The Government of India today recognises five breeds of horses indigenous to India?three of these are Himalayan ponies, while only two are full-sized horses [hyperlink]. Only the Marwari and the Kathiawari horses are present in sufficient numbers to be classed as breeds. This is a remarkable change from the days when the landscape of India was covered with centres of horse breeding and trade in horses was critical to the militaries of all Indian powers.
This change did not come overnight?at least from the 18th Century onwards the futility of charging cavalry against disciplined flintlock-wielding infantry had become apparent and was brilliantly illustrated in the classic Battle of Merta. Since they had little use in war, the demand for horses fell sharply and several local breeds veered towards extinction. As Lt. Colonel James Todd noted in 1832, ?The Rathor cavalry was the best in India. There were several horse-fairs…but the events of the last twenty years appear to have dried up every source of supply. The breeding studs…are almost extinct.?
Another problem was that few records were maintained (or have survived) about horse breeding and only passing remarks in other texts are guides to the state of horses in India. Thus the ancient Vedic texts state that the best horses are bred in the lands around the Saraswati River. Early medieval texts… indicate the change from the use of horses in chariots (ancient period), where the small local breeds were used [towards their use] as pure cavalry (medieval period), where tall and strong horses were preferred.
When the Rajput clans began resisting the Turk invaders, they found cavalry to be the most effective and practical means of making war. If the Turks retaliated in strength or managed to occupy or destroy the fort of the Rajput clan the latter would escape to remote regions with their cavalry and continue a harassing guerrilla war until the enemy was forced to withdraw. Thus the Rajputs developed a touching devotion to their horses. So important were these horses to the Rajputs that they prohibited other communities from owning these fine animals [to prevent their prices being driven up by additional demand].
After the Turk invasion there was a sudden spurt in this love and desire for horses among the local Rajputs?since few historical records have survived from that period we are indebted to the bards for the numerous anecdotes that describe this phenomenon…. Horses were being delivered to the ports of Gujarat by this time for the Turks..
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