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floating action, head and tail held high - poetry in motion. Now imagine that same horse in a pony size, but even more exquisitely refined and elegant.</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I>Behold! The Caspian.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Charcteristics of the Caspian Horse</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>The Caspian is a horse, not a pony, because of its perfect proportions and gaits, although it stands at only 9-13 hands. A photo of a Caspian without a person standing beside the horse for perspective, gives the illusion of a much larger Thoroughbred or Arabian.</I></div> <div> <I>The main colours are chestnut, bay and grey. Occasionally, a black or buckskin colour may appear. Greys can go through many changes with maturity, often dappling and turning white over time.</I></div> <div> <I>The Caspian head is short and fine with large eyes, a small muzzle, and large nostrils placed low. There is a pronounced development of the forehead, the ears are very short; the neck is slim and graceful, well attached to sloping shoulders; withers are pronounced; the back straight; and the tail set high on a rather level croup. The legs are slim with dense, strong bone and no feathering at the fetlock. The hooves are extremely strong and oval-shaped, more like those of the ass than the horse. The bone structure is very dense, defying the Caspian's "refined" appearance.The overall impression of the Caspian is that of a vary small, well-proportioned horse. </I></div> <div> <I>The coat is very fine and silky. Some Caspian's carry a dorsal stripe. In the winter, the coat can become dense, making the Caspian adaptable to various climates. </I></div> <div> <I>Because the Caspian has origins in the mountainous areas of Iran, they have deer-like movements of agility and they are superb jumpers. Caspian's are browsers as opposed to grazers.</I></div> <div> <I>The Caspian has great intelligence and courage much like the Arab. They learn very quickly. They are extremely curious and very people friendly. The Caspian is affectionate towards its owner and very entertaining for spectators. They are very curious and love to be active. They are notorious for stealing hearts away.</I></div> <div> <I>Temperament makes them the ideal childrens pony.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>The following are some interesting physical differences between the Caspian and other breeds:</I></div> <div> <I>1.The Caspian skull shows a pronounced elevation of the inter parietal bones and the Caspian possesses no parietal crest. </I></div> <div> <I>2.The scapula is wider than in other breeds. </I></div> <div> <I>3.The metacarpal and metatarsal bones are much longer and slimmer in comparison with the height of the horse. </I></div> <div> <I>4.The first six vertebrae are longer than usual. </I></div> <div> <I>5.The hoof is narrow and oval-shaped, rarely needing to be shod. </I></div> <div> <I>6.The frog is less pronounced. </I></div> <bR> <div> <I> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ </I><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#9900FF" FACE="Arial" ><I> HISTORY </I></FONT><I> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>The Caspian is an ancient breed previously believed to have been extinct for over one thousand years. This breed is probably the most direct ancestor of the Oriental breeds and subsequently of all light horse breeds. Possibly being the prototype for the Arab.</I></div> <div> <I>The Caspian is extremely rare and barely pulled back from the edge of extinction in 1965 where a few remaining were found working the land between Elburz and the Caspian shore. Before that time it was virtually unkown beyond this small mountain area of Iran. It is now being studied to prove the link between the modern Caspian and the tiny prehistoric horse of Persia. </I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Louise Firouz, an American living in Iran, is credited with recognition of this ancient breed. She tried to expand the small remaining population in Iran but, was repressed by revolution and war, the herd she had built up in Iran was mostly detroyed during the revolution. </I></div> <div> <I>A mare and a stallion were presented to HRH Prince Phillip in order to start a breeding programme in the UK.</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>During the period from 1965 to 1970 seven mares and six stallions were used for breeding at Norouzabad Stud. During that time it was observed that the growth of the Caspian is distinctive in that most of the height is attained within the first six months of life and subsequent growth is minimal, mostly being in width and secondary sexual characteristics. Sexual maturity is reached in both colts and fillies at about eighteen months</I></div> <bR> <div> <I>The mares have a strong tendency not to ovulate until about a year after foaling, making a continuous breeding program difficult. Due to the improved conditions and feed, the mature height of offspring born at Norouzabad is smaller than the average height of sire and dam, possibly indicating that the original size of the Caspian is closer to 9 hands. This also indicates that the present stock is not completely pure and that breeding to type will further emphasise the true conformation of the Caspian and lead to a return of the natural size. </I></div> <div> <I>The Caspian is no longer in danger of extinction, although the breed is still extremely rare. Several studs now exist in Britain and a few individuals have been exported to Australia, New Zealand and the United States. </I></div> <div> <I>The Caspian is very versatile and is becoming known in the show ring with its exceptional jumping ability. The driving powers that endeared it to Darius the Great (500BC) still makes this horse a favourite in harness. </I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Today there are approximately 450 purebred worldwide making this a truly precious and rare breed.</I></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <U>And now the links bit:</U></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.caspians.connectfree.co.uk/caspian.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caspians.connectfree.co.uk/ca"><U>The Caspian Horse</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.caspian.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caspian.org/"><U>Caspian Horse Society of America</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.caspianhorsesociety.org.uk/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caspianhorsesociety.org.uk/"><U>Caspian Horse Society UK</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.kristull.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.kristull.com"><U>Kristull Ranch (USA)</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.tandara.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.tandara.com/"><U> Tandara Caspian Horse Stud (Aus)</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.caspians.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.caspians.com/"><U>Caspians.com (US)</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="breeds.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Breeds"><U><I><B><!-- Start Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> <img src="HTMLobj-820/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="67" height="35"> <!-- End Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> </B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I><I><B><!-- Start Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> <img src="HTMLobj-1289/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="67" height="35"> <!-- End Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> </B></I><I><B> </B></I><A HREF="home.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Equiriders"><U><I><B><!-- Start Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> <img src="HTMLobj-1290/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="67" height="35"> <!-- End Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> </B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I><A HREF="mailto:info@equiriders.co.uk" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@equiriders.co.uk"><U><I><B><!-- Start Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> <img src="HTMLobj-821/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="67" height="35"> <!-- End Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> </B></I></U></A><I><B> </B></I><A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><I><B><!-- Start Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> <img src="HTMLobj-822/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="67" height="35"> <!-- End Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> </B></I></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>