Rajasthan - the land of the Rajputs, is known for its kings, fearless warriors and beautiful womens. It's also known for its forts, palaces and temples which are a reminder of the glorious past. Kingdoms were carved and established by the Rajputs on horseback, while swords were stained with enemy blood. Horses were highly priced and a Rajput warrior would give anything to own a good horse. Great care was taken to breed horses and to keep a clean and pure lineage.
                                                                                                 
The result of many years of dedication and hard work helped create breeds like Marwari, Kathiawadi and the Sindhi, each having its own distinct characteristics and bred solely for the purpose of war. These horses were noted for their stamina and fierce loyalty to their masters. With these gallant steeds, the Rajputs became famous worldwide. There is an old Saying , " If God didn't create the horse, He wouldn't have created the Rajputs"In Rajasthan, the tourist can today have the pleasure of riding through trails dotted and marked with cenotaphs and tombstones of many brave and valiant Rajput warriors.

The Marwari horse as it is known now, is closest in appearance and temperament to the breed painstaking perfected by Maharaja Jaswant Singh of Marwar in the 17th Century the Gugh experimenting of breeding locally suited horses by mixing the Arabian blood with the local strands had been closing fairly well even much earlier. The constant pressure from invading armies, maintaining separate horses for different purposes was becoming purposes was becoming a luxurious idea not viable financially and practically. The need was felt for a horse which was hardly, which could negotiate the plains and the hills with equal ease, which was conducive

to learning the complex assault movement of the battlefield like stretching upon its hind legs to reach the enemies elephant's head with its forelegs, to facilitate the rider make a lance attack on the person sitting astride the elephant. The total distance between the hind hooves and forelegs required at such times could be far in excess of 12 feet. Thus taking the Arabian horse as the base stock judicious breeding over the years produced the legendary Marwari breed, in whose praise General Tweedie after having spent fifteen years in India mentioned it "as fine a horse as any other in the world." That coming from a seasoned and horse-wise British Cavalry Officer surely has some merit.

The basic characteristics of the Marwari horse may be generalised as under:
He has a finely chiselled slightly longish, pointed face. Round nostrils are set over similar jawas. Large expressive eyes, pointed ears that turn inwards and meet at the points, that may inwards and meet at the points, that may invariably be overlapping. The ears are slightly larger among the mares. The neck at the poll is fine, powerful and wide where it meets the shoulder. The shoulder is broad. He has good length of rein and depth of girth, medium sized back, long quarters which are rather sloping than level. Its coat is extremely fine. The average height is 15 hand. It has an excellent natural action and carriage of head. It moves with an arched neck, is a natural jumper and a smooth and dandy mover. It takes much shorter time to school than many other breeds. In long distance its endurance is amazing. As opposed to the Arab it is more sure footed and sound in the legs, less vicious in-spite of its character, excitability and fire. In a nutshell it is a bold charger, a showy mount, a dependable companion and a pleasure horse all rolled into one.

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