ARCHAIC CASPIAN PONY

Left: 500 B.C., pretty good bareback equestrian position, soft hands to the horse's mouth while halting his stride.

Right (photographer unknown): By the by, the exact same horse breed, now called the Caspian Pony, still exists. Barely. One of the rarest equine breeds in the world due to its last concentration of bloodstock having been in Iran. DNA samples in ancient tombs verify it's the same horse breed. For more information about this fascinating archaic breed, forebear of the Arabian Horse and saved from extinction by a mere 20 horses, go to LINK.