Magnificent Indian horses steal the show – Marwari Horses from several Indian states exhibit their brilliance during Horse Show held in pune

Pune, April 2, 2022: For the past few decades, Indian horses, once the dominant force on the battlefield, have been confined to ceremonial rides or cart rides. But their identity is changing now. With good quality infrastructure and better training, Indian horses are gearing up to compete on various sports grounds as well as races.

To display the magnificent Indian horses, the Indigenous Horse Owners Association (IHOA) organized an exhibition of Indian Marwari horses between March 31 and April 1 at the Racecourse in Pune, where about 150 Marwari horses from across the country including Gujarat, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra participated.

The horses participated in six categories namely Milk Teeth Filly, Milk Teeth Colt, Two Teeth Filly, Two Teeth Colt, Mare and Stallion and the best horse in each category was honoured at the hands of dignitaries.

Murlidhar Mohol, Former Mare, Ajay Nensee, President, IHOA, Harsh Lunia, Vice President, IHOA and members of the association including Dheeraj Deshmukh, Ranjit Pawar, and Dhawalsingh Mohite Patil were present on this occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, Harsh Lunia, Vice President, IHOA said, “The Indian horses, which can thrive easily in any kind of geographical conditions such as mountain slopes, hot-rocky regions, grasslands, wetlands or cold climates and even during extreme temperatures had been largely neglected during the British rule. As a result, the horses were not competent enough due to lack of training, which is required for various races and sports competitions. But now the picture is changing. Many people across the country, especially the youth, have become increasingly aware of Indian horses. The price of this breed, which at one time was about Rs 50,000, has gone up by Rs 5 to Rs 7 Crore in the Indian market today. Attempts are also being made to equip these horses for various sports like hurdle race, jogging, flat racing, polo, tent making and dressage.”

Speaking on the contribution of Marwari horses to the Indian economy, he said, “The importance of Indian horses is not limited to cultural events and sports as they are also contributing to the country’s economy. The revival program of these horses is creating jobs in a number of ancillary industries such as fodder business, horse supplement business, metallurgists and veterinarians among others.”

Harsh Lunia also spoke about the challenges regarding the Marwari Horse Revival Program. “We need to build the necessary infrastructure for polo horses and racing horses. The World Horse Association has declared horses of Indian descent unfit for racing. However, we, the IHOA, have been working tirelessly for the last nine years towards the revival of the Marwari horses. In this regard, the first Marwari horse of Indian breed was raced in 2019 at the racecourse in Pune. In the future too, we will continue our efforts to nurture the talent of Marwari horses on the basis of public awareness and proper training,” he said.

The winner horses include

• Milk Teeth Filly-

1) Zarin (owner- Mansoor Khan)

2) Mannat (owner- Sumit Singh)

• Milk Teeth Colt

1) Rebel (owner- Atul Mane)

2) Dastaan (owner- Bhushan Devere)

• Two Teeth Filly

1) Mangala (owner- Aayush Gosrani)

2) Vibha (owner- Dhiraj Deshmukh)

• Two Teeth Colt

1) Blaze (owner- Indrajeet Warpodkar)

2) Shaanveer (owner- Siddharth Bhandari)

• Mare

1) Morni (owner- Vivek Bhatia)

2) Mohini (owner- Ilashiraje Mohite Patil)

• Stallion

1) Farjan (owner- Raj Saatpute) and Golden Rock (owner- Sunny Gill

2) Bhishm (owner- Viraj Tupe)