The pride of the cavalry of the Maratha Army in the 17th and 18th centuries, Bhimthadi horses to get the status of an independent breed.
Ranjeet Pawar, founder, All India Bhimthadi Horse Association, in a joint announcement with Sharad Mehta, head, regional station, National Research Centre of Equines, Bikaner, Rajasthan at Deccan Gymkhana on Tuesday, said that authorities will soon issue a gazette notification officially recognising the indigenous breed.
According to Pawar, Bhimthadi breed of horses originated on the banks of Bhima River in Maharashtra and “thadi” means a riverbank. The breed is found on the plateau of Deccan, including some parts of Pune, Satara, Solapur, Ahmednagar, Sangli and Kolhapur districts.
The breed was part of the cavalry of the Maratha Army in its fight against the Mughals
“As this indigenous breed was not officially recognised in India, with the support of the Agricultural Development Trust (ADT) at Baramati, a team was formed in association with the National Research Centre for Equines, Bikaner to fulfil the administrative and scientific requirements for its inclusion in the national list. A delegation of scientists led by Dr Sharad Mehta visited Baramati and surrounding areas where they interacted with farmers and horse keepers to understand the hardiness and utility of the breed,” Pawar said.
According to Mehta, blood samples of over 1,000 Bhimthadi horses were tested at the National Research Centre on Equines, Bikaner while DNA testing of over 500 samples was done to ensure that the animal does not share its DNA with any of the established breeds in India.
“The process took about three years. Of the 66 applications received for getting the recognition, eight have been approved by the committee and Bhimthadi horse is one of them. The gazette notification is expected in a month’s time,” Mehta said.
“As per the government records, the current population of Bhimthadi horses in India is 5,134,” he said.
Pawar plans to introduce Bhimthadi horses in sports like endurance and polo after getting the official stamp. Breed shows and educational workshops would also be conducted through the state to retain the breed characteristics and to improve the breeding practices of the animal.
source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)