The origins of horse breeding in the Zagros Mountains go back as far as history itself. Stone reliefs in Persopolis, the ancient capital of Persia, tells a tale of the people of Scart, the Scythians, people of Cappadocia, Armenians, people of modern day Turkey and Macedonians giving horses as gifts and tribute to the King of the Achamaenid dynasty.
Herodotus writes: Horse breeding in Iran is of such importance that each year, the number of horses in all herds must reach a minimum of one hundred and twenty thousand horses, to be used for the cavalry.
Johannes Hertel writes of Cyrus the Great’s royal command to raise pure blood horses and take part in horse races.
The green pastures of the Zagros mountain range of Iran, the way the power of Emperors and dynasties depended at the time on the horses at their disposal, and the way of life of the region’s people alongside the absolute best horses of Asia – which were brought regularly to the central Kingdom as gifts from all over the empire – gave way to the formation of a horse that acquired global acclaim as the Nisean Horse.
The people of the Dareshuri tribe whether as per Herodotus’s account resided in the Zagros region from the Parthian’s times, or by account of modern researchers came down and settled into the regions of Persia from Caucasia, definitely had access to the Nisean horse. They were renowned in the ancient times and are to this day for ownership and structured breeding of amazing pure blood horses, with characteristics which still tell a tale of their ancient lineage coming from the famous Nisean horses, well sought after all throughout the ancient world from China through Rome.
The International Dareshuri Horse Preservation and Breeding Association has strived in recent months (and unofficially in the past eleven years) with the direct aid of Amir Amanollah Khan Setorg Dareshuri, the heir of the great Ziad Khan Dareshuri, to put its focus and efforts on saving this breed from extinction through collecting, specifying and confirming the pedigrees of all the remaining pure blood Dareshuri Horses that now belong or at some time have belonged to the Dareshuri tribe leaders (Khans) and into incorporating a focused smart breeding program.
Unfortunately there are currently less than 30 mares and stallions alive from this breed. The breed has been repeatedly listed as being on the brink of extinction in all major sources. In line with this dire responsibility, and with much needed help from experienced world class geneticists and major equine laboratories, we aim to formally register the Dareshuri Horse Breed and through genetic research, hopefully find one of the last remnants and descendants of the Nisean Horse.
