Caspian mares……maybe the reason for their intact survival?

The following are some interesting physical differences between the Caspian and other breeds:

1. The Caspian skull shows a pronounced elevation of the interparietal bones and the Caspian possesses no parietal crest.
2. The scapula is wider than in other breeds.
3. The metacarpal and metatarsal bones are much longer and slimmer in comparison with the height of the horse.
4. The first six vertebrae are longer than usual.
5. The hoof is narrow and oval-shaped, rarely needing to be shod.
6. The frog is less pronounced.

The Caspian has maintained its small, elegant stature of approximately 10-12 hands for almost 5,000 years. Research has demonstrated that the Caspian has kept its small stature under all types of demographic and environmental conditions, further evidence of its purity, distinction and unique lineage over so many centuries.

Louise Firouz
One woman's quest to save the Caspian Horse

"On the shores of the Caspian Sea in Northern Iran there exists a breed of small pony which I have never seen described in books, and which is practically unknown outside its own territory"
 
-- Louise Firouz, 1965

Ostad* First Caspian Horse discovered

During this first trip Louise rescued 3 horses, which were dubbed Caspians. The former owners of these misused, over-worked horses had no idea of the ancient breeds' near extinction!

Between 1965 and 1968, Mrs. Firouz conducted a careful survey to determine the approximate number and range of the surviving Caspian horses. She estimated that there were only 50 Caspians along the entire southern coast of the Caspian Sea.

Seven mares and six stallions were purchased by Louise to form the foundation stock for a Caspian breeding center in Iran. After Mrs. Firouz' breeding successes, the Iran-Iraq War placed a heavy burden on her endeavors. The Royal Horse Society (RHS) of Iran took over Louise's herd in 1974.

Louise Firouz

Louise started a second private herd in 1975, consisting of 20 mares and 3 stallions. In 1977, this second Caspian breeding center was forced to close its doors and the RHS declared a ban on all Caspian exports. The RHS collected all remaining Caspians. Sadly, due to the political climate, most of the RHS horses were lost.

Mrs. Firouz once again completely redeveloped a breeding center to save the Caspian from extinction in Iran. This herd is now owned by the Ministry of Jehad and Louise is called upon to assist in management. She has also, in recent years, assisted John Schneider-Merck, a German businessman, in establishing his small private herd of Caspians in Iran.

With Iran's many political upheavals - the overthrow of the Shah, the Islamic Revolution, bombing during the protracted Iran-Iraq War, threats of famine, together with the Caspian's close association with royalty, their survival has been precarious. The Caspian's discovery was ever in the balance between political honoraria as a national treasure and the threat of political seizure as wartime food.

Because of her efforts to save the Caspian horses from starvation and slaughter by exportation during the early years of the Islamic Revolution, in 1979 Mr. and Mrs. Firouz were repeatedly arrested and detained. During one of these incarcerations, Mrs. Firouz went on a hunger strike in protest. She was successful but left prison weak and emaciated.

The number of Caspians in Iran is still quite small. Additionally, there are only 900 Caspians world-wide. Exportation out of Iran is still extremely difficult. The last exports occurred in the early '90s, with a small shipment arriving in Great Britain, after a tortuous journey through a war-zone where bandits attacked and robbed the convoy.

Ostad* Ridden by Louise's daughter

To learn more about the Caspian Horse, please visit the Kristull Ranch web site.
E mail Francie Stull for more information.