The Caspian Horse was last shown in 224 A.D. on a rock relief of King Ardashir where he is mounted on a horse so small the King’s feet are almost touching the ground.

Then came a great war in 637 A.D. This was the last recorded sighting of these fine purebred horses, the Royal court of Persia was destroyed, and the Caspian horses were thought lost, until, one day…

An American woman, Louise Firouz, opened a riding school for children in Iran. In 1965 she began searching the villages nearby to find small horses suitable for her young students. She was surprised to find a herd of small refined horses running wild in an area near the Caspian Sea. She immediately realized that these were the same horses that were pictured on the ancient Persain palace of Persepolis. Although there were less than 30, this was the lost breed- still alive, 1300 years after they were supposed to have vanished.

After capturing several of them, she returned to her riding school. The horse were quick to learn and soon became special friends and companions to the children. These remarkably kind and gentle horses were named Caspian, for the area in which they had been found. Extensive research was conducted and the horses were tested by scientists to confirm that they were the lost breed.

Louise was intent on saving them from extinction, and began carefully collecting and breeding only the purest Caspian horses. Political problems in Iran were threatening the survival of the breed, so Louise decided to get some of the horses out of Iran before they vanished again. In 1971 Prince Philip wanted to help, he imported three Caspians from Iran into his stable at the Royal Palace in England. Between 1971 and 1976, nine stallions and seventeen mares were imported to Europe.

These horses and their offspring had been saved from the tragedies that happened to most of the Caspians left behind in Iran. IN 1993, Louise was able to get seven more Caspians into England. With the thoughtful care and concern from their English owners, the Caspian horses flourished and their numbers increased. Some of these horses were exported to Australia and New Zealand to start breeding programs. The first Caspians to enter the US appeared in 1994, and although the American Livestock Breed Conservancy has listed the Caspian Horse as a "Critical Rare breed", this regale little horse is slowly being restored to its former honored place among the noblest of horses. The Caspian population in the US is estimated at around 400 purebreds, total world population under 900.

The body is slim with a deep girth, close-coupled, with well-defined hindquarters. Long sloping shoulders and slender limbs with dense flat bones. The hooves are oval-shaped, with extremely strong walls and sole. These horses are rarely shod even under the most extreme conditions.