Post by Faux on Apr 26, 2007 21:36:41 GMT -5
Created "when the ocean was churned to extract nectar for the Gods … a period when horses had wings."
Characteristics
Head: Rather long, intelligent, and refined.
Ears: Unique--ALWAYS curled inward. Exceptional hearing; better than that of most other breeds.
Body: Long shoulders, short-coupled, long legs, and hard feet.
Height: Between 14.3 hh to 16.2 hh. Rarely reaches 17 hh.
Colors: All colors, including piebald and skewbald (ablaks). Most commonly seen in ablaks, black, chestnut, or bay. Black and ablaks are the favored coats in India. (Eye colors can be either brown or blue, though blue is extremely rare.)
Personality
Well known for their legendary loyalty, a Marwari is as docile as he is trusting. In the days of old, they were said to have "left the battleground in one of three ways: as a victor; as a saviour, carrying his injured rider to safety; or as a spirit, having given his life for his master". The Marwari is often an eager horse, willing to please and try new things. They are also extremely competitive, making them ideal for many events in India and as of presently, around the world.
History
Before there were machines to assist soldiers on foreign soil or at their homelands, there was the horse. Marwaris were as dear to India's people as the Arabian horse to Saudi Arabia's. They were bred and raised primarily by royalty, and at the time, used almost entirely for war. The legendary battles involving the unique animal, were what sparked the stories of they're famous personalities. They were considered divine and superior to all men, even those of royal blood. To the Indian people, the Marwari horse was a god.
It was said only the royal members of the Rajput family could mount the beautiful animals, unless they were being ridden by royal warriors into battle. Thus, the enemies of the Rajputs viewed the horses as lowly creatures, and despised the animals as much as their enemies.
In 1956, the Marwari was seen as a hated symbol of feudalism and India's oppressive social divisions. Thousands of the horses were castrated, shot, or sold to peasants to use as draft animals. However, it was the permanent arrival of machines in war and a dangerous epidemic in the late 1900s that would eventually force the Marwari horse to the brink of extinction.
It was only in the 1980s, when India's tourist industry finally took off, that the breed was beginning to steadily return. Since then, and even today, there are programs devoted to bringing this miraculous breed back, and away from the possibility of extinction forever.
Current Status
Though today, in the 21st century, they are recovering, the Marwari is still considered "threatened". It is extremely rare to spot a Marwari anywhere outside of India. So rare, in fact, that the United States is perhaps (from what sources say) the only country besides India to have them. Even so, only SIX Marwari horses reside in the U.S. today. The people in India breeding and raising these horses hope to introduce more to outside countries within the next few years.
Abilities
Eventing/Racing
So, what can a Marwari do, exactly? Well, that's simple--almost anything! In India, the Marwari horse is a hardy animal capable of virtually any event thrown its way. This includes endurance, long-distance riding, flat racing, halter (with fancy Indian attire, especially), etc.
Since there are only six in America, it is hard to say just what the Marwari can do when it comes to English and Western sports. However, among those few residing in the U.S., Western trail, driving, English pleasure, English halter, and pleasure riding seem to come easy. Dressage, showmanship, equitation, and even POLO in Great Britian, are other proven sports that the Marwari may, or has excelled in.
Outside the Show Ring
In India, they may also be used as police and army horses. Otherwise, Marwaris are in high demand for and popular in many breed fairs (for example, the Kentucky Horse Park in Kentucky has a piebald Marwari mare used for a "parade of breeds"), and films.
Famous Marwaris/People
Chetak -- A grey stallion; bravely confronted a war elephant of the imperial commander, allowing his master to kill the rider, which blunted the Mogul advance. Reinforcements arrived, however, and with one leg hacked off at the hoof, the migthy Marwari rode Rana Pretap, his owner, to safety, later dying in his master's arms.
The horse of Amar Singh -- Singh had asked a Mogul minister to pay a penalty for missing a court meeting, and when reprimanded, attacked the Mogul emperor, Shah Jehan (builder of the Taj Mahal). When soldiers cornered him on the 70 foot-high ramparts of the Agra Fort, his horse jumped over the wall. The fall killed the Marwari, but Singh survived, and safely reached his walled mansion. A statue of the fearless horse stands beside the fort, just a few miles from the famous Taj Mahal.
Francesca Kelly -- Won a five-year long battle to allow Marwaris to be exported, and was the only person to ever bring them out of India, bringing the six Marwaris mentioned earlier to Massachusetts in 2000. She started the first program for Marwari horses in 1999--the Indigenous Horse Society of India--which sparked the arrival of hundreds of other organizations. She also created the first detailed book on this breed to be published in English.
Credits
www.horseindian.com/indianhorse.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwari_(horse)
www.horsemarwari.com/breedinformation.htm
www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2004/june/raja.php?page=1
Horse Breeds of the World, written by Nicola Jane Swinney.
