Akhal-Teke horse description. Akhal-Teke horse

“When nature created

In some inspired moment

Snakes, cheetah and eagle

Single alloy -

Then there was

Tekinets, you!

Whose gaze is deep

As if he remembers Mithridates.

Whose neck is a quivering stream

Living silver and gold.

Whose step is even, slightly ringing

Stones of ancient decoration ...

My kingdom for a horse! ...

But where are those worthy of the kingdom? "

(Irina Khienkina, hereditary veterinarian and hippologist)

Tekinets, argamak are just a few of the common names of the representative of the thoroughbred Akhal-Teke horse breed. And what epithets do their fans award these horses - "golden horse", "heavenly argamak". There are so many legends about no other horse breed. And this is not surprising. After all, the Akhal-Teke horse breed is the oldest in the world, it is at least five thousand years old. Among the purebred breeds of horses, the Akhal-Teke rightfully takes the first place, because the other two purebred breeds - the Arabian and the thoroughbred horse - were bred with the participation of Akhal-Teke... What are they, these "heavenly" horses?

How different are the breeds of dogs! You will never confuse a St. Bernard and a dachshund, even without being a dog handler. Distinguish between cats - say, Siamese and Persian.

Not so in hippology. Some breeds and specialists do not always differentiate. Except for one. Her name is Akhal-Teke. The exterior of the Akhal-Teke is so unique and so different from the exterior of most riding horses that once you see a typical representative of this breed, you will no longer confuse it with any other.

What are the features of the Akhal-Teke's exterior? First, they are unusually beautiful, sophisticated and graceful. We can say that this is a horse in the Art Nouveau style, its lines are reminiscent of the Silver Age so beloved by the representatives of this style.

The silhouette of the Akhal-Teke horse is rosary, complete, elegant. Everything in him is extraordinary: a refined dry and light head, long and thin ears, beautiful and expressive elongated eyes, an unnaturally long, thin and flexible neck, delicate thin skin through which the relief of blood vessels appears, short satin hair. Thanks to the well-defined withers, the longish back of the Tekinets looks slightly inclined forward. The legs of the Akhal-Teke are long and excellently strong with "perfectly beaten off", as the horsemen say, that is, with prominent tendons. The tail and mane are thin and sparse; it happens that the bangs and mane are almost completely absent.

The colors of these horses are also unusual. Such a variety is not found in any other breed of the world. All the colors that people have named and described in the domestic horse over thousands of years of breeding are found among the Akhal-Teke horses. And for many colors, names have not been invented! Black, bay, red, gray are found among representatives of other breeds. Akhal-Teke residents are distinguished only by the extraordinary metallic shine of the "shirt". But now you rarely see dun, salty, playful among horses of non-Teke origin. I'm not even talking about the rarest isabella color - these are horses of various shades of pink with blue eyes. Turkmens often give nicknames to their Akhal-Teke horses containing the name of the suit. For example: - black bird, Melekush - dun bird, Dorsekil - chestnut with a blaze, Kirsakar - gray with a bald head.

And here is another characteristic feature of the Tekinets noted by the zootechnician K.I. Gorelov, a famous researcher of this breed:

“The neck of the Akhal-Teke horse is set high, and the head is set to the neck at such an acute angle that no other breed has. The Tekin horse carries its head at an angle not less than 45 degrees to the horizon, and often more vertically; and yet, thanks to the long neck and small head, the horizontal line drawn at the level of the horse's lips often goes above the highest point of the withers ... "

Anyone who has ever seen an Akhal-Teke can not help but admire its beauty and grace. And after talking with a well-mannered Tekin from a respectable family, you will become his convinced fan. That is, if you are not a horseman. Equestrian athletes, as well as zootechnicians, hippodrome workers, horse veterinarians, often have a wary attitude towards these horses. Why? In order to understand this, one will have to start from the distant, distant past.

The origin of the Akhal-Teke horse is lost in the mists of time, and even millennia. Today, no one can reliably explain where these divine horses came from. There is even a version that they are of alien origin. Their history goes back more than three thousand years. Portraits of horses, in detail repeating the characteristic appearance of the "heavenly argamak" (even strict hippologists call the Akhal-Teke so poetically) can be seen both on the walls of ancient Egyptian temples and on Scythian gold vases. Many researchers believe that the famous horse of Alexander the Great, Bucephalus, was an Akhal-Teke horse. The ancient authors left us surprisingly accurate descriptions of these horses. One of them was the well-known Herodotus:

"There is an endless plain in Media, on which majestic horses are found."

