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Profile: In 1965, Louise Firouz, an American living in Tehran, Iran, discovered a small Arabian-like horse in the Elborz Mountains that she named Caspian. Through bone, blood and DNA testing, archeo-zoologists proved the horses were direct descendants of the miniature Mesopotamian horse of antiquity thought to be extinct for the past 1,300 years. These horses had survived in small numbers because they were hemmed in by the mountains on one side and the Caspian Sea on the other. Caspian horses excel in carriage driving, particularly scurry driving where speed and handiness is a bonus.

Characteristics: Caspian horses posses several characteristics that differ from modern breeds, such as the shape of the scapula, which is wider at the base than at the top and an extra molar in the top jaw. The Caspian is very similar to an Arabian in appearance with large almond shaped eyes and small but graceful tipped-in ears. All solid colors are common. The breed stands 10 to 12 hands.

For more information: Caspian Horse Society of the Americas