A horse bred for courage and the desert
Rajput ballads are full of horses who carried their riders through impossible battles and came home alone to tell the family. Old men in Marwar still recite them. When a stable hand at Rohet talks softly to a young horse in the evening, checking every hoof, you are watching the end of a very long story.
The Rathores' horse: the Rathore Rajputs ruled Marwar from Jodhpur after Rao Jodha began Mehrangarh in 1459, and bred these horses for courage, stamina and loyalty.
- Noble stables: families of nobles across the kingdom kept horses for the Jodhpur cavalry, and the estate of Rohet was one of them.
- Polo and breeches: Jodhpur gave its name to the riding breeches that travelled the world with its polo players, and in the 1920s its polo team was among the most famous anywhere.
- The decline: after Independence the cavalry was gone, the estates were broken up and many fine horses were sold off or neglected. The breed came close to disappearing.
- The survivors: the Marwari survives thanks in good part to a handful of breeders in Marwar and Shekhawati who kept their bloodlines and worked to have the breed recognised.
- Today: breed standards are held by the Indigenous Horse Society of India. Our journal on Marwari horses tells the full story.
Getting to know the Marwari
The ears: they can rotate a long way and curve in until the tips meet. The Kathiawari of Gujarat, a close relative, shares them.
Built for the desert: hardy, with strong feet and the stamina to work in heat on sparse grazing.
- Origin
- Marwar, western Rajasthan
- Signature
- Inward-curving ears that can touch at the tips
- Close cousin
- The Kathiawari of Gujarat
- Temperament
- Spirited, loyal, sensitive
- Breed standards
- Indigenous Horse Society of India
- Gaits: some Marwaris have a smooth natural amble that horsemen prize on long rides. Ask your stable which horses have it.
- In Marwar life: at a Rajput wedding the groom rides to the bride's home on a decorated mare at the head of the baraat, the wedding procession.
- A source of pride: in the villages, a well-schooled horse that can step to the drum is admired. We don't book staged dancing-horse shows, though, because some training behind them is harsh.
- Ears up, ears back: the curved ears are expressive. Watch them, and your horse will tell you what it thinks of the path ahead.
Start in Jodhpur, with the horses on the walls
Mehrangarh at opening: the ramparts give the best view in Jodhpur before the day's crowds arrive.
The museum: palanquins, arms and paintings of Rathore rulers on horseback, at war, at the hunt and in procession.
- Look at the ears: the horses in the paintings curve their ears exactly like the ones you will ride next week.
- The blue city below: walk down through the old lanes with a guide in the late afternoon, as the houses turn violet.
- More in Jodhpur: see things to do in Jodhpur for the city's other mornings.
How good a rider do you need to be?
Never ridden
- What we arrange: a gentle introduction in the paddock, then a short walk out along a sand track, with a stable hand at the horse's head.
- Or simply: visit the horses at feeding time, groom one and hear the stable's stories.
Occasional rider
- What we arrange: morning rides of an hour or two from Rohet Garh or Mihir Garh, along field edges and through scrub where blackbuck graze.
- Between rides: village drives, cooking lessons and time by the pool.
Confident rider
What we arrange: longer rides, and multi-day safaris with mobile tented camps across western Rajasthan, avoiding tarmac roads entirely.
- What you need: comfort at walk, trot and canter across open country, control in a group, and fitness for several hours a day, several days running.
- The full journey: our Marwari horse safari journey gives ten nights with about five days in the saddle.
Non-riding partners
- Very welcome: they can follow the ride by jeep with a guide, meet you at lunch and at each camp, and spend mornings in the Bishnoi villages or with a potter.
Where we arrange rides
Rohet Garh, the family stable
Where: about 40 kilometres south of Jodhpur, under an hour by road. See Rohet.
- The family: granted the estate in 1622, horsemen to the Jodhpur rulers for generations. A namesake of the founder played polo for Jodhpur in the 1920s.
- The rides: short rides for every level and multi-day safaris with mobile camps for confident riders. Rohet Garh keeps one of the finest Marwari stables in the country.
Mihir Garh, the fort in the sand
- What it is: the Rohet family's newer fort-style hotel, standing alone among the sand and scrub.
- Why ride here: open country in every direction and a natural end point for a multi-day ride. Riding into Mihir Garh after days in camp is one of the best arrivals in Rajasthan.
Shekhawati and the Dundlod family
Who: a family whose name is closely tied to the revival of the Marwari breed, and who have long run riding safaris from their fort.
- The country: farmland, dunes and painted towns. See Shekhawati.
- Our check: we assess the stable before every season, as we do everywhere.
Godwar and the heritage hotels
- Where: the country between Jodhpur and Udaipur, of granite hills, leopards and old rawlas.
