Marwari horses, the curved-eared war horses of the Thar

How to know a Marwari at a glance

• The legs and feet: long, clean legs and tough hooves, shaped by generations on sand and stone. Breeders here say a good Marwari needs little shoeing on soft ground.
• The colours: bay and chestnut are most common, with greys and the bold patched coats of piebald and skewbald horses much admired at the fairs.
• The movement: light and springy. Some horses have a natural ambling gait, smooth enough that old riders say you could carry a cup of water at speed.
• The cousin from Gujarat: the Kathiawari of Saurashtra shares the curved ears and many traits. At a fair, even breeders argue over which is which.
• The character: Marwaris are clever, sensitive and quick to notice a nervous rider. They reward a calm, quiet hand and dislike being hurried or hit.
• The size: a Marwari is a riding horse of middling height, not a pony. Stallions look taller than they are, because they carry their heads so high.

The horse that carried the Rathores

• The nobles' stables: the thakurs, the landed nobles of Marwar, kept horses for the ruler's service. Many of today's breeders descend from those families, and the stables never fully left them.
• The origins: the breed is generally thought to come from hardy native horses crossed over centuries with horses from Arabia and Central Asia, brought in through trade and war.
• A coastal legend: one story, told in Gujarat as much as Rajasthan, says Arab horses from a wrecked ship swam ashore in Kutch and founded the curved-eared line. Treat it as a fireside tale.
• Loyalty in the ballads: bards sing of horses that would not leave a fallen rider, and of horses that carried a wounded master home before collapsing. These are songs, not records, but they show how the horse was loved.
• Chetak: Maharana Pratap's horse at Haldighati in 1576 is Rajasthan's most famous. Legend makes him carry his wounded rider to safety before dying. Our piece on Maharana Pratap and Haldighati separates the story from the history.
• Paintings as proof: in the painting galleries of Mehrangarh, look at the Rathore rulers on horseback, at war and at the hunt. Many of the horses have the same hooked ears.
• Into the modern army: the Jodhpur Lancers, the state's cavalry, rode in the famous charge at Haifa in 1918. Horse culture in Marwar ran from the battlefield straight onto the polo ground.

Nearly lost, then brought back

• The families who held on: a handful of Rajput breeders in Marwar and Shekhawati kept their mares and stallions, often at real cost, and went on breeding to the old type.
• The Dundlod connection: in Shekhawati, the Dundlod family is closely tied to the revival. Raghuvendra Singh of Dundlod ran some of the first horse safaris that brought riders from abroad.
• An American ally: the horsewoman Francesca Kelly worked with Dundlod to promote the breed, helped form the Indigenous Horse Society of India, and brought Marwaris to the United States around 2000.
• Exports: India long barred the export of its native breeds. A small number of Marwaris left under special licence around the turn of the century, and exports have stayed tightly restricted since.
• Rohet and the riding revival: at Rohet Garh, south of Jodhpur, the family has bred Marwaris for generations and opened their stables to riders, giving the horses a modern reason to be bred well.
• Today: the breed is recognised, shown and celebrated again, with breeders' shows and competitions at the big fairs. Numbers are healthier, but a truly good horse remains rare and expensive.

Colours, customs and the wedding mare

• The white horse: a white or very pale Marwari, sometimes called nukra, is much admired and was traditionally associated with royalty and ceremony.
• The wedding mare: across north India the groom rides to his bride's house on a mare, a ghodi, at the head of the baraat, the wedding procession. Rajput grooms still do it in full dress.
• Dressing the horse: for weddings and festivals horses wear embroidered saddle cloths, silver ornaments and plumes. The craft of horse finery survives in the bazaars of Jodhpur and Pushkar.
• Words you will hear: ghoda is a horse, ghodi a mare, and sawar a rider. A thakur's stable was his paga, and old men still use the word.
• Our wedding note: if you are planning a celebration here, our Rajput weddings explained piece covers the baraat and its customs.

Where to see Marwari horses

What it is like to ride one

• The pace: most country riding is at a walk, with trots along field edges and canters across open ground when the footing is safe.
• The hours: rides start at first light and come in before the heat. A second ride goes out in the late afternoon, when the light turns gold.
• What you see: blackbuck and nilgai in the fields, women at the well, children running out to greet the horses. Animals let a quiet horse come far closer than a jeep.
• Short rides: a one- or two-hour morning ride from Rohet or Shekhawati suits anyone who rides now and then.
• Riding safaris: multi-day rides with camps need confident riders, at ease at walk, trot and canter in open country. Our Marwari horse safari is ten nights with about five days in the saddle.
• Never ridden? stables happily give a gentle introduction in the paddock, and watching the horses at feeding time is a pleasure in itself.

Riding with a clear conscience

• Sensible hours: long rests in the shade at midday, water at every stop, and rest days built into any long ride.
• No dancing horses: you will see horses made to dance at weddings and some shows. Some of the training behind it is harsh, so we don't book these performances.
• No tired animals: mares in foal, very young horses and old horses should not carry riders on safari. We check.
• Fair to the grooms: the men who care for the horses do the hardest work. A good stable pays them properly, and a tip to the groom at the end is well deserved.
• Our wider rules: the same thinking guides everything we arrange with animals. Our page on ethical animal encounters explains why we don't book elephant rides.

Jodhpur, polo and the breeches

• Which horses: modern polo uses mostly specially bred ponies and thoroughbreds, not Marwaris. But the culture of riding came from the same stables.
• Watching a match: in the cool months we can arrange for you to watch polo, and strong riders can take a lesson. Our page on polo in Rajasthan explains the season.
• In the museum: at Mehrangarh the saddles, howdahs and horse ornaments in the galleries show how much craft went into the royal stable.
• Where to stay: in Jodhpur we like RAAS Jodhpur beneath the fort, or the Art Deco grandeur of Umaid Bhawan Palace.

When to see and ride them

• Summer: we don't run long rides between April and June. The heat is hard on horses as well as riders.
• Light for photographers: the low winter sun at dawn and dusk shows off the coat and the curve of the ears. Our photography tips cover asking permission at the fairs.
• Month by month: our guide to the best time to visit Rajasthan sets the riding season beside the rest of the calendar.

Who will love the Marwari country

• Non-riders: a partner who doesn't ride can follow by jeep, visit a Bishnoi village or spend the morning by the pool.
• History lovers: the horse explains Marwar. See the paintings at Mehrangarh, then the living horses at Rohet, and the Rathore story comes alive.
• Couples: a dawn ride side by side through the fields, then breakfast on a fort terrace, is one of the quiet pleasures we arrange most often for two.
• Not for you if: you dislike early starts, dust and simple country hours. In that case, see the horses at a fair and ride a jeep instead.
• Combine with: the camels of Rajasthan, the Bishnoi villages and a few nights in Marwar.