""Even my stallions will let me into their stalls to groom them, it is amazing just how sweet they can be!""
 
--- Stormye Stevens, age 11

Close your eyes and visualize an Arabian horse: delicate head with the classic dished-face, protruding 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, but even more exquisitely refined and elegant.

Behold! The Caspian.

The Caspian is a horse, not a pony, because of its perfect proportions and gaits, although it stands at only 10-13 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.

The main colors are chestnut, bay and gray. Occasionally, a black or buckskin color may appear. Grays can go through many changes with maturity, often dappling and turning white over time.

The coat is very fine and silky. Some Caspians carry a dorsal stripe. In the winter, the coat can become dense, making the Caspian adaptable to various climates. The hooves are oval, the bone structure is very dense, defying the Caspian's "refined" appearance.

Because the Caspian has origins in the mountainous areas of Iran, they have deer-like movements of agility and they are superb jumpers. Caspians are browsers as opposed to grazers.

The Caspian has great intelligence and courage. 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!

When turned out in a field of other breeds of horses, they will most often prefer to graze with their own kind. Caspian stallions most often prefer Caspian mares……maybe the reason for their intact survival?

The following are some interesting physical differences between the Caspian and other breeds:

1. The Caspian skull shows a pronounced elevation of the interparietal bones and the Caspian possesses no parietal crest.
2. The scapula is wider than in other breeds.
3. The metacarpal and metatarsal bones are much longer and slimmer in comparison with the height of the horse.
4. The first six vertebrae are longer than usual.
5. The hoof is narrow and oval-shaped, rarely needing to be shod.
6. The frog is less pronounced.