Horse Listening

If you’re lucky enough to see a Marwari horse in person, the first thing that you’ll probably notice about this unique breed is its ears. With ears so curved that the tips touch, the Marwari has a distinctive appearance. This breed’s history spans multiple centuries and today, the Marwari remains a rare but prized horse & this grey stallion is dedicated in the memory of Imam Hussain(pbuh) called as duldul in the Fort of Mahmudabad.

These Marwari horses are from Mahmudabad Estate

Marwari Horse - India is a unique amalgamation of varying climates zones and terrains where different species of the equine family are used for diversified roles. Marwari is the original desert horse breed of Marwari region of Rajasthan state of India, capable of covering long distances with good speed by virtue of its strong limbs and hooves. This breed can withstand intense heat and cold and adverse climatic conditions & is known for its elegance, beauty, viguor, endurance, intelligence, alertness, animated gait and peculiar ear tips touching each other.

The Marwari Horses were predominantly native of Malani region of Barmer district of Marwar. The villages namely Nagar. Gurha, Jasol, Sindhari, Patodi, Bakhasar, some areas of Bhinmal and Sanchore and Sayla Tehsil of Jalor district are the nucleus of the Marwari Breed of horses. Presently these animals are also being reared in successfully in Dunload and Nawalgarh of Shekhawati & the Mewar regioni of Rajasthan. The breed is primarily maintained for show, Horse Safaris & Sport, ceremonial & religeous purposes, and during earlier days in war. It's popularity has spread to other state particularly Punjab & Gujarat.

The National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar has conducted studies on delineating of breed characteristics of Marwari Horses. The breed characters are primarily based on phenotypic/biometrical measurement, genotypic markers, reproductive parameters and molecular markers.

• Head & Forehead - The Marwari horse posses a well refined head with an average face length of 56 cms. And face width as 21 cms. The shape of the forehead is chiseled type, generally flat but convex forehead is also observed in many animals. The forehead is well set between the eyes with soft medium muzzle, Jaws are prominent and well built.

• Ears - The medium sized ears are soft with an average ear length of 13 cms. From base to thetip. The average ear width is generally 8 cms. In mares, both length and width of the ears is higher than in stallions. In animals, true to the breed, tips of the ear touch when horse rotates their ear to 180º.

• Eyes & Nostrils - The eyes are large round, set widely apart giving a slight convex shape to the eye balls. The nasal bone is flat and long. The nostrils are large rounded with flared look and quite sensitive.

• The Shoulder & Neck - The shoulders are muscular, long and broad, Neck at poll is fine but wider near the shoulders with good musculature at the base. Neck is carried high.

My First Ride - As a child, I was always terrified of horses but I loved them at the same time. I was what you would call a horse-obsessed child.

I dreamed of owning a barn one day at my hometown and breeding Arabians because they are the most beautiful horses in the world.

There's something inherently noble and graceful about horses. The fact that they trust humans, and allow us to share their lives. We all have something we feel connected to and for me, it has always been horses.

My first independent experience on horseback was at National Research Center on Equines, Horse Farm, Bikaner & that didn't go the way I'd dreamed & planned. In fact it didn't really go at all. So goes my trip to many other horse farms & I trained myself, I have ridden many horses so far and learning. People think that all you have to do is sit there and the horse does all the work.

Wrong! If you want to ride and develop a relationship with horses, you need a trainer.

Riding a horse at walk is simple: usually, it's slow enough that you will follow back and forth movement of the horse's back. They won’t just magically do what you want them to do, even if you give the right signals. Good riding requires two-way communication and a lot of work. Most trail rides you can just sit back and get the feel of ‘riding’, but real riding requires a lot more.

I would definitely encourage anyone to at least try it once.

I never thought I could put this experience into words, but thanks to this platform, I can share my experience in front of so many horse lovers.

Watch more on my Youtube