- Shorter rides: a few heritage hotels, including Rawla Narlai, keep Marwari horses for shorter rides. See Narlai.
The fairs, where horses are traded
Nagaur: the Nagaur Cattle Fair, in the month of Magh, usually January or February, brings camels, bullocks and Marwari horses to the grounds outside Nagaur.
- Pushkar: at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Kartik, curved-eared Marwaris are shown off at a gallop.
- Tilwara: the Mallinath fair near Barmer, in Chaitra, is a working market for horses and livestock. We confirm its dates each year.
A day in the saddle on safari
Dawn
- Before you mount: tea by the fire while the stable team saddles up and checks every horse.
- The morning ride: a few hours in the cool, mostly at a walk, with trots along field edges and canters across open ground when the footing is good.
Midday
- Rest in the shade: horses unsaddled, watered and fed under a khejri tree, lunch cooked over a fire.
- Sleep if you can: the heat of the day is for everyone to rest, horses included.
Late afternoon
- The second ride: out again as the heat eases, until the light goes gold, past village wells and grazing herds.
- Into camp: a tented camp already set up by the crew, with the horses watered, fed and checked before anyone thinks of dinner.
Night
- By the fire: good food cooked over coals and, in December and January, nights close to freezing.
- At dawn: a chorus of peacocks and grey partridges, and your horse waiting.
A morning ride from Rohet, for everyone else
Six thirty, the stable
- Meet your horse: the stable team matches you to a horse after watching how you sit and handle it on a short first walk.
- Tack check: stirrups adjusted, girth tightened, a helmet that fits.
Seven, out of the gate
- Through the village: past the well, the temple and the school, with people calling khamma ghani from their doorways.
- Into the scrub: sand tracks between fields, with peafowl scattering ahead.
Eight, the open country
- Blackbuck and chinkara: grazing near Bishnoi homes, often unbothered by a quiet horse.
- A canter, if you're ready: only where the footing is good and only if the guide is happy with your riding.
Nine, breakfast
- Back to the fort: breakfast on the terrace with the lake below and a hot paratha on your plate.
- Or out in the field: a picnic breakfast at a farm well, with bajra roti, white butter and jaggery straight from the fire.
How we check a stable
Condition: no ribs or hip bones showing, and horses alert and interested in what is going on.
Tack: girths and saddles fit each horse, with no rubs, sores or galls under them. Bits and nosebands are ordinary, never harsh.
- Condition
- Healthy weight, bright eyes, good coat
- Feet
- Trimmed, shod, never lame
- Tack
- Saddles that fit, gentle bits
- Riders
- Assessed before long rides, weight limits set
- Back-up
- Support vehicle with water, feed and first aid
- Workload: sensible riding hours for the heat, a long rest in the shade at midday, water at every stop and rest days built into the route.
- Who doesn't work: mares in foal, horses too young for work and elderly horses are not used for safaris.
- No shows: we don't book staged dancing-horse performances.
- If something worries us: we say so, and if it is not put right, we stop sending guests. Read our ethical animal encounters guide.
What you ride through
The Bishnoi villages: followers of Guru Jambheshwar, who founded the faith in 1485 and forbade cutting green trees and killing animals. Blackbuck, chinkara and nilgai graze in their fields.
Khejarli: in 1730, near Jodhpur, Amrita Devi and as many as 363 Bishnois died trying to stop soldiers cutting their khejri trees. See our page on the Bishnoi villages.
- Raika herders: red turbans, camels, sheep and goats moving across the land in search of grazing. Stop for tea and ask about their animals.
- Potters and weavers: village potters on hand-spun wheels and families weaving durries, flat rugs, in their courtyards.
- Birds: in winter, ducks, egrets and storks at village ponds, harriers over the fields, and larks, bee-eaters, rollers and peafowl in the scrub.
- At a walk: many animals let a quiet horse come far closer than a jeep. The blackbuck sometimes run beside you at a canter.
What you eat after the ride
The Rohet kitchen: the late Thakurani Sahiba Jayendra Kumari trained the fort's cooks herself and wrote cookbooks of Rajput and Marwari recipes, which are still cooked here.
Rajput dishes: laal maas, fiery with red Mathania chillies, and safed maas in cream and nuts.
- The vegetarian side: ker sangri, gatte and kadhi, with bajra rotis, white butter and jaggery.
- Camp food: cooked over a fire each night by the crew, simple and very good.
- A lesson: the family's cooking lessons continue in the fort kitchen. See our cooking class in a haveli page.
Polo, Jodhpur's other horse tradition
The history: in the 1920s the Jodhpur polo team was among the most famous in the world, and the city gave its name to the riding breeches its players made famous.
