Re The Lutzow Caspians - reply to email by Catherine Anderson

[Elizabeth Webster]

With reference to Catherine's email about the Lutzow horses on the Yahoo site (original reply blocked) :
 
Anybody is within their rights to have their own opinion of the horses that they see.  We simply do not buy something that does not interest us, if we feel that way.
 
However, I have to tell you that the Lutzow Caspians - ALL OF THEM - were DNA tested by Gus Cothran soon after arrival in Germany and ALL had the Caspian marker.  Gus was satisfied that every horse was well within the Caspian range when compared with the DNA profiles of Louise's own 'foundation' Caspians.  In addition, these horses were collected by people who had worked with Caspians very closely with Louise Firouz.  The horses were, by request, inspected by myself and Brenda Dalton at Lutzow, respectively the International Caspian Society Chairman at the time and the International Registrar.  Louise had been invited to go along as well but was too ill to go.  However, the inspection of these horses met with her approval. 
 
Politely, I must also remind you that both Brenda and I have been 'in' Caspians a great deal longer than you or your friends have been and have had considerably more experience of the state foundation stock can be in when they arrive from long journeys and poor care.  When we saw the horses, they were almost all in very poor condition, with untrimmed feet.  Several were unwell to some degree.  Yet despite reservations about their condition at the time, we were prepared to keep an open mind as to how they might be in better times and how suitable they would prove to be for breeding.  When you saw them, they were mostly wild, still in recovery from a lengthy, traumatic journey and poor health.  I can appreciate that to those not used to seeing a Caspian 'in the rough' it could indeed be a disappointment.  As if this was not enough, at Lutzow they were owned by people who, although well-meaning, were new to the Caspian breed and did not have the experience to be able to show them to advantage. The huge transport costs involved and the veterinary care and attention these horses required eventually caused financial problems for their owners and they were forced to sell them, which had not been their original intention. Hence the original high price and the later drop in price you refer to.
 
If your own Caspians were bought in good condition, perhaps straight from the show-ring, please try to find a charitable thought for the people who cared for those from which yours are descended.  If Louise, and Joan Taplin, even myself, had been put off by the condition of the first Caspians they found - or even those in the ownership of Iranian villagers - there would be no Caspians in this country or anywhere else.  The Caspian world must have new bloodlines if the breed is to thrive. Due to the almost constant political upheaval in the Middle East and the loss of Louise, we may not get a chance to obtain any more, and frankly, reading your words, anybody else could be put off going to the trouble and expense.  Yet without new bloodlines the Caspian will eventually become so inbred that it will no longer be a healthy and viable breed. We need to make the best of what we have, breeding out the worst bits and stamping in the best bits by careful breeding selection and we definitely cannot afford to waste available bloodlines.  This is the sort of thing that produced your Caspians, Catherine.
 
I feel that I must also strongly point out that publicly poisoning people's conception of the Lutzow horses is not doing the Caspian world any favours at all.  You take the risk of putting people off the breed in its entirety.  I am utterly confident that the ICS will not allow inferior stock to be added to the ICSB.  They have said so and therefore you should be able to rest assured that this is so.  For the moment the Lutzow horses are in the foundation stud book, which was set up by Louise for this purpose and a proper inspection regime of their descendants will be carried out before either the parents or the stock will be allowed into the ICSB.  

 
Quite honestly, I sincerely admire those brave people who, like Louise, have been prepared to take on and care for these horses without the certainty that they will be accepted.  The Caspian breed is the richer for them - and I, for one, deeply appreciate them.
 
Best wishes,
Liz