General:

KATHIAWARI

Country of origin: India

As per the evidence on hand ‘Kathiawari’ horse predates all the indigenous breeds of horses in India. In the official document, Bombay Gazetteer of ‘Kathiawar’ of 1880 the British have described this breed in detail. But, the origin of the ‘Kathiawari’ Horse is tilled not known and obscure as the marshal clan Kathi’s themselves who bred these horses. In the above official document more than a centaury and two decades ago they have described this breed of horse as teachable, honest, free from vice, full of spirit hardy, sure footed, nimble, long lasting and decidedly good looking.  

a) Head: Small and Concave or Dished profile.

b) Eye: Large (toad like) set on the sides of a broad forehead.

c) Forehead: Broad forehead.

d) Ears: Very small line narrow and of the shape of sting of a scorpion and when cocked or pricked the tips of the ears touch or nearly touched also rotates 360’.

e) Neck, Shoulders & Withers:
1. Neck - Crested and Stout
2. Shoulder - Well Slopping
3. Withers - Prominent

f) Back & Body:
1. Back – Short
2. Body – Short coupled

g) Quarter & Tail:
1. Quarter – Strong & well developed almost square.
2. Tail – Set high

h) Fore legs: Fore arms long.

i) Hind legs: Hocks well laid down

j) Feet/Hoof & Sole:
1. Feet- Wall, very dense
2. Hoof- Round & sufficient large
3. Sole- Concave, hard & many animals has double sole with healthy frog.

k) Coat, Hair, Skin, Mane & Tail: 1.Coat- Shining & very refined. 2. Hair- Fine 3. Skin- Smooth 4. Mane & Tail – Long but not very bushy.

l) Color & Markings:
1.Color – Gray of all types (iron gray, dappled grey, flea beaten gray etc.)
Dun with dorsal band or eel mark from wither to tail having sometimes zebra markings on the fore legs.
Dun is the very prominent color in KATHIAWARI horse, there is also Yellow Dun and Blue Dun, Chestnut, Bay and Skew balled found in KATHIAWARI horses.
Black is the color not found in KATHIAWARI horses. In fact, all the color of KATHIAWARI breed horses is very through Dun.

m) Height: 13 ½ h.h. to 14 ½ h.h. Odd animal may go up to 15 h.h. Short boned animal, smaller in height than Marwari breed horses. ‘Kathi’ or ‘Kathiawari’ is the only indigenous breed of horse in India whose, Physical Parameter is fixed.

The 22 points of Kathiawari or Kathi breed of horses are as under:

1. Broad limbs or part of body: (i) feet (ii) chest (iii) forehead (iv) hind quarters

2. Narrow / fine: (i) mouth (ii) hair (iii)sheen (iv) tail (long & fine but not bushy)

3. Long: (i) fore arm, (ii) neck (sufficiently long and crested from breeds standard but not too long.) (iii) fore lock (iv) tail

4. Curved: (i) ears (ii) neck (crested) (iii) back (saddle back), (iv) profile (concave or dished)

5. Short: (i) pastern (ii) muzzle (iii) ears, (iv) back

6. (i) Good height from breed standard i.e.14.2 h.h. and (ii) Good condition

By RAJESH JADEJA
(General Secretary of KATHIAWARI HORSE SOCIETY OF INDIA)