Kristull Exotics, Inc. Proudly Presents
The CASPIAN Horse
These beautiful horses are probably
the most ancient
domestic breed of horse in existence.
Introduction to the CASPIAN Horse
Close your eyes and visualize an Arabian horse; the
delicate head with the classic dished face, large, prominent 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, perhaps 11 hands high, but
even more exquisitely refined and elegant.
Behold! the Caspian.
Their Incredible History
Native to Iran,
carvings of them can be seen in the ancient capitol of the Persian
Empire, Persepolis, and on the 550 B.C. seal of King Darius. This small
horse, last depicted in 224 A.D. in the rock relief of King Ardashir's
investiture, was last mentioned in writings about 600 A.D. After the
Moslem conquest of Persia in 627 A.D., they disappeared from history.
At that point, the fate of the royal horse became a mystery. Thought to
be extinct, their incredible rediscovery after 1300 years opened a new
chapter in the history of the horse. An American, Louise Firouz, had
opened up a riding school for the children of Tehran. It was her quest
for mounts for the children which led her to pursue rumors of small
horses in the remote Elburz mountains in northern Iran, along the vast
Caspian Sea.
In 1965, searching on horseback, Louise
first caught sight of her quarry -- small, perfect Arab-like creatures
running wild. Sequestered in a mountainous area of about 40 by 40
square miles, near Mt. Damavand, was a scattered herd of 30 of these
horses. The mountain villagers occasionally used the horses to pull
farm carts and for meat. She recognized them immediately as the
mysterious lost breed she had seen on the walls of the ancient palace
of Persepolis.
Bringing back 13 of these horses, dubbed
Caspians, they were put through extensive testing of blood, bone and
DNA. Archeo-zoologists and genetic specialists agreed with her postulate:
the breed is the ancestral form of the Near Eastern (or Oriental)
horse, the forerunner of most hot blood breeds in existence today --
the protoArabian. For years the identity of this horse had been a
mystery in the equine world.
The Shah of Iran encouraged the breeding program
begun by Mrs. Firouz. Because of their refined build they are the
perfect mount for the small rider. They are elegant show horses with a
beautiful floting action, and extraordinary jumpers. Even the stallions
were used in her riding school, where they were found to be intelligent
and willing, spirited yet obedient -- perfect for her young riders.
On a visit to Iran in 1971, HRH Prince Philip
saw the Firouz stud farm and became enamored of the breed. He suggested
to Mrs. Firouz that it would be a good thing to have some of these
valuable horses outside of Iran. HRH was right, but for reasons nobody
had foreseen. With his support, from 1971-76 twenty-six Caspians were
exported to Europe and formed the European Fondation Herd. The Prince
has three Caspians in the Queen's Royal Stables.
Firouz's stock was soon nationalized by the
Imperial government. Subsequent political upheavals in Iran placed the
remaining Caspians on a seesaw between being honored as a national
treasure and being used for food. Fearing for the preservation of such
an exquisite breed, she started a second herd of 23 new foundation
horses. Unfortunately, during the Iran-Iraq War, these horses were
confiscated by the Revolutionary Guards, sent to the front and run
across minefields to clear them for soldiers.
After the war, Firouz, intent once again on
saving the Caspian from extinction, developed a new breeding center. As
of 1992 there were 38 registered Iranian Caspians. In 1993, seven of
these Caspians began a tortuous journey from Iran across the Azxer-
Armenian war zone. They survived bandits, a journey through Russia,
quarantine in Belarus, and finally arrived in the U.K. eight months
later. These may be the last to leave Iran. Due to the recent death of
Mrs. Firouz's husband, the Caspians in Iran are once again in danger of
seizure by the government.
Organized breeding began with the earlier
exports to Europe. The approximately 300 Caspians worldwide (in 1994)
are scattered mainly in England, France, Australia, New Zealand and now
the United States. Before 1994, only 2 Caspians ever made it to the
U.S., one in 1966, the other in 1973. Unfortunately, neither is still
with us.
The black and white photos are of Siydeh, our gray stallion.
The color photos are of Hannibal, our bay stallion.
Both are three years old and stand about 39-40 inches at the withers.