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Indian Half-bred

Country of origin	India
Traits
Distinguishing features	Lean and strong, with in-ward turning ear tips.
Equus ferus caballus

The Indian Half-bred is a horse breed type from the subcontinent of India. Not to be confused with the derogatory term Half-breed used to refer to people of mixed American Indian and Caucasian descent in the 19th and 20th centuries, nor the similarly named Indian Country Bred horse.

One of the common types of horses in India, it is known for being a tough and robust creature, and is well suited for the harsh deserts of India. It is a cross-breed between Thoroughbred stallions and local and imported mares of various types; breeds such as the Australian Waler horse and the Arabian horse. It is raised mainly by the Indian Army as a cavalry mount but is also used by the Indian Police Service, as a polo pony, and for recreational and competitive riding.

Characteristics

The Indian Half-bred is 15–16 hands (60–64 inches, 152–163 cm) high, with the breed average being about 15.2 hands (62 inches, 157 cm). Due to the original and continued mixing of breeds to produce and improve the Indian Half-Bred, all coat colors are accepted. The hindquarters are stocky and the shoulders slope into straight, comparatively delicate forelegs. They are bred to have solid backs and withers, and tough feet, as well as good bone and a hardy build. The neck and head tend to be plain and rugged, however in strains influenced by Arabs the general appearance is expected to be more refined. The overall appearance is much like a weedy Thoroughbred with a deeper chest and smaller eyes in proportion to their body.

Compared to their Thoroughbred relatives, the Indian Half-bred is much shorter and stockier in appearance. They require less food of lower quality to thrive, and are thus well suited to foraging in the environment around them when their feed rations are scarce. Their coats are thinner and much coarser compared to some other breeds from the region, and is often described as wiry. This has become a preferable trait as a dense silky coat is not an asset in the hot and often humid climate.

The temperament for the breed is generally calm and hardworking. They are primarily built for strength and stamina. All strains of the breed display great endurance and enthusiasm for work while performing various tasks that they have performed both historically and in modern times

Prince Serge Belosselsky on his Indian Half-bred pony Negress. 1902.

Breed history

In the 19th century the Indian cavalry used mainly Arab horses. Later, a significant number of Walers, at that time considered the best cavalry horses, were imported from Australia for use in war as part of the Indian Calvary. However the importation of these two breeds dropped off after the first world war and was then replaced by the English Thoroughbred, which was easily adapted to the Indian weather compared to "hot-blooded" breeds. In the twentieth century this Thoroughbred stock was used to sire half-bloods with indigenous breeds, such as the Marwari or Kathiawari, to create a sizable Calvary mount; therefore the first strands of the Indian Half-bred were a mix of all these breeds. One illustration of this was the Thoroughbred stallion Thomas Jefferson. Known to produce good stock, he was imported from Britain and stood both at the army stud of Babugarh and at the remount depot of Saharanpur, both in Uttar Pradesh. But at the Partition of India in 1947, India retained only four French and eight British Thoroughbreds.

The mares of this breed have often been local country-bred stock. Imported brood-mares have included Argentines, Bretons from France, and Malapolski & Masuren stock from Poland.

Uses

The modern day Indian Half-bred horse is now produced all over India, most consistently by the Indian Armed Forces at Saharanpur and Babugarh. The military is able to keep their stock well-fed, helping to maintain the strength of the breeding program. They do not break the horses in the military until they are four years old, at which point they begin a meticulously monitored nine month training program. The horses produced by the military are used primarily in mounted army units and Animal-powered transport, while some of the animals find homes in police and civilian capacities.

The Indian Half-bred is widely used by the police force in cities and even more often in rural communities. There are an increasing number of these horses being used in riding clubs and competitions, such as Polo and Pleasure riding. The Indian Half-bred horse continues to do well in hot climates that have little vegetation. While the existing inconsistencies in the physical characteristics of the breed have resulted in a wide range of specimens and even some subspecies, Indian half-bred horses continue to be refined for a variety of competitive and functional purposes both in India and abroad. Some of the other countries still breeding Indian Half-bred horses are in the Arab Gulf, such as the United Arab Emirates.

Similar breeds

The Indian Half-Bred Horse is related to The Marwari horse, the Kathiawari horse, and the Sindhi horse breeds, all of which are native to India. These breeds are small, lean, and have been developed to handle India’s harsh climate. They can travel long distances across deserts. The Kathiawari & Marwari horse were originally bred for war purposes, but are now employed by police in India. The Kathiawari and Marwari horse also share characteristics of the Arabian Horse, from which both breeds are descended. The Indian Half-Bred horse shares traits of these native Indian horses, as well as the Australian Waler horse and the Thoroughbred.

References

Category:Horse breeds Category:Horse breeds originating in India