Indigenous Equine Breeds in India and Their Evolving Role

India’s horse heritage runs deep – from the battlefield charges of Rajput warriors to the ceremonial processions of today’s weddings and festivals. The country is home to several distinct indigenous equine breeds, each shaped by centuries of selective breeding, regional geography, and cultural tradition. Yet many of these breeds now face serious threats to their survival. Understanding who they are, what makes them unique, and what is being done to protect them is important not just for animal conservation, but for preserving a living piece of India’s cultural identity.

Indigenous horse breeds and their traits 🔗

India currently has eight registered horse and pony breeds officially recognised by the ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (ICAR-NBAGR), the nodal agency responsible for conserving animal genetic resources. These breeds range from the desert-adapted horses of Rajasthan and Gujarat to the hardy mountain ponies of the Himalayas.

The Marwari horse 🔗

The Marwari is arguably the most recognised of India’s indigenous horses. Originating from the Marwar region of Rajasthan, selective breeding of this horse dates back to the 12th century, when the Rathore rulers of Marwar bred it strictly for endurance, loyalty, and hardiness. It became the cavalry horse of choice for Rajput warriors, celebrated for its bravery in battle – most famously through the legend of Chetak, the horse of Maharana Pratap.

Physically, the Marwari is a medium-sized horse standing 14 to 16 hands high, with a slightly convex facial profile and a long, arched neck. Its most distinctive feature is its inward-curving ears – moderately long tips that meet or even overlap when the horse is alert. These curved ears can rotate up to 180 degrees, giving the horse exceptional hearing – a practical advantage in the open desert landscapes of the Thar. The breed also exhibits a natural ambling gait called the revaal, which makes for a comfortable ride over long distances.

Marwaris come in a wide range of colours including bay, chestnut, liver chestnut, black, piebald, and skewbald. Grey is traditionally the most favoured colour, and four white feet with a blaze are considered auspicious by breeders. The breed is known for its intelligence, stamina, and deep bond with its rider.

The Kathiawari horse 🔗

The Kathiawari originates from the Kathiawar peninsula of Gujarat and is considered by many researchers to be the oldest equine breed in India. It was originally bred as a desert war horse capable of covering long distances on minimal food and water. Like the Marwari, it has inward-curving ears – in fact, the Kathiawari has the most extremely curved ears of any horse breed, often crossing at the tips.

Compared to the Marwari, the Kathiawari is somewhat smaller and more compact, standing around 14 to 15 hands and weighing approximately 380 kg. It has a concave facial profile, broad forehead, large expressive eyes, and a shorter back. The most common coat colours are chestnut and bay, though grey, dun, piebald, and skewbald are also found. It also performs the revaal – the same swift lateral pace seen in the Marwari. The Kathiawari is described as high-spirited, intelligent, and affectionate.

Today, the Kathiawari is used for riding, in harness, and in sports like tent-pegging. It may also serve as a police horse. A dedicated stud book is maintained by the Kathiawari Horse Breeders’ Association, which also organises annual shows to promote the breed.

Other registered breeds 🔗

Beyond these two well-known horses, India’s equine heritage includes several mountain ponies. The Spiti, Zanskari, Bhutia, Manipuri, and Kachchhi-Sindhi breeds are each adapted to their distinct agro-climatic zones – from the high-altitude passes of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh to the plains of Manipur. The Manipuri pony, for instance, is historically credited as the breed on which the modern sport of polo was first played. The Kachchhi-Sindhi, native to Kutch in Gujarat, is known for its distinctive Rewal chal gait – a fast, ground-covering pace suited to arid terrain. The most recently registered breed, the Bhimthadi, was added to the national registry in 2023 and originates from Maharashtra’s pastoral communities.

Decline and conservation of equine breeds 🔗

Despite their rich heritage, India’s indigenous equine breeds face growing threats to their survival. According to ICAR-NRCE, most indigenous pony breeds – including the Manipuri, Zanskari, Spiti, and Bhutia – are classified as endangered at the international level, with true-to-breed populations falling below 10,000 animals. The Marwari and Kathiawari are in a similar position of concern.

The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences identified several key factors pushing these breeds toward endangerment: mechanization, which has replaced horses in transport and agricultural work; uncontrolled crossbreeding with exotic breeds; a shortage of purebred stallions; and shifting social customs that have reduced the cultural demand for indigenous horses. The horse population of India fell from 1.5 million in 1956 to just 0.62 million by 2012 – a decline of nearly 59 percent over five decades.

The crossbreeding problem 🔗

Crossbreeding with exotic breeds like the English Thoroughbred is perhaps the most immediate genetic threat. When indigenous mares are bred to Thoroughbred stallions to produce faster or taller offspring for racing or sport, the unique genetic traits of indigenous breeds – their desert hardiness, heat tolerance, distinctive gait, and physical conformation – are gradually diluted. Studies have shown that indiscriminate crossbreeding in Marwari breeding tracts has significantly reduced the number of true-to-breed animals remaining, making it harder to find quality purebred stallions for selective conservation breeding.