Characteristics
Head: Rather long, intelligent, and refined.
Ears: Unique--ALWAYS curled inward. Exceptional hearing; better than that of most other breeds.
Body: Long shoulders, short-coupled, long legs, and hard feet.
Height: Between 14.3 hh to 16.2 hh. Rarely reaches 17 hh.
Colors: All colors, including piebald and skewbald (ablaks). Most commonly seen in ablaks, black, chestnut, or bay. Black and ablaks are the favored coats in India. (Eye colors can be either brown or blue, though blue is extremely rare.)
Personality
Well known for their legendary loyalty, a Marwari is as docile as he is trusting. In the days of old, they were said to have "left the battleground in one of three ways: as a victor; as a saviour, carrying his injured rider to safety; or as a spirit, having given his life for his master". The Marwari is often an eager horse, willing to please and try new things. They are also extremely competitive, making them ideal for many events in India and as of presently, around the world.
History
Before there were machines to assist soldiers on foreign soil or at their homelands, there was the horse. Marwaris were as dear to India's people as the Arabian horse to Saudi Arabia's. They were bred and raised primarily by royalty, and at the time, used almost entirely for war. The legendary battles involving the unique animal, were what sparked the stories of they're famous personalities. They were considered divine and superior to all men, even those of royal blood. To the Indian people, the Marwari horse was a god.
It was said only the royal members of the Rajput family could mount the beautiful animals, unless they were being ridden by royal warriors into battle. Thus, the enemies of the Rajputs viewed the horses as lowly creatures, and despised the animals as much as their enemies.
In 1956, the Marwari was seen as a hated symbol of feudalism and India's oppressive social divisions. Thousands of the horses were castrated, shot, or sold to peasants to use as draft animals. However, it was the permanent arrival of machines in war and a dangerous epidemic in the late 1900s that would eventually force the Marwari horse to the brink of extinction.
It was only in the 1980s, when India's tourist industry finally took off, that the breed was beginning to steadily return. Since then, and even today, there are programs devoted to bringing this miraculous breed back, and away from the possibility of extinction forever.
Current Status
Though today, in the 21st century, they are recovering, the Marwari is still considered "threatened". It is extremely rare to spot a Marwari anywhere outside of India. So rare, in fact, that the United States is perhaps (from what sources say) the only country besides India to have them. Even so, only SIX Marwari horses reside in the U.S. today. The people in India breeding and raising these horses hope to introduce more to outside countries within the next few years.
Abilities
Eventing/Racing
So, what can a Marwari do, exactly? Well, that's simple--almost anything! In India, the Marwari horse is a hardy animal capable of virtually any event thrown its way. This includes endurance, long-distance riding, flat racing, halter (with fancy Indian attire, especially), etc.
Since there are only six in America, it is hard to say just what the Marwari can do when it comes to English and Western sports. However, among those few residing in the U.S., Western trail, driving, English pleasure, English halter, and pleasure riding seem to come easy. Dressage, showmanship, equitation, and even POLO in Great Britian, are other proven sports that the Marwari may, or has excelled in.
Outside the Show Ring
In India, they may also be used as police and army horses. Otherwise, Marwaris are in high demand for and popular in many breed fairs (for example, the Kentucky Horse Park in Kentucky has a piebald Marwari mare used for a "parade of breeds"), and films.
Famous Marwaris/People
Chetak -- A grey stallion; bravely confronted a war elephant of the imperial commander, allowing his master to kill the rider, which blunted the Mogul advance. Reinforcements arrived, however, and with one leg hacked off at the hoof, the migthy Marwari rode Rana Pretap, his owner, to safety, later dying in his master's arms.
The horse of Amar Singh -- Singh had asked a Mogul minister to pay a penalty for missing a court meeting, and when reprimanded, attacked the Mogul emperor, Shah Jehan (builder of the Taj Mahal). When soldiers cornered him on the 70 foot-high ramparts of the Agra Fort, his horse jumped over the wall. The fall killed the Marwari, but Singh survived, and safely reached his walled mansion. A statue of the fearless horse stands beside the fort, just a few miles from the famous Taj Mahal.
Francesca Kelly -- Won a five-year long battle to allow Marwaris to be exported, and was the only person to ever bring them out of India, bringing the six Marwaris mentioned earlier to Massachusetts in 2000. She started the first program for Marwari horses in 1999--the Indigenous Horse Society of India--which sparked the arrival of hundreds of other organizations. She also created the first detailed book on this breed to be published in English.
Credits
www.horseindian.com/indianhorse.htm
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwari_(horse)
www.horsemarwari.com/breedinformation.htm
www.smithsonianmagazine.com/issues/2004/june/raja.php?page=1
Horse Breeds of the World, written by Nicola Jane Swinney.