India Category

Breeds of horse found in India, an enormous nation with a huge variety of climates. There are two types of horses in India, mountain ponies and taller, lighter animals for riding. Their riding horses are among the most distinct on the planet, they sort of define the term ‘crescent shaped ears’.

Dhanni Horse

Intro

The Dhanni Horse comes from the Punjab state of India and was thought to be Sikh leader Ranjit Singh’s favorite breed.
Read more →

Spiti Pony

Intro

Similar to other breeds or types in the area, the Spiti is a dwarf mountain horse found in the Spiti District from which it takes its name. There are two strains of the breed, pure Spiti and Konimare, which tends to be taller than pure bloods.
Read more →

Kachchhi Sindhi Horse

Intro

Also called Mustangs of India, the Kachchhi Sindhi Horse is similar to both Kathiawari and Marwari as they also have crescent shaped ears, although theirs don’t touch at the tips. This breed is visually distinguishable from the other two by their (obviously Barb influenced) roman nose. They are a distinctly desert breed and come from the Rajasthan and Gujarat regions.
Read more →

Bhimthadi Horse

Intro

Also called Deccani, the Bhimthadi Horse has a history that is entwined with the Maratha empire, named for the Bhima river basin (or the Deccan Plateau, depending who you ask) where they originally came from. Recently recognized by the Indian as a separate breed and can be found in Pune, Solapur, Satara and Ahmadnagar districts of Maharashtra.
Read more →

Zaniskari Pony

Intro

The Zaniskari Pony comes from in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir State in northern India. Unfortunately there have been no official breeding practices in place, so interbreeding with local animals has caused pureblooded animals to be rare.
Read more →

Marwari Horse

Intro

The Marwari Horse comes from India and is perhaps best known for their ears which point inwardly often until they touch or overlap. This is generally a sign of pure blood.
Read more →

Manipuri Pony

Intro

The Manipuri Pony is an ancient breed from India which is thought to have come from Mongolian animals that were later crossed with Arabian strains. This is one of the earliest breeds to be used for polo, which has been played throughout Asia since sometime around the 7th century AD.
Read more →

Kathiawadi Horse

Intro

Interestingly enough, the Kathiawari breed possesses the most inward curved ears of any breed on the planet (yes, including the Marwari). They touch and often overlap one another at the tips – in fact, this is an indication of pure breeding.
Read more →

Indian Country Bred Horse

Origins

The Indian Country Bred Horse comes from the Himalayan region of India and is a combination of the Bhutia, Spiti and Tibetan pony bloodlines. These animals have been cross bred for so many years that the distinction lines between each breed have blurred.
Read more →

Chamurthi Horse

Origins

The Chamurthi pony is one of the four recognized indigenous horse breeds of India, although their bloodlines are thought to have come from Tibet originally. They can be found in the Pin Valley of Lahaul-Spiti.
Read more →