His Roman colleague, who lived after the birth of Christ, but also for a very long time, Appian seems to continue the quote:

“These are horses worthy of powerful kings, beautiful in appearance, easily protruding under the rider, easily obeying the bit. They carry their proud, hunched-nosed head high, and their golden manes soar with glory in the air.

“The endless plain in Media” is still there. This is the territory of modern Turkmenistan. There you can still see the ruins of Nisa - the ancient capital of the Parthian kingdom. Not far from them (you can ride on horseback) is the breeding center of the Akhal-Teke breed - the stud farm named after Niyazov, in Soviet times called "Komsomol".

The modern name of the Akhal-Teke breed was formed in the 19th century by the name of the oasis "Akhal" and the warlike tribe "Teke" who lived there, which has kept this breed pure to this day. In fact, the whole of Turkmenistan is engaged in horse breeding. There, a horse is a national symbol, and even on the coat of arms there is a silhouette of a horse. This is a very specific horse, a wonderful stallion Yanardag, who became the 1999 world champion among Akhal-Teke horses and belongs to the first president of Turkmenistan, Saparmurat Niyazov.

Now we already know that the history of the Tekinets is very long. During this time, anything happened to him. But one thing was unchanged - it was a breed of war horses, the glory of which resounded throughout Eurasia, right up to the Celestial Empire. They were literally worth their weight in gold. Chinese emperors equipped military expeditions for them if they could not buy them.

What qualities did the warriors of antiquity appreciate in the Akhal-Teke?

First, agility. Now there are more frisky breeds of horses, but in those days a horse capable of overtaking a falcon - and this is exactly the Akhal-Teke horse - of course, was of great value.

Secondly, rider-friendly gaits. They are very elastic - a springy step, a soft flat trot, a powerful gallop, and in those days when they rode without saddles (even when the saddle was invented, it was not immediately guessed to attach stirrups to it), the convenience of gaits was not the last thing.

Thirdly, extraordinary endurance, comparable only to the endurance of a camel. The trained argamak was able for several days, with minimal feeding and lack of water, to carry away its owner from the pursuit. However, why was it "capable"? Modern argamaks in the thousands of kilometers across the desert prove even today that they have not lost this quality. These horses can gallop for several hours, only occasionally changing to trot or stride. Such races are still held in Turkmenistan.

Fourth, a wonderful affection for the owner, developed over the centuries. These are truly loyal horses, loyal to their own and distrustful of strangers. Akhal-Teke is a horse of one owner, a quality that is not so common in today's horses, which one person is engaged in, another rides, and often a third one owns. Therefore, what was the dignity of a war horse is becoming a disadvantage in the modern stable.

There is one more quality valued by warriors in the old days, but inconvenient for a horseman of our days. In the character of modern horses, unquestioning obedience is welcomed, while the argamak is able to make decisions for himself, thinking for the rider. In ancient times, this could save the lives of both - after all, a horse has a much finer hearing and sense of smell than a person, and sometimes it foresees natural disasters, for example, earthquakes. They say that before the Ashgabat earthquake, the horses at the hippodrome were very worried.

All of the above advantages in the modern equestrian world become, at least, useless, and often turn into disadvantages. Modern horsemen have an opinion about Akhal-Teke horses as uncontrollable, easily excitable, capricious, angry and often even dangerous. Therefore, athletes do not often choose their partners among the representatives of the Akhal-Teke breed.

But if the Akhal-Teke horse falls into good confident hands ...

Absinthe under the saddle of Sergei Filatov

Do you know that it was the Akhal-Teke horse that brought the first victory at the Olympics to the Soviet equestrians? It happened in 1960 in Rome. Black handsome Absinthe under the saddle of the great horseman Sergei Filatov shocked the imagination of both the judges and the audience. Documentary footage of this performance has survived, and today it is breathtaking with delight, although more than half a century has passed since then and the art of dressage has gone far ahead. It was in dressage - a kind of figure skating on a horse - that Absinthe specialized. He also took first places in the next Olympics, and his achievements have not been surpassed by anyone until now. It is called the best sports horse of the century abroad, although it is credited with a different, not Akhal-Teke origin.

Absinthe, 1960 Olympic champion in dressage

Yes, everyone knows Absinthe. But his father, Arab - alas. And the history of this horse is so peculiar and unusual that it is just right to write a novel about it.

The Gray Arab was born in 1930 in one of the Turkmen collective farms, his father was a horse known in those years. At the age of five, the Arab (before that he himself often won the races) became a participant in the legendary Ashgabat-Moscow race, when Turkmen horsemen on horseback covered more than 4300 km in 84 days, and the day's march reached 120 km! The Arab was presented to Stalin, placed in one of the Moscow arenas and became an athlete, performing in various disciplines. The Arab achieved particular success in overcoming obstacles, was repeatedly a champion, and at the age of sixteen (for a horse this is not youth) he set a record for high jumping, overcoming an obstacle of 2 meters 19 centimeters! Subsequently, the Arab was sent to the Lugovskoy stud farm (this is in Kazakhstan), where he became the father of Absinthe.