The Bhutia pony offers a stark illustration of how quickly a breed can collapse: its population dropped from over 5,400 animals in 1997 to just 546 by 2007. While external factors like habitat degradation and reduced need for pack animals played a role, crossbreeding with non-descript ponies accelerated the decline considerably.

Export restrictions and early conservation efforts 🔗

The Indian government recognised the threat early. In 1952, it banned the export of indigenous horse breeds to prevent genetic resources from leaving the country. The ban was partially relaxed in 1999 to allow small-scale licensed exports. The Indigenous Horse Society of India (IHSI) was subsequently founded by Raghuvendra Singh Dundlod and Francesca Kelly to maintain pedigree records, conduct DNA testing, and promote the Marwari internationally. Several state governments – including Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Punjab – have since initiated their own breed protection and selective breeding programs.

The role of the Equine Development Board and allied institutions 🔗

India’s institutional response to the decline of indigenous equines involves coordination between multiple government and research bodies, with the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD) under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying playing a central oversight role. The department maintains a registry of stud farms, sets standards for registration of new breeding establishments, and coordinates policy for equine development at the national level.

ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) 🔗

The most active research body on equine conservation is the ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE), headquartered in Hisar, Haryana, with a sub-campus in Bikaner, Rajasthan. NRCE leads breed characterisation studies, in-situ and ex-situ conservation programmes, and biotechnological interventions such as artificial insemination using cryopreserved semen of purebred indigenous stallions. A National Equine Semen Bank has been proposed – and partially established – to preserve the germplasm of Marwari, Kathiawari, and other breeds, providing a safeguard against genetic loss.

NRCE’s Bikaner campus has directly worked on conserving Zanskari ponies by establishing an Equine Sanctuary, bringing animals from Ladakh’s Zanskar valley into a managed conservation herd. Similar efforts have been directed at Spiti ponies in Himachal Pradesh, where the J&K Animal Husbandry Department established a dedicated Zanskari horse breeding farm at Chuchot, Leh.

Stud book maintenance and breed registration 🔗

A critical function of India’s equine development framework is the formal registration and documentation of breeds. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying maintains a registry of stud farms and provides the regulatory structure for breed registration. Formal breed registries – like the stud book kept by the Kathiawari Horse Breeders’ Association – help track bloodlines, prevent fraudulent registration of crossbreds as purebreds, and provide the data needed to evaluate population trends. The ICAR-NBAGR is the nodal body responsible for officially recognising new breeds, as seen with the Bhimthadi horse’s registration in 2023.

Promoting alternative uses for conservation viability 🔗

Conservation programmes increasingly recognise that a breed’s survival depends on its economic relevance. NRCE’s equine development frameworks promote alternative livelihood avenues for horse owners, including equine tourism (horse safaris in Rajasthan have become a meaningful way to sustain Marwari breeding), equestrian sports, police and ceremonial use, and even the use of equines in mountain transport where mechanised vehicles cannot reach. Brooke India, an equine welfare NGO operating across 11 states, works alongside government animal husbandry departments to improve health care, nutrition, and management practices for working equines – focusing particularly on the marginalised communities whose livelihoods depend on them.

There is also a growing push to make indigenous horses visible in competitive equestrian sports. Marwaris and Kathiawaris are now participating in dressage, show jumping, tent-pegging, and endurance riding events. Increased cultural visibility – through annual breed shows, horse fairs, and media coverage – has revived interest among landowners and equine enthusiasts who might otherwise turn to exotic breeds.

Challenges that remain 🔗

Despite these efforts, the gap between policy intent and ground-level implementation remains significant. A shortage of quality purebred stallions in breeding tracts means that many breeders still resort to crossbreeding out of necessity rather than choice. The lack of a comprehensive national equine stud book – one that covers all indigenous breeds under a single system – makes it difficult to monitor genetic diversity or enforce breeding standards consistently. NRCE’s Vision 2030 document specifically calls for the establishment of a National Equine Society under the Department of Animal Husbandry to register all indigenous equines and develop a unified stud book system – a reform that remains a work in progress.

Climate change adds another layer of complexity. Reduced forage in alpine pastures threatens mountain breeds like the Spiti and Zanskari, while erratic rainfall and increasing desertification in arid zones create additional stress for the Marwari and Kathiawari. Conservation planning for indigenous equines will increasingly need to factor in these environmental changes alongside genetic and socioeconomic pressures.

What do you think? Given that crossbreeding with exotic breeds is often driven by economic pressures on small-scale horse owners, how should conservation policy balance the genetic purity of indigenous breeds with the livelihoods of the communities that depend on them? And with India’s equine population having declined by nearly 60% over five decades, is the current institutional framework moving fast enough to prevent further losses?

References

1. https://grokipedia.com/page/List_of_Indian_horse_breeds
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwari_horse
3. https://madbarn.com/marwari-horse-breed-profile/
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathiawari_horse
5. http://nrce.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/equine-farming.pdf
6. http://nrce.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NRCE-Vision-2030.pdf
7. https://epubs.icar.org.in/index.php/IJAnS/article/view/37561
8. http://nrce.gov.in/major-research-programme/
9. http://dadf.gov.in/related-links/equine
10. https://www.thebrookeindia.in/