Legend has it that the Kathiayawari from Gujarat were descended from shipwrecked Arabians which managed to swim ashore in the fourteenth century. Deliberately bred with the native ponies, the breed is known for its stamina, endurance and easygoing temperment, and are highly prized. Sized between a horse and a pony, the ears are curved and touch at the tips, similar to the Marwari horse. These horses appear in black, chestnut, bay and any of the cream colors.

The Kathiawari was and still is used in the ancient sport of tentpegging, which may date back as far as Alexander's invasion into India in the 4th century BCE, though the game's origins are unclear. This competitive sport involves men mounted on horses who use a sword or lance to pick up and carry off a series of small targets on the ground.

The most accepted theory is that the game originated in India during the Middle Ages, begun as a training exercise for cavalrymen facing elephants, as a stab behind the most sensitive flesh behind an elephant's toenail would cause the animal to rear in pain, unseating his rider and, with any luck, stampede into his own ranks.

Another theory is that the game evolved from, or in practice for, pre-dawn attacks on enemy camps. The riders would swoop in and dislodge the tent pegs holding the shelters of the sleeping enemy, causing the collapse of the tents and in the ensuing confusion could defeat their foes, though there is no documented evidence of this save an incident during the Anglo-Zulu wars during the 19th century.

Today tent-pegging is a recognized equestrian sport around the world, though the competition is played out in an arena, rather than on the battlefield.


Sources:
Indigenous Horse Society of India
US Tent Pegging Association