Akhal-Teke stallion Arab, father of Absinthe

Now is the time to talk about the history of the Akhal-Teke breed in Russia. From historical documents you can learn that from time immemorial "Russians loved Argamaks immensely." The highest prices were paid for such horses, at the royal stables they were forged on silver horseshoes. There is evidence that Lisette herself, the favorite horse of Peter the Great, was precisely of Teke origin, in any case, her exterior, captured on an old engraving, suggests that this is so. Take a look at the portrait of Lisette: the favorite of Peter the Great holds her beautiful head so high that the line of her lips is above the level of the withers. Isn't it a characteristic detail noted by K.I. Gorelov, is it visible in this engraving?

The excellent qualities of the oldest horses in the world were also noted abroad. Modern hippologists believe that there is no horse breed in the world that does not have Tekin blood in its veins. With the participation of the Tekins, the famous Arab, and the world's fastest purebred English, and the Trakehner breed, beloved by athletes, have been created. As for the Russian horse breeding, they did not do without the argamak when breeding both the famous and the Don Cossack breed, and the parade Russian horse, and now practically lost Karabakh breed. According to Professor V. Witt, the Akhal-Teke breed

"Represents a gene pool of incomparable value ..., the last drops of that source of pure blood, which created all the horse breeding of the world."

This is what these horses are like, this is their wonderful story.

What about today? Currently, the number of purebred Tekins without admixtures of other breeds in the world does not exceed three thousand heads. Wild animals with such a number are listed in the Red Book. But it is good that there are people among the horsemen who are concerned about the preservation of this priceless breed. In our country, thanks to the efforts of the All-Russian Institute of Horse Breeding (it is located not far from Ryazan), strict records of these horses are kept, herd books and annual information on the breed are published. There is the International Association of Akhal-Teke Horse Breeding (IAAK), which includes many horsemen, scientists and cultural figures, even prominent politicians. The Association holds wonderful holidays, the so-called Akhal-Teke Meetings. These meetings bring together amateurs of Akhal-Teke horses not only from Russia, but also from other countries, including Germany, Italy, Sweden, France, and the USA. Wonderful equestrian festivals, in which only horses of Akhal-Teke origin participate, attract many spectators. And once they see the "heavenly horses", people become their ardent admirers for life. So the "regiment of tekinists" is growing from year to year.

Despite their small number, Akhal-Teke horses are very popular with foreign buyers, second only in price to Arab horses. In many countries of Western Europe, the USA and Canada there are associations of Akhal-Teke horse lovers, and the breeding stock, although small and inferior in quality to those in the CIS countries, already represents a good start for the future.

The Akhal-Teke horse is one of the oldest purebred riding horse breeds. More than five thousand years ago, it was bred by representatives of the peoples living in the territory of modern Turkmenistan, and played a significant role in the formation of such elite riding breeds as the English racehorse, Don, Trakehner and a number of others. A thoroughbred Akhal-Teke horse is considered such because for thousands of years Akhal-Teke horses did not mix with representatives of other breeds, there were no admixtures of other bloods.

History of the breed

Horses of the Akhal-Teke breed, with a spectacular appearance, the highest endurance, excellent speed characteristics and adaptability to various climatic conditions, were highly appreciated and used in their military campaigns by such famous military leaders of antiquity as Genghis Khan, the Persian king Darius and others. Many historians, based on detailed descriptions left by ancient authors, believe that the famous horse of Alexander the Great (Macedonian) - Bucephalus was an Akhal-Teke breed.

The famous Italian traveler Marco Polo also wrote in his travel notes about the Akhal-Teke horses as beautiful and very expensive. By the 17th century, when the sea route to India was mastered, the importance of the Great Silk Road and the number of trade caravans that followed them greatly decreased. Sales, including of Akhal-Teke horses, have declined significantly, which has led to less popularity and, to a certain extent, to oblivion.

Why was it called that?

"Paradise horse", "Heavenly argamak", "Golden horse of Parthia" was the name of the Akhal-Teke horse in ancient times. However, researchers involved in the historical genealogy of this breed found that its name had previously changed depending on belonging to a particular tribe. Initially it was called Massagetan, then it became Parthian. Later it was called Turkmen, after - Nisei. Before becoming Akhal-Teke, the breed was called Persian. Only by the end of the 18th century horse breeders began to call it akhal-teke. Where "akhal" means the name of the oasis, and "teke" is the name of the Teke tribe that controlled and lived in it.

