Horse Breed Spotlight: The Most Marvelous Marwari

It was at a writer’s retreat, but it was during break session, so playing a game involving penguins wearing jetpacks and fighting off insane beekeepers with buffalos and burger meat was perfectly acceptable. As I’m minding my business and trying to figure out the best way to pacify said angry beekeeper with a box of kittens, I look to my right and notice the screensaver of my opponent’s phone is a photo bridled black horse with ears that curl in.

Of course, my storytelling brain is silenced for a moment as the Horse Nerd takes full control and immediately identifies it as a Marwari (or a Kathiawari, both have such lovely curled ears).

“Is that a Marwari?” I asked him.

At first he didn’t know what I was talking about (he too was focused on the angry beekeeper situation in the game) but once he realized I was talking about his phone wallpaper, he was surprised that I actually knew what horse breed it was. He lives in India, and the black horse was one of the last purebred Marwaris in the world, owned by his school (I unfortunately do not remember the horse’s name and cannot remember if I asked…). He later said “oh wait you’re the horse girl!” and apparently his sister is subscribed to my email list (I wondered where all my views from India were coming from! I assumed it was bots.)

Anyway, this wonderful conversation has inspired me to write an article about the Marwari. Because honestly these horses are way too cool to NOT write about.

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The Indian War Horse

Marwaris originated in the Marwar region of Western India around the 12th century. Used as a cavalry horse, the horses were bred to strict standards by Rajput warriors for endurance and intelligence. Horses were known to form deep bonds with their riders and possess unusual bravery in battle, the most famous legend being that of Chetak, a horse owned by Maharana Pratap, an Indian king who ruled in the 16th century. The story tells of how he carried his owner through the fierce Battle of Haldighati, gaining fatal injuries, but not falling until he had carried his master back to safety behind battle lines. While there are no definite historical records related to the tale, such stories do give an idea of what kind of horse the Marwari was and still is. Most records agree that there are Turkoman horse bloodlines in its origin, much like the Thoroughbred and Akhal-Teke.

In the 1930s, modernization took over and poor horse management led to the breed dwindling. British colonists preferred the Thoroughbred to the lanky horse with curly ears, and with demand dropping and less war lords in need of battle steeds, fewer horses were bred. However, in the 1920s, Maharaja Umaid Singhji started working to save the horse from extinction, with his grandson continuing the effort throughout the rest of the 20th century. Francesa Kelly started the Marwari Bloodline group in 1995 to help add to the breed worldwide, and today the horse boasts participation in two breed organizations: The International Marwari Horse Association and The Indigenous Horse Society of India. Even with increased conservation efforts, however, there are only about 30 purebreds outside of India (as India stopped granting export licenses for the breed in 2006) and a couple thousand left in total.

So, you might have to jump on a plane and visit India if you want to see this horse for yourself.

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What Makes a Marwari?

One of the first things that people note the Marwari for is the heavily dished ears– however, its cousin breed, the Kathiawari, ALSO has these special ears, so do not assume that just because a horse has these ears, they are a Marwari. The main distinction between the two is bloodlines: Kathiawaris have Arabian-type heads and are MUCH smaller and more compact than Marwaris, who have a somewhat convex head profile.

Marwaris come in all colors, including pinto. I tried to figure out whether this included Appaloosa-type patterns and all my sources were unspecified. Gray is the most favored color, and culturally, four white feet and a blaze is considered “lucky”. Interestingly, black horses were considered to be symbols of death and darkness (wonder what they did with foals born black, but didn’t age to gray until later in life? Sometimes you can tell, but sometimes they just look solid black. Did they kill them? Or just wait until they were older to make sure? What if a horse was black, but had four white feet and a blaze? Could be some story material there…)

Marwaris are usually between 13.5 to 16 hands high, and their coats often have hollow hairs similar to Akhal-Tekes, giving them a glossy sheen. In tradition, similar to many Middle Eastern horse breeders, hair whorls were another factor to determine a horse’s worth. Interestingly, when genetic studies were done on Indian horse breeds to try to determine their origins, Marwaris were found to be the most genetically diverse and have almost no Thoroughbred bloodlines.

Despite their historical loyalty and devotion to their humans, these horses are also noted to have strong opinions and be very stubborn and hard to handle.

While rare, Marwaris are still used for a wide amount of disciplines. True white horses are often used in religious ceremonies, although white horses are not allowed by then registry. They are also used in parades, showjumping, polo, dressage, even as police horses in some parts of India.

If you live in the US, and don’t have the ability to travel to India, there is a place called Sandhu Stables in California that still breeds these horses in the US. Might be an interesting trip if you want to see horses you can’t find anywhere else outside of India!

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I don’t know why Marwaris have such a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s just because they’re one of those horses that always gets put in those popout boxes in horse books, and it just makes you think, “Man, those horses must be pretty special!”

I don’t know if I will ever see a Marwari horse in my lifetime, but I hope this article introduced you to a breed that maybe, you’ve never heard about.

Now I just have to ask: who would make the effort to plan a trip to India just to see these guys in their native homeland?