What is a Caspian?

What is a Caspian?

UNTIL 1965 the Caspian horse was virtually unknown outside a small mountainous area of Northern Iran. Research into his origin produced theories which now reverberate throughout the horse world. There is evidence that the Caspian is a horse (although it stands only 9 hands - 13 hands) and almost certainly dates back to 3000BC.

THE CASPIAN is important as the possible forerunner to the Arab and the findings of Kentucky University, (although not yet complete) place Caspian and Turkoman horses in an ancestral position to all breeds researched to date.

ATTEMPTS by Louise Firouz to expand the small remnant population in Iran, repressed by revolution and war, and the removal of a small number to the UK, prompted by HRH Prince Philip, along with the achievements of a small nucleus of individual breeders and owners in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the USA., have ensured their existence today.

THE CASPIAN resembles a small Arab or Thoroughbred, in varying degrees, and is an ideal mount for small children, narrower than native breeds, possessing the elegance, intelligence and love of people attributed to the Arab. It is a versatile performer and excels at jumping and in harness, with the quality and action that enable the Caspian to compete successfully in the show ring with any member of the family.

Hopstone Jamshyd, owned by Jenny Quinney is a successful "Ride and drive" stallion

Despite worldwide appreciation for exotic Persian cats and carpets, it is understandable that few people have ever heard of the Caspian horse, which dates back to ancient Persia as far as 3,000 B.C. and delighted King Darius the Great with its prowess in harness when hunting lions in 500 B.C. Darius honoured the Caspian with a place on his royal seal and portrayed him in stone on the staircase of his palace; Persepolis.

The breed numbers no more than 800 (2001) worldwide and until 1965 was thought to be long extinct. Standing between 10 and 13 hands, the exquisite little horse has been the subject of a great deal of controversy and research, which established that the bone structure is that of a horse rather than a pony. Following extensive research experts now believe the Caspian to be the forerunner to the Arab horse and hence to most of the hot bloods in existence today.

Thirty five years ago the American wife of an Iranian aristocrat, Louise Firouz, chanced upon a sleek, dark bay stallion darting around the streets of a coastal market town in northern Iran, pulling a heavily laden cart. A slender, fine boned animal with flowing mane and tail, Ostad carried out his daunting task with flair. This was no ordinary pony. So impressed was his observer that she bought Ostad and began to make extensive enquiries about the breed. The villagers referred to them as “Mouleki” or “Pouseki” (little muzzle). Unlike other Iranian breeds, they were not deliberately bred. They were throwbacks which then bred true to type and size. Therefore, every now and again, a full sized mare would give birth to one of these miniatures.

Louise Firouz began a search that was to take several years over vast areas of inhospitable mountainous terrain, during which she found only a handful of Caspians.

Enchanted by the little horses, Louise Firouz used them to great effect in her riding school. She was astonished by their temperaments; the stallions were ridden together with mares, by four and five year old children, without problems. She found that they made gentle, willing mounts for small children, yet they had the bearing, spectacular action, build and speed of a highly bred horse. Their jumping ability was little short of spectacular and they showed the agility that had impressed King Darius so many centuries before. She established a breeding herd which was eventually purchased by the Shah of Iran and, during a visit by HRH Prince Philip to the Celebration of the Peacock Throne, (1971)a mare and a stallion were presented to HRH in order to start a breeding programme in the UK. The mare, Khorshid Kola* and the stallion Rostam (sire of author's stud mare Spark Shirine Shara) produced a filly foal during their two-year quarantine in Hungary en-route to the UK. Here, they joined a small shipment of Caspians purchased by the Caspian Stud UK, and three further shipments followed, one of which was exported to Australia.

Two mares and a stallion were taken to Bermuda by a friend of Louise Firouz. Another stallion was exported to Surrey, England, and an in-foal mare and her colt were exported to the Caspian Stud UK in Shropshire, who later also bought the stock from Bermuda.

Rostam, presented to HRH Prince Philip in 1971

At this stage the (then) Royal Horse Society in Iran took an interest in the Caspian and bought the remaining herd but royal patronage ultimately spelt disaster for the breed.

By 1976, Louise had built up a new herd in Iran, numbering around 24. Living a semi-nomadic existence, she provided food for the herd by shepherding them seasonally between grazing. The following spring two of her finest mares and a young foal were killed by wolves and Louise arranged an emergency shipment of seven mares and a stallion to the Caspian Stud UK.

The Royal Horse Society of Iran nationalized the remaining Iranian Caspians. The herd built up by Louise Firouz and the Royal Horse Society in Iran was largely destroyed during the revolution.

At this point the breed might well have disappeared into a Persian fairy tale had it not been for the dedication of a small band of owners in Britain, New Zealand and Australia, led by the Caspian Stud UK, owned by Elizabeth Alderson, Stephanie Jenvey and Arthur Griffin. As well as shouldering the tremendous burden of responsibility for the stud, and indeed the survival of the breed, they formed the first Caspian Pony Society.

As the bulk of the stock had been bred from a minimal nucleus of foundation animals, the immediate danger was that of inbreeding. This they combated by using a system of cyclic crossing; mating each foundation mare to a different foundation stallion in turn. Only one of the original foundation stock is still alive in the UK.

Following the war with Iraq, Louise was invited to visit a large building which housed over 1,000 horses being repatriated from the war effort. Amongst these she found a few miniature horses, which formed the basis of a new herd in Iran.

A small shipment of seven Caspians, providing new bloodlines, was exported from Iran in 1994 arriving in the UK in 1995.

At around the same time breeders in the USA became interested in the breed and almost all UK and Australian stock under two years of age between 1994 and 1997 were sold to the USA. In 1998 a shipment of Caspians was exported from the UK to Scandinavia. Small numbers of feral animals are still found and bred in Iran. Zeeland, the grey stallion that survived the revolution, is still alive and looked after by the Ministry of Jehad, along with an impressive herd of Caspians, just outside Teheran.

Caspians are used for all disciplines of riding and driving and have had considerable success in the show ring. Whilst mares have been used primarily for breeding, most stallions have competed successfully in all spheres. One of these is Jenny Quinney's stallion, Hopstone Jamshyd, pictured above. A scurry driving team have enjoyed considerable success and a tandem driving team have been exceptionally successful in combined driving events. Both of these horses are useful ride and drive animals and one, a stallion, has been used extensively by Riding for the Disabled. The Prince Philip Cup Team has also benefited from the abilities of the Caspian.

In New Zealand several Working Hunter Champions have been bred from a Caspian stallion cross with Thoroughbred or Arab and then out crossed again to Arab or Thoroughbred.

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Male lines imported to the UK during the 1970's: Ostad*, Ruba*, Aseman*, Palang*, Daria Nour*, Felfel* (available only via the in-utero mare, Banafsheh)

Female foundation mares imported to the UK: Khorshid Kola*, Shirine*, Siyah Gosh*, Taloche*, Pari*, Fatemeh*, Doueez*, Pourandokt

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* denotes foundation stock