From the first recorded horse racing in Madras in 1780 to the international glossies awash with photographs of the young successors of erstwhile royals with their equine companions, horses have long been associated with status and prestige in India.
During British rule, the number of horses and horsemen rose and Calcutta, the colonial capital, served as the headquarters of racing before the Bombay racing scene exploded. By 1862, India had around 100 racecourses.
The National Horse Breeding and Show Society of India’s first volume of the Indian Stud Book (1927) listed the following as India’s horse repertoire: English Thoroughbreds, Australian Thoroughbreds, Trotters, Marwari, Kathiawaris, Desert Arabians, and half-breeds. The list misses out on Zanskari, a native breed of Leh-Ladakh well adapted to high-altitude life. They are rugged and able to deal with extremely cold climates, similar to the Tibetan breeds.
Today, India has more than 3,000 Thoroughbred mares that breed close to 2000 foals annually. In comparison, the 20th Livestock Population Census 2012 pegged the total number of the Zanskari breed at 6660. Due to big money in horse racing— about 4,000 active racehorses compete in nearly 3,000 races for a total of $24 million in prizes—the non-racing breeds in India receive stepmotherly treatment. While breeding and rearing Thoroughbreds in India is challenging, people are willing to invest heavily with their eyes set on the prize money in sports and shows.
In India, land is a precious resource and as a result, alfalfa feed has almost replaced pasture grazing. But in recent times even that supply has dropped as agricultural land is succumbing to urbanisation. Native grass hay is more readily available but it is low in nutrients.
While resilient, the Zanskari breed is not immune to these changes. While there were about 15,000–20,000 Zanskari horses in 1977, only a few hundred pure-bred Zanskari horses are left today. Cross-breeding with other horses has also impacted their numbers. The Zanskari horse has been designated an endangered category.
ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Hisar recognises the need to conserve this breed. Their efforts have now borne fruit in the form of a Zanskari horse foal using Embryo transfer technology.
Scientists at the Equine Production Campus, Regional Station of ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines, Bikaner produced a viable embryo which developed into a pretty foal called Raj Zanskar. Fresh semen from a Zanskari stud was used for artificial insemination. A surrogate mare delivered Raj on 23 April 2024.
Dr TR Talluri leads a team in Bikaner which has, earlier, successfully vitrified 18 Marwari horse embryos and three Zanskari horse embryos.
