The Marwari horse was first bred as a battle horse for the Royal families of India. As a warrior horse there were very select individuals that were allowed to ride or own a Marwari horse and those were the Rajput families and the Kshatriyas, which were the warrior caste. The Marwari horse was very honored and revered by Royalty and by the Kshatriyas and were literally treated as honored animals.
With the occupation of India by the British and the change in the societal structure, there was a great deal of change in the country. One part of the changes included the decreasing number of the Marwari horses. The Rajput families and other horse breeders and researches recognized the importance of the breed and were able to preserve a small number of pure breeding stock, which later went on to become the foundation stock for the redevelopment of the breed. No longer just a horse for Royalty, the Marwari is enjoying a good comeback in various breeding farms in Rajasthan, India as well as a small breeding program in Massachusetts in the United States.
Currently the Marwari horse in India is used as a sports horse for traditional races as well as horse fairs and games that are held on an annual basis. At these games and events, where the horses are shown and sold, riders and horses alike compete to show their skills. General horsemanship and communication between the horse and rider is very important as the breed is considered to have an exceptional level of intelligence and willingness to work with and for the rider. Polo is also a popular sport at which the smaller Marwari horses excel and it is featured at many horse shows and events throughout the country. Cross country type races or western style endurance races are popular activities for owners of the Marwari horse's to compete in with either formal or informal rules and competitions.
Perhaps the most famous use of the modern Marwari horse is in the famous Dances with Horses. These highly trained horses actually perform in a carefully choreographed dance that depicts some aspect of Indian culture or history. Riders are sometimes mounted on the horses or sometimes dance around the horses. Often these dances are performed at night and involve the horses working with elaborate lighting, sometimes even fire, and highly decorative tack. Human performers wear elaborate costumes and have to have a very high level of skill to perform. These dances are usually only performed at very selective and specialized events, but often in royal weddings or weddings of dignitary the dances with horses is a form of evening entertainment.
In the Dances with Horses the Marwari horses are just as popular as the actors, with guests and dignitaries visiting the horses after the presentations and having their pictures taken. It may take a horse years of training in dressage like training, known as haute ecole, to be able to perform in one of the prestigious dances.
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