Centuries of selective breeding has produced the array of horses we have today. The ancient world was very different, only a hand full of breeds were available to the people of the the near east. Horses were generally much shorter and leaner than those we are used to today. Also the range of colours would not have been so wide. Interestingly White horses were said to have been holy and would have only been ridden by very high status individuals, or used to pull their chariots.
Although they will not be identical to the horses used by ancient peoples because of selective breeding they are the closest living relatives to our knowledge.
Oriental Horses
The Oriental is one of the ‘four foundation’ horses. It refers to a group of hot
blooded horses that originated in the middle east. The are refined and long legged
with a distinctive appearance. They all have excellent stamina and intelligence and
are bred for agility and speed. The Arabian, Akhal-
Arabian Horse
The name ‘Arabian’ is not strictly accurate as the ancestor we are dealing with would have roamed from eastern Europe to the Near east. The Arabians is named so because it was first imported from the Arabian peninsular to the UK.
The Bedouins are said to have been breeding this horse for 3000 years, and claim to be able to trace its linage to the mare Baz and the stallion Hoshaba.
The ancestor would have been slightly smaller, but would have very similar features.
It is noted for its swiftness, strength and endurance. Making the ideal mount for war.
It has a distinctive narrow muzzle, large nostrils and dished nose. Its tail is also higher set than most other horses. It has very fine hair due to its natural environment. Brown, grey and chestnut would have been the most common colours.
The modern horse is 14-
This horse would have been the standard mount for the people of the near east and would have been capable of carrying a fully armed and equipped warrior.
Akhal-
This is thought to be the modern descendant of the Turkoman horse which is now unfortunately extinct. It was thought to have inhabited the areas between the Caspian sea and Baktria, including Iran.
A highly prized horse, it was ridden by Genghis Khan, Darius the great and Alexander, who called it a heavenly horse.
Due to the high status owners, we can presume that it was not a common mount and
expensive. They were historically fed a high protein diet of fat and eggs and could
go for long periods without water. This supports the Akhal-
Due to the native home of the breed we can assume that it was ridden by the nobles and kings of the Sakâ Tigrakhaudâ and the elite of the great empires of Mesopotamia.
The Akhal-
Black, brown, grey, dun and chestnut can be expected, although the hair of this horse possessed an unusual metallic glow.
Non Oriental breeds
These breeds were from a different stock to the horses above and had other defining features.
Caspian Horse
The Caspian was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered in 1960. It is not thought that it belongs to the ‘Oriental’ stock as it has numerous differences in anatomy and genetics. It is thought to be a relation of the ancient Mesopotamian horse which became extinct in the 7th century.
This horse is very refined and elegant in appearance with a narrow muzzle and large eyes. The horse is tiny, the modern horse grows to a maximum of 12 hands high, although this is in the less restrictive environment outside of Iran. It is thought that the ancestor may not have grown more than 9 or 10. The relief's at Perspolis show the Sakâ Tigrakhaudâ bearing a Caspian as tribute to the king, the horse’s shoulder only just reaches past the holders elbow! The Sakâ Tigrakhaudâ may well have used these commonly as a mount as they are native to their home land.
Persian kings are thought to have used these horses to pull their chariots. A seal depicting Darius the greats chariot on a lion hunt is certainly pulled by these tiny horses.
The Caspians size certainly belies it strength, it is noted for its ability to carry exceptional loads and its ability to keep up with horses of larger stature due to its wide stride. Interestingly its hooves are of a density that does not require it to be shoed.
Caspians are usually bay or black, but are sometimes grey or chestnut.
Nisean horse
This horse is unfortunately extinct. It was said to be the finest in the ancient world, Alexanders horse Bucephalus was said to be a Nisean. The breed was thought to not be of ‘Oriental’ decent as it was said to not have the slender apperence of the Arabian. It would have been a heavy horse, cabible of carrying the heavest soldier, or pulling the massive charriots of Assyria.
During the time of Darius the great it was said that the Nisean was bred from Armenia to Sogdiana. Breeding Niseans must have been highly profitable as they were imported by many cultures, including the Greeks and the tribes of the steppes.
It was said to have come in many colours, from chestnut, brown, black and bay and sometimes featuring spotted sides akin to a leopard.
An unusual feature of the horse were bony lumps on the horses head above the eyes.
Prezwalski’s Horse
Also called the Mongolian or Asiatic wild horse. It is a truly ancient breed, It was hunted by man 20,000 years ago. Sue to the horses isolation and aggressive nature the breed will be very pure and virtually identical to the one used by ancient peoples. Although often called a pony it is in fact a horse.
No sightings of it have been made for 30 years and is extinct in the wild. A successful breeding program is underway in Mongolia, Prague, France, Scotland and the USA to name a few countries. With any luck in our life time this ancient breed will once again roam the steppes where it belongs. It still bears primitive features such as an erect mane, dorsal stripe and quite often features zebra stripes on the hind legs. It is only ever dun in colour, ranging from yellow to red. The mane, legs and tail are always black. The muzzle and area surrounding the eyes is creamy white.
The art of the steppe nomads depict them riding this horse, it ranged from Russia
and Mongolia, to Backtria and Thrace. It was the single most important animal in
the steppe peoples lives. They used it to cover the vast distances that their life
required, as well as eating its meat and drinking its milk. Although short (12-