Breed formation conditions

Most of the peoples living in the desert regions had a need for a hardy, quick-witted, strong and courageous horse, which practically became a member of a family, on which a lot, including life, often depended. The horses were hand-fed, groomed and cared for, and cleaned with sand. Tekintsy loved horse racing, therefore, high-spirited representatives of the breed, showing good speed results, were highly valued. Long existence in a harsh continental climate has led to the fact that the Akhal-Teke horse easily tolerates significant temperature fluctuations - from +50 0 С to -30 0 С and quickly adapts to various conditions.

Akhal-Teke people in Russia

Representatives of this breed, according to historical documents, were highly valued in Russia and were called argamaks, emphasizing their eastern origin. For such horses, Russian rulers and nobles laid out huge sums, and in the tsar's stables they were shod with silver horseshoes. A number of historians and hippologists, based on ancient documents and engravings, argue that the favorite of Peter I, the mare Lizzet, is the Akhal-Teke horse.

In Soviet times, this breed was actively bred in Tajikistan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, where breeders worked to improve the appearance and increase the growth of horses. Today, according to experts, the best Akhal-Teke livestock is located in Russia. They are bred in the Moscow region, Stavropol Territory, Kalmykia, the North Caucasus and Dagestan.

general description

Long lines are a unique feature of this breed. So, the oblique body length of such horses ranges from 160 to 165, and the chest girth is in the range of 170 - 190 cm.

"Face" of the breed

The Akhal-Teke have a unique head shape with a straight profile, although there are also hump-nosed individuals: the front part is thinned and elongated, the back of the head is well developed, and the forehead protrudes slightly. The deep-set, large and expressive eyes of the animal are slanted and elongated - the so-called eastern (Asian) form.

The front part is distinguished by elongated and thin lines. The ears are set wide apart, thin and pointed. The neck is thin, flexible and long.

Possible colors

The Akhal-Teke breed is also famous for its variety of colors. Hippologists say that all the colors described by man over the thousand-year history of horse breeding are found among Akhal-Teke horses. The most common: bay, dun, black and red colors and their various shades. The playful, nightingale and gray are rarely found, but the rarest is the Akhal-Teke horse of the Isabella suit, in which the animal's skin is painted in various shades of pink, and the eyes are greenish or blue.

The name of this suit, according to legend, came about thanks to the Spanish queen Isabella, who vowed for some reason to always wear a shirt of the same color. Horses painted the same color as the wardrobe item of this crowned person began to be called Isabella. Formally, the skin of these animals is described as red, but it looks exactly like pink. Isabella or cream Akhal-Teke horse in America even has a special name - "cremello". Another distinguishing feature of this breed is the silvery or golden shine of the hairline, the so-called shirt, inherited from the ancient Bactrian and Parthian ancestors.

Character

According to experts, Akhal-Teke horses are smart horses with a fine mental structure and a developed sense of their own dignity. Representatives of this breed are more sensitive than others to a cold and inattentive attitude towards themselves on the part of a person, but they do not demonstrate their feelings. Many hippologists talk about the "dog's" affection and devotion of Akhal-Teke horses to their owner, especially if he managed to establish contact and understanding with the animal. This character was formed as a result of special conditions of detention. Over the centuries, most of the Akhal-Teke were kept alone and in constant interaction with their master, which is why such a strong attachment to people has developed. It is extremely difficult for these horses to endure a change of owner. The temperament of the Akhal-Teke, like most breeds from the south, is energetic and hot, easily excitable, but not aggressive. According to experts, these horses are obedient, soft-bridled and maneuverable. However, this breed is not suitable for beginners and occasionally exercising amateurs, it is for professionals who are able to find contact.

As already mentioned, Akhal-Teke horses never got divorced in a herd. Where this breed was previously bred, there are quite few pastures, and you can use them no more than three months a year. Most of the time, horses are hand-fed with small portions of high quality feed: once a day with green alfalfa hay and twice a day with pure, premium barley. Water is given at least three times a day.

