"...when the last individual of a race of living things breathes no more, another Heaven and another Earth must pass before such a one can be again."
-William Beebe

Caspian Horse

Small, refined horses appear in Persian art and artifacts as early as 3,000 BC. Among these are the tri‑lingual seal of King Darius the Great, the staircase frieze at the Palace of Persopolis, and the Gold Oxus Treasure of Darabgird. The King Darius seal, for example, portrays the King riding a horse so small that his feet ­almost touch the ground. ­Until recently, it was believed that such horses had become extinct long ago, but the rediscovery of the Caspian strongly suggests that this breed is a direct descendant of this ancient Persian ­lineage and one of the genetic foundations for modern horse breeds. The Caspian breed is currently being studied in order to document its antiquity, characterize its relationship with other breeds, and describe its place in equine history.

The Caspian horse owes its survival to Louise Laylin Firouz, the American‑born wife of Narcy Firouz, an Iranian aristocrat. Mr. and Mrs. Firouz went to live in Iran in 1957 and taught horsemanship in Tehran. One of the difficulties they faced was finding small, even‑tempered mounts for children. This led Mrs. Firouz to ­explore rumors of small horses said to be found in the remote villages of the Elburz region above the Caspian Sea. In 1965, she went on an expedition to this region and discovered that the ­rumors were true. There were indeed a few distinctive and diminutive horses. Mrs. Firouz named the breed the Caspian horse and established a breeding center for its conservation. As the number of Caspians in her herd increased, she was able to spare a few for export, sending 26 horses to Europe between 1971 and 1976. These became the foundation for the breed’s survival outside of Iran.

The massive political upheavals in Iran have created significant ­obstacles to the Caspian’s survival in its ­native country. The breed has been both honored as a ­national treasure and disgraced for its association with ­royalty now removed from power in Iran. Both Mrs. Firouz’s first breeding center (which had been supported by the Shah) and a ­second private effort were seized by the Iranian government and the horses auctioned. Despite these setbacks, as well as some time spent in prison, Mrs. Firouz continues to live in Iran and work diligently on behalf of the Caspians and other rare breeds still found there. Small numbers of feral Caspians remain in remote areas near the Elburz mountains of northern Iran.

Today Caspian numbers are growing, with the majority of the population outside of Iran remaining in England. A Caspian registry has been established in the United States with the goal of promoting the breed in the North America, and an international Caspian organization has also been formed to the support the breed globally.

The Caspian has a very distinctive appearance, for though small in size, it is proportioned like a horse rather than a pony. The breed’s ­features include a dished face, vaulted forehead, slim body and legs, high croup, and dense coat. Horses ­average 9-13 hands at the withers and are found in all colors except piebald or skewbald (pinto). Grey individuals will transition through many shades of roan before fading to near white at maturity. These highly alert and intelligent horses are excellent children’s mounts and excel as event horses with their elegance and outstanding jumping abilities. They also perform well as driving horses.

Status: Critical

Breed clubs and associations:
The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, P.O. Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312, (919) 542-5704, e-mail: albc@albc-usa.org, web: www.albc-usa.org.

Caspian Horse Society of the Americas, Sandra Jankowiak, Registrar, PO Box 1589, Brenham, Texas 77834, (979) 251-7305,
CHSARegistrar@aol.com

International Caspian Society, Mrs. E. Webster, Chair, Old Sock Cottage, Mudford Sock, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 8EA