- Watching: in the season we can arrange for you to watch a match. Our page on polo and horses explains when and where.
- Playing: strong riders can ask for a lesson, or a private polo match arranged for your party.
- In Jaipur: the city has its own polo tradition and winter season. See the Jaipur polo season.
Riding manners in Marwar
Listen to the guide: on pace, on spacing and on where to cross a field. Their word is final.
Ride single file through villages: at a walk, and slow right down near children, goats and wells.
- Mind the crops: keep to field edges and tracks, never across sown ground.
- Thank the syce: the groom who prepares your horse each morning. Tip the stable team directly at the end of your stay.
- Photographs: ask before photographing villagers, especially women, and never from the saddle at close range.
- Your horse first: at every stop, water and shade for the horses before tea for the riders.
When to ride
November to February: warm, sunny days, cool mornings and clear light. Camp nights in December and January can fall close to freezing.
October and March: warmer, especially at midday, so riding hours are shorter to protect the horses.
- Best months
- November to February
- Shoulder
- October and March, shorter rides
- No long safaris
- April to June
- Monsoon
- July to September, muddy and uncertain
- Fairs
- Nagaur in Magh, Pushkar in Kartik
- April to June: fierce heat. Riding is limited to the first hours after dawn, and we don't run long safaris.
- The monsoon: green in patches, but tracks can be muddy and plans uncertain.
- Festivals: the Marwar Festival and the Rajasthan International Folk Festival fill Jodhpur with music in October, and Gangaur at Rohet Garh brings evenings of song in the zenana courtyard.
Before you go
Clothes: long trousers or breeches, closed shoes or boots with a small heel, gloves and a hat.
Helmet: bring your own if you have one. Otherwise we confirm with the stable that one fits you.
Half-chaps: worth packing for several days in the saddle.
- Tell the stable: about old injuries or a stiff back, so they can adjust stirrups, saddle and pace before the long days.
- Weight limits: stables set them to protect their horses. We discuss them with you before you book.
- Insurance: check that your travel insurance covers riding. See travel insurance for India.
- Sun and dust: sunscreen, lip balm, sunglasses and a scarf.
- A first short ride: always take it, even if you ride every week at home. It lets the stable match you to the right horse.
- Pack light: your luggage travels by vehicle between camps, but a small saddle bag for water, sunscreen and a camera is useful.
- Fitness: a few weeks of riding or cycling before you come makes the third day far more pleasant.
What most visitors miss
Evening grooming: stable hands talking softly to the young horses and checking every hoof.
The foals: in season, ask to see the youngsters in the paddock, all ears and legs.
- The well wheel: at a walk you hear it turning long before you see it.
- The herders' tea: a cup with a Raika family at their camp, horses tied in the shade.
- A second dawn: the first ride is about the horse. The second is about the country.
Who will love it, and who won't
Confident riders: who want to see a country from the saddle, enjoy early mornings and simple camps, and care about herders and farmers as much as palaces.
Mixed parties: one rides, one follows by jeep, and you meet at lunch. Our Village Rajasthan journey suits whole families.
- Beginners: a paddock lesson and a short walk out are a lovely morning, especially for children.
- Photographers: the light at dawn and dusk, horses against the dunes and village life seen from the saddle, at eye level with a herder on a camel.
- Not for: anyone who hasn't ridden for years and won't be honest about it, or who wants a pool and spa every night of a long ride.
- The alternative: if the desert draws you more than the horse, Under the Thar Sky takes you to Jaisalmer and the dunes.
How long to allow
From Jodhpur: Rohet is about 40 kilometres south, under an hour by road.
- Taster
- One morning ride from Rohet Garh
- Short stay
- Two nights, two morning rides
- Riding holiday
- Five nights between Rohet and Mihir Garh
- Full safari
- Ten nights, about five in the saddle
- Fly into
- Jodhpur Airport (JDH)
- Longer journeys: continue south to Narlai, the leopards of Jawai and the lakes of Udaipur, as in our Mewar and Marwar journey.
- How we quote: we don't publish prices. After one conversation about how you ride, we send a plan. Plan your journey when you're ready.
Where to stay
Jodhpur
RAAS Jodhpur: in the old city directly below Mehrangarh, with the floodlit fort above the pool at night.
- Umaid Bhawan Palace: built between 1929 and 1943 on its own hill, with some of the finest Art Deco rooms in Asia.
- Ajit Bhawan: a family-run palace with a warm, easy feel.
In the riding country
Rohet Garh: a lived-in country fort opened to guests in 1990, its courtyard pool framed by four chhatris. Bruce Chatwin worked on The Songlines here.
- Mihir Garh: spacious suites and a strong sense of the open desert.
- The camps: simple, comfortable tents set up ahead of you each day by the crew.