Breeding Akhal-Teke

Today, Akhal-Teke horses are raised in two directions: race and sports, with mandatory and careful selection for the exterior. The following lines are cultivated in the breed, most of which date back to the famous Boynow stallion in the 19th century:

Other modern genealogical lines of the Akhal-Teke breed are:

Gelishikli are the most typical representatives of the breed with clearly readable characters.
Kir Sakara are horses with a strong constitution and good results at a distance.
Skaka - representatives of this line are large, with a somewhat elongated body.
Kaplan was spun off from the Kir Sakara line. Animals have a well-defined breed type and high growth, high working capacity.
Spruce - horses are quite simple in shape, which is why they are much less used.
Araba - stallions of this line are mostly black, and mares, as a rule, are brown and bay. Representatives of this line have proven themselves well in sports, as well as in half-bred horse breeding.
Karlavacha - animals are compact, medium-sized, show good results in smooth races.
Fakirpelwana - horses have proven themselves well in classic equestrian sports, but work on improvement continues.

In modern Russia, the breeding and improvement of the Akhal-Teke breed is carried out at such stud farms as in Stavropol, named after Naib Idris, them. V.P. Shamboranta, "Akhalt - Service", as well as in such breeding farms as "Tekinsky Legion", "Yunav" and a number of others. In addition, Akhal-Teke horses are bred at stud farms in Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. In our country, scientists from the All-Russian Institute of Horse Breeding keep a strict record of all representatives of the breed, publish herd books and publish annual certificates.

This article will focus on one of the most graceful animals, namely the Akhal-Teke horse. This breed is one of the most ancient. There are many legends and legends about them, they are called differently. Consider what the Akhal-Teke horse breed is.

The history of the breed

The Akhal-Teke horse is already about 5 thousand years old. This rather ancient horse breed appeared thanks to the inhabitants who occupied the territory of modern Turkmenistan. An excellent horse was created, from which almost all breeds of the Western world originated.

Akhal-Teke horses became in demand in Russia and Central Asia, while Europeans treated Arabs with local horses. At that time, almost no one followed the purebred animals, and the conquest of Central Asia by Russia saved them from extinction.

At that time, purebred individuals were only in the Akhal-Teke oasis (hence the name). During the Soviet era, breeding work was carried out to modernize this breed.

Efforts were directed towards eliminating defects in appearance and increasing the growth of the animal. The unique characteristics of the ancestors have been preserved, but the horse has become taller and more athletic.

general characteristics

The nomads needed horses with endurance and the ability to endure long journeys without food or drink. This is exactly what the Akhal-Teke people are. They look fragile and graceful, but they have excellent characteristics: endurance and strength.

Exterior

The external data of this handsome man are as follows:

weight about 400-500 kg;
height at the withers - 1.50-1.60 m;
a lean body about 1.60 m long;
the head is dry and elongated;
the neck is straight, thin and very flexible;
the back is not very muscular, with a deflection (sometimes with a sunken lower back);
the croup is wide, muscular, slightly sloping;
the chest is oval, with short ribs;
legs are dry, long, with well-developed joints;
underdeveloped hair is characteristic, the coat is shiny and silky;
the mane is rare (many do not have it at all);
tail sparse, set low;
thin skin with translucent vessels;
blue eyes (in any color).

Suits

In Russia, it was customary to call all eastern horses argamaks (including the Akhal-Teke breed). A distinctive feature of argamaks from other horses is considered not only an elegant structure, but also a variety of colors.

Did you know? The wool of all Tekins is distinguished by a specific metallic sheen. It is explained by the original structure of the hairs.

Among the most popular are the following:

Gray hair is typical for all horses, but the gray color of Akhal-Teke horses has a gene for early graying.

Character

The character of the horse is fully consistent with its appearance. He has a southern temperament, he is not used to complete submission. They say that these are aggressive and wayward horses, but this is not so. They never show excessive aggression.

They are very attached to the owner and react painfully to the new owner. They can only be tamed with care and patience. In no case should force and rudeness be used. When a common language with the horse is found, then it will be obedient (otherwise the animal will do whatever it wants).

Advantages and disadvantages

The Akhal-Teke horse has many "pluses", but, unfortunately, not all of them are relevant in our time.
Among the advantages, we list the following:

this is one of the most frisky and fastest horses;
the animal is capable of covering long distances without stopping;
differs in stamina comparable to a camel (tolerates a lack of food and thirst well);
with full understanding with the owner, he becomes a very devoted friend (he is called the horse of one owner).

Did you know? All over the world there are only about 3 thousand purebred Tekins, and 50% of them belong to the Turkmen. They very much respect this horse: they write books about it, the animal is present on banknotes, and even a beauty contest has been established for such horses.

There are also such advantages that, under certain conditions, were considered disadvantages:

loyalty to the owner and distrust of others are problematic, since before the horse had only one owner, but today it is like this: one owns, another rides, and a third takes care of;
in ancient times, the horse's ability to disobey and make his own decision could save the rider's life (for example, animals feel an earthquake in advance), but today insubordination is regarded as a "minus";
due to their nature, argamaks