Sidharth Singh looks every inch the gentleman as he leans back in his chair on the verandah of his family home - Rohet Garh, a 400-year-old haveli just south of Jodhpur, India. With his Labrador at his feet, he tells how his family is descended from Rao Champa - the brother of Rao Jodha, who founded Jodhpur in the desert and built its magnificent fort in the 15th century.
His descendants were among the noble families of Marwar who lived in the jagir (fiefdom) of Alwar. At the time, the maharajas passed their titles to their eldest sons and divided the property among all the sons, but, in 1622, Singh's forebear, Dalpat Singh I, was given a new fiefdom, Rohet, for his bravery in battle.
'Dalpat Singh was said to have had more than 80 wounds on his body after a particularly fierce battle, but survived, so the Maharaja of Jodhpur, Jaswant Singh I, gave him the jagir of Rohet. My family has lived here ever since,' says Singh.
Singh's family has a long history with horses. His grandfather commanded the Jodhpur Lancers in the 1930s and excelled at polo. Thakur Dalpat Singh II was part of the team that defeated Patiala in 1922 in one of the most exciting matches in the sport's history. Legend has it the Patiala team set free their horses and burned their mallets after the defeat, never to play polo again.
The equine tradition continues to this day. Singh's father transformed Rohet Garh into a boutique hotel in 1990. The hotel arranges safaris on horseback through the surrounding lands riding Marwari horses, an elegant breed from the Thar Desert, known for their pointy ears and flighty temperament. Singh has spent the past decade breeding them.
'Every day I thank God that I am living here and can pursue my passion - horses, and especially Marwari horses,' says Singh. 'Marwari horses are beautiful, hot-blooded, sensitive and tough. They were traditionally used in the Indian cavalry and they have inherent stamina, but the breed is now on very thin ice.'