The Dainty Caspian

The Caspian horse (or pony) is an ancient Persian breed of the purest blood.  Here is it’s history.

The Persians bred the Caspians because they needed a fast agile horse that looked good.  Using the highest-quality horses they could find, they cross-bred until the Caspian evolved.

“There is nothing in the world which travels faster than these Persian couriers. It is said that men and horses are stationed along the road…a man and a horse for each day. Nothing stops these couriers from covering their allotted stage in the quickest possible time, neither snow, rain, heat nor darkness.”   Herodotus (Persian)

 

The Caspian is a newly discovered breed.  In 1965 a horse breeder, Louise Firouz, discovered a small Caspian pulling a cart in Iran.  She was searching for horses for her riding school, and bought this one on the spot.  The horse was a perfect little animal, despite of it’s hard labour, and she was delighted.  She started a personal mission to find as many of these little horses as possible and save them from extinction.  She found a few, mainly being used as beasts of burden instead of pleasure horses.  Even today, there are only a few in existence.

Caspians are beautiful horses.  Even though they are small as ponies, their features are more like that of a horse.  They are very Arabian in looks.