The Caspian Pony was rediscovered in 1965 in a mountainous region of Northern Iran, not far from the Caspian Sea, by American Louise Firouz. Firouz was searching for small ponies to be ridden by children, when she happened upon a bay stallion in the town of Amol. The horse was pulling a heavy cart, and was nicely conformed with the body of a "well-bred oriental horse." She purchased the stallion, naming him Ostad, and he became a successful sire of children's ponies and a foundation for her breeding program. Finding that the animals were few in number and in poor condition, she began a breeding program at her riding school in Norouzabad, starting with seven mares and six stallions.

The Caspian is actually a miniture horse, and not a pony, despite reaching a maximum of 12 hh. It is thought to be one of the oldest horse or pony breeds in the world today, dating back from the now extict miniature horses of Mesopotamia, who lived in the region from 3,000 BCE until the 7th century. The ponies now inhabit an area between the Caspian Sea and the Elburz Mountains.

Today, efforts are being made to help re-establish the breed. A breeding program was set up by the Shah of Iran, who established the Royal Horse Society and the Norouzabad Stud. During the Iranian Revolution, the ponies were again used as pack horses and for food, further depleting their numbers. Prince Phillip suggested that some of the ponies be shipped to England, to start a population, and in 1976, the Caspian Stud in England was formed, saving much of the foundation stock.

Following the revolution, the ban on horse ownership was lifted and Firouz managed to find 15 horses that could be used for breeding (after performing DNA testing to assure they were the Caspian breed). These horses began the Persicus stud, and in 1993, seven of the horses were exported for breeding in England, with the help of the Russian Horse Society. The combined efforts of breeders across the world have established the breed in several European countries, as well as Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. However, breeding efforts are further hindered by the fact that Caspian mares tend not to ovulate until a year after foaling.

Genetics and Phenotype

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There are no records of breeding, however the ponies, when bred, are true to type and are therefore an established breed. Several studies are currently being performed to determine whether the pony is the ancestor of the modern hotblooded breeds, including the Arabian. A study found that there are several anomalies with the Caspian compared to other breeds, including:

• The skull differes, with pronounced elevation of the interparietal bones and no parietal crest
• The scapula is wider then normally found in equines
• The metacarpal and metatarsal bones are much longer and slimmer in relation to size
• The hooves are narrow and oval-shaped, and the frog is less pronounced than other equines
• The first six vertebrae are longer than usual

A 1979 study by H Hatami-Monazah and RV Pandit found that some Caspians had 65 chromosomes, and others 64 chromosomes (as a domesticate horse would). The morphology of the chromosomes suggested a cross between E. Caballus and E. przewalskii^*.

Uses of the Caspian Pony

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The horses are used in the towns of Amol, Babol and Shahi, as cart ponies, and outcrossed with other breeds such as the Mongolian Pony or Tarpan to increase their size to make them suitable riding ponies. They are known for their speed and ability to carry very heavy loads, and are not used for draft work.

The Caspian also makes for an excellent children's mount. They have fantastic temperaments, so that stallions are even handled by children, and several stallions can be turned out together. They have excellent movement, with an exceptionally long stride that allows them to keep up with a horse, making thm good show animals. There have also been several outcrosses with Thoroughbreds, producing very fancy show ponies. Additionally, the Caspian has exceptional jumping ability.

Breed Characteristics

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The Caspian Pony is extremely hardy, with very dense bone and hard feet that do not need shoeing. Additionally, the pony is of great quality, similar in build to the Arabian. The head should be short and fine with large eyes and a tapering muzzle. The nostrils are large and low-set, and the ears should be very small (no larger than 4.5 inches long). The shoulder is sloping, allowing the pony to take exceptionally long strides, so that it can easily keep up with a horse at the walk, trot, and canter despite its small height. The body of the Caspian is narrow, with a high-set tail and strong hindquarters. Although the limbs are fine, they have dense bone, the pasterns are fine and sloping, and and the hooves are oval like an ass, and very strong. There is little feathering on the fetlock, although the pony has a dense mane and tail. Caspians are usually bay or black, but may also be gray or chestnut, and may occassionally have white markings on the head and legs. Interestingly, some ponies lack chestnuts or ergots.

The ponies range from 10.2-12 hh, and average at 11 hh. However, improved feeding programs at the Norouzabad stud has resulted in horses with a height smaller than their parents, which may indicate that the original size of the breed is around 9 hh. Additionally, it is likely that the stock is not completely pure.

Horse breeds