The gateway to India, the arched Marwari horse ears.
The naturally curling ears of the Marwari, Kathiawari and Sindhi breeds of horse.
The Marwari Horse Ears
Marwari horse ears have long fascinated riders. In this post, I am exploring the curled Marwari horses ears and it’s ‘cousin’ breeds. These include the Kathiawari and the Sindhi horses.
The uniquely curled ears of these native Indian and Pakistani horses have long captured the imagination.
You can tell the three breeds apart often by just looking at their ears. The Kathiawariโs ears will often be so curled that they cross over each other at the top, whereas the Sindhi breeds still curl inwards, but remain apart without touching.
To gaze through the archway of the native Marwari ears is to enter the pulsating heart of Indiaโs cultural and historical vibrancy.
NIKKI WATSON
How did the curled ears develop?
The question of how the curled ears developed is genealogically unknown.
Most likely, it was an anomaly that developed organically and gradually throughout the years, resulting in this mysterious evolutionary masterpiece.
Much like the enigmatic quality of the horses themselves, the history behind the formation of their curled ears is steeped in myth.
The Indigenous Horse Society of India
Dr. Gulvinder Chowdhary, the vet of the Indigenous Horse Society of India, shone some light on the development of the Marwari, Kathiawari and Sindhi breeds. Dr. Gulvinder is on the panel for the registrations of Indiaโs native breeds, including the collection and study of their DNA.
Talking to Dr. Gulvinder, the most likely origins of the breeds and their remarkably curling ears developed with the spread of a bustling, historically significant trade route.
An ancient trading passage of silks, spices, gold, precious stones, livestock, and transmissions of culture.
The Silk Route
The heady ebb and flow of the Silk Route may be where the origins of the Marwari, Kathiawari, and Sindhi horses lie.
An undulating serpentine network of overland trade and culture, all patch-worked together by towering caravanserais acting as oases of rest along the journey. Camel and horse caravans would set up camp under the stelliferous night skies.
This dusty and perilous route involved the trading of a particularly valuable commodity; horses.
As traders and invaders came down from the North from Persia and Greece, and from China to the East, they mainly came by horse. A natural result was the cross breeding of these horses with the local horses and ponies along the route passages.
In the midst of this equine conflation, the curled ears developed.
Enhanced hearing
The Marwari breed can rotate their ears 180 degrees.
This skill provides them with superior hearing, as the ears act as a radar that warns them of dangers. As a result, they are more able to survive in the open desert landscapes and flee from predators. The dexterity of the ears helps the horses to withstand the brutal sand storms of Northern Indiaโs relentless Thar Desert, as they can swivel the ears around to protect them from the gusts of whirling sand.
As the breeds we know today were once prized cavalry horses, their alert responsiveness due to their seemingly telepathic hearing made them ideal for the battleground.
The various movements of horses ears indicate messages to the rider. Whilst riding the Marwari, Kathiawari and Sindhi, the communication between horse and rider is enhanced through their sensitive hearing and ear movements.
To explore India by the indigenous horse breeds brings you deeper into the cultural myriad of wonder that is India.
Riding the Marwari Horse in India
Riding the Marwari horses in India is an experience unlike any other. It makes sense to discover India from the back of their native horses, gazing through the archway of their ears. India is such a colourful country to explore by horseback. A horse safari with Dundlod Safari’s takes you off the beaten track into the real, authentic parts of rural Rajasthan. My favourite routes with Dundlod Safari’s are the Alsisar Desert Trail and the Jaisalmer Marwari Trail.
As a rider, I can’t think of a better way to discover Rajasthan and India’s culture than through riding the indigenous Marwari horses.
You can pin this article to refer to later on pinterest in the images below.
