Onlykashmir.in News Desk
In a landmark achievement for Jammu and Kashmir’s scientific and agricultural community, scientists at the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir have secured official national recognition and registration of the Kashmir Pony as a new indigenous horse breed, granted by the ICAR-National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources in Karnal.
The recognition was formally accorded during the ICAR Breed Registration Committee’s 14th meeting held on August 7, with Jammu and Kashmir designated as the breed’s home tract. The Kashmir Pony has been assigned the official accession number INDIA_HORSE_0700_KASHMIRI_07009, cementing its status as a distinct and scientifically documented indigenous breed.
The milestone was achieved by a research team from SKUAST-K’s Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, led by Dr Syed Shanaz, Professor and Head of the Division of Animal Genetics and Breeding. She was supported in the research and documentation effort by Dr Muzamil Abdullah, Assistant Professor at MRCSG, along with MVSc scholars Dr Akeel Yousuf Wani, Dr Nazish Rizwan and Dr Khushboo Javaid.
The project also benefited from scientific collaboration and guidance from ICAR-NBAGR Karnal, particularly Dr A.K. Mishra, Principal Scientist and In-charge of the project, while officers of the Animal Husbandry Department provided crucial ground-level support that made the study’s fieldwork possible.
University officials described the recognition as a significant step forward in the scientific documentation, characterisation and conservation of Kashmir’s unique animal genetic heritage. Beyond the formal registration itself, the breed’s national recognition is expected to open new avenues for its systematic conservation, sustainable utilisation and exploration of its future livelihood potential for pony breeders and rural communities across the region.
The achievement adds to SKUAST-K’s growing body of research contributions in animal genetics and comes as a rare positive milestone for Kashmir’s indigenous livestock heritage, offering renewed hope for the long-term protection of a breed closely tied to the region’s cultural and pastoral history.
