Kathiawari
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Names: Kathiawar or Kathiawari. Named for the place in India that it originated.
Origin: Some say the breed is descended from Alexander's Grecian horses, others that it originated with a ship-wrecked load of Arabians which swam ashore to mix with country-bred mares in the region.
Breeding: An ancient breed of horses native to the Kathiawar district of Pakistan. According to Ridgeway, these horses, or ponies, are a cross between the Arab and the dun-colored pony of Mongolia. This crossing has in some specifmens resulted in a reversion to the ancestral type, this being indicated by dark stripings on the legs, sometimes traces of shoulder stripes, and always by a narrow, dark mid-dorsal stripe. The ground color is usually dun, or slate-colored, although chestnut and brown occur.
Description: Stands 56-60 inches. The slender build of the Kathiawar horse is comparable to that of a small-sized Thoroughbred.
Ears: The trademark of this breed, they are so close-pricked that only a rupee can pass between.
Temperament: Intelligent and proud.
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Curiosities: There is a huge, gold-leaf covered equestrian statue in Jamnagar, the capital of Kathiawar. The rider is an imaginary likeness of Jam Shri Rawalji, founder of the capital, and Nawangar dynasty, in 1535. The horse is a replica of Uchaiswa, the Maharajah's favorite Kathiawari stallion of 400 years ago. This was possible because Ashwani Kumar acted as model--one of the long line of this illustrious family of Kathiawari stallions, each picked in turn for breeding for their exact similarity to the original.
Profiles: Ashwani Kumar - The Kathiawari stallion that posed for the statue of Jam Shri Rawalji in Jamnagar, Kathiawar. He spent two years in Paris, modeling in the sculptor's studio--his behavior so impeccable that it refuted the suggestion that Kathiawaris are of uncertain temper.
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