Thanks to the tireless efforts of one American woman named Louise Firouz, the Caspian is making a comeback from the brink of near extinction. This ancient Central Asian breed was once coveted by Persian Kings only to disappear into obscurity for centuries with the fall of the Persian Empire to Alexander the Great.

Since re-discovering the breed in 1965 near the Caspian Sea, Louise painstakingly researched and eventually verified the breed’s connections to ancient Persia. Against all odds she brought the Caspian horse out of centuries of obscurity and back into the light, so that once again the Caspian holds a place of reverence in its homeland Iran, and is now making headway in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and North America as well.

I never had the pleasure of meeting Louise face to face, though we had some delightful and enlightening exchanges in the twilight of her last years. She was a remarkable woman – a pillar of strength, wisdom, and unfailing courage.

It had been my hope to finally meet Louise in September of 2008. Though in her 70s with failing health, she was looking forward to judging the first North American Caspian nationals at the Festivale of Endangered Equines Stewardship Awards of North America. But it was not to be. Louise quietly passed away in late May, less than four months before the Festivale.

In the spirit of Diane Fossey and Jane Goodall, Louise will remain a dazzling beacon of stewardship and inspiration to all equine conservationists.

Perhaps she was there with us in spirit. Since Louise’s original search for child mounts lead her to the discovery of the Caspian, no doubt she would have been particularly proud of a little 12-year-old girl. Amoureena Most had never shown dressage. Encouraged by friends, she entered her Caspian gelding last minute and came away with a blue ribbon Intro A and a respectable score of 62.5, the third best score of the Pony Division, under Olympic winner and judge Lendon Gray. It was the first Caspian Lendon had ever seen and she was quite impressed. That says a lot about the bond between a 12-year-old novice and her Caspian gelding and the talent of the breed that Louise cherished and championed.

Breed Characteristics

Caspians are a small hot-blooded horse averaging 10-13 hands, highly intelligent and alert, yet they maintain tractability and have a strong interest in bonding with humans. The overall impression of a Caspian should be one of elegance, grace, fluidity, and nobility. A well-trained Caspian is kind enough to be a child’s first pony, yet talented and flashy enough to be a top competitor in the dressage ring or on the hunter/jumper A-circuit. In fact, Caspians have been known to clear fences four and five feet, despite their diminutive size.

That same agility and classy look makes the Caspian an able competitor in pole bending, barrels and other gymkhana activities. They are a standout for 4-H halter and performance and can just as easily be enjoyed by youth for trail riding for as they can for adults in competitive driving events where speed, stamina, and agility count.
A New Caspian Registry Based in Conservation

To meet the special needs of this endangered breed, Caspian Registry Services (CRS) was formed in September of 2009.

Geneticists concur every purebred is needed to enhance the genetic diversity of the breed until the numbers increase, therefore, CRS does not required purebreds to be from licensed stallions or inspected stock. Instead, CRS gives conservation top priority by including any purebred Caspian that can directly trace DNA lineage to the international studbook, and by providing low fees and incentives, rather than penalties, extra fees or red tape.

In summary, this is an old breed perched on the edge of discovery by the modern equine public. With the Olympic capabilities in a small package, the Caspian’s future in the world of modern competitions is about to begin.

Isn’t it time you check out a Caspian?

For more information about the Caspian horse please visit www.EndangeredEquines.com/Caspian or www.caspianhorse.com.

CRS is an associate member organizations of: the Equus Survival Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of endangered historical breeds of equines: www.Equus-Survival-Trust.org.

About the Author: A freelance writer and long time equine conservationist, Victoria Tollman is the Executive Director of the Equus Survival Trust and owner of BroughHill Fells and Tachara Caspians. Over the past 35 years, Victoria and her daughters have bred or exhibited Arabians, Fells, Highlands, Gotlands, Caspian horses, Akhal-Tekes, Marsh Tackys, Mountain Pleasure Horses, German Shepherd dogs and Cardigan Welsh Corgis.