Photographer Sylvia Furrer & Holger Hoffmann are the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributors of this documentary photography. From the project ‘Rajasthan’s Dancing Marwari Horses’. To see Sylvia & Holger ’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Rajasthan’s Dancing Marwari Horses

Sylvia Furrer and Holger Hoffmann (text and photos) attended the “dance competition” of Rajasthan’s most beautiful Marwari horses at the Nagaur Cattle Fair. Their passion for this rare breed was sparked during a visit to the Raj of Wakaner.

Like so many nobles in Rajasthan or Gujarat, the Raj of Wakaner has to rent rooms to tourists in order to maintain his estate. He personally guides us through the stately rooms, ending with a visit to the stables, he proudly shows us. The Marwari horses immediately captivate us: there are white, brown, gray, and attractive piebalds, which look very elegant with their long legs and fine, silky coats. But the most striking feature is their ears! The ears! It’s incredible how they curve toward each other and the tips touch to form a heart shape. They are typical of Marwari horses, the Raj explains. The ears can be turned up to 180° and give the horses exceptional hearing.

Over tea served in heavy silver, the Raj explains the origins of the Marwari breed, which is only bred in Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Punjab and takes its name from the kingdom of Marwar, once ruled by the Maharaja of Jodhpur. The fate of the Marwari horses is closely linked to that of the Rajputs, the former warrior caste. These frugal desert horses can cover long distances and are extremely sure-footed even in the most difficult terrain. Thanks to their strength, endurance, and agility, they proved particularly well suited to the battlefield. Marwari horses were trained to be extremely responsive and to master complex riding maneuvers. This allows them to prance on the spot or rear up on their hind legs at lightning speed to bring their rider eye to eye with the enemy in battle against the mighty elephants. To illustrate this, the Raj shows us a picture of a painting that is now in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.

The encounter took place several years ago. Since then, we have learned that the Raj of Wakaner is not the only one committed to the survival of this breed, which was severely decimated during and after the colonial era. Raghuvendra Singh Dundlod, a nobleman in Rajasthan, and his American wife Francesca Kelly founded the Indigenous Horse Society of India in 1999. Thanks to their initiative, the population has risen again to around 5,000 animals, the breed is now known outside India, and breeding stallions fetch top prices of up to two million US dollars.

Our next encounter with Marwari horses was at the Pushkar Camel Fair, where they attracted little attention alongside the huge number of camels. The situation is quite different at the Nagaur Cattle Fair. Although there are a similar number of camels here, there are hardly any tourists. The Marwari horses are presented in a separate area, larger than a football stadium, often in tents to protect them from the relentless sun, even in February. A beautiful stallion with brown and white spots catches our eye. The owner, a breeder from Jodpur, is very pleased. He is in Nagaur to show off his breeding successes, but he does not want to sell. At the stand next door, three dealers from Punjab are examining two foals. A few meters away, a little girl in a princess dress is being placed on a black horse. The whole family pulls out their cell phones and taking pictures. Other visitors are already lining up to have their picture taken next to the horse, bridle in hand. When we ask what the horse is all about, we are told that this stallion is worth about half a million dollars. Just around the corner is a white mare with her foal. Although they don’t fetch top prices, white Marwaris are clearly in the majority. One reason might be the wedding ritual in Rajasthan: if you want to get married—whether you’re a man or a woman—you ride a white Marwari horse to your in-laws’ house, accompanied by music and family members.

Marwari horses are often made to dance at weddings and other celebrations. Whether a horse can dance is therefore an important selling point. The talent for this is innate, but it requires intensive training, an Indian form of “Haute École.” Their “dance” includes movements that they successfully deployed on the battlefield in earlier times and is comparable to the dressage performances of the Lipizzaner horses at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, which also trace their origins back to the combat maneuvers of earlier centuries.

One of the highlights of the Nagaur Cattle Fair is therefore the “dance competition.” More than a dozen horses take part. The spectators crowd around the marked circle, while the jury sits elevated on a gallery. The two dhol drums set in, muffled and rhythmically urgent. Instantly, the Marwari horse’s body tenses like a bow. The ears turn toward the drum, the horse lifts its first front leg and then, in sync with the drumbeat, the other. The dance begins: first it prances on the spot, swinging its head from side to side. The golden bells on its fetlocks respond with a bright sound to the deep rumble of the dhol drum. The movements resemble a piaffe from classical dressage. The handler, standing right next to the horse, gives barely perceptible signals with the bridle. The horse does not seem to be obeying, but rather responding: a subtle sideways step, then a change, then a forward movement in tight, elegant circles. Each leg is lifted precisely and with verve – the effect is very theatrical.

The rhythm of the drum intensifies. Now the horse moves in a sophisticated sequence of sideways movements, shoulder turns, and tight spins. Then it crosses its front legs, “pushing” itself sideways in a dancing motion, almost like a flamenco dance. As the horse rears up to a levade during the crescendo of the drums, the spectators around the performance area raise their cell phones in the air. As if out of nowhere, it rises onto its hind legs, rears up, pauses for a moment as if looking into the eyes of its invisible opponent, and then lands elegantly again. After a final pirouette, the five-minute performance ends with an abrupt stop, followed by a stamp of the feet. The audience responds with enthusiastic applause.

Artist's Statement

Swiss travel and documentary photographer Holger Hoffmann and travel writer Sylvia Furrer have visited over 110 countries. 

They are fascinated by the customs and daily life of the people who have preserved their culture. 

Holger and Sylvia are deeply impressed by how they cope and adapt to the advances and pressures of the modern world. 

They have published travel and photo reports in various magazines.

All images and text © Sylvia Furrer & Holger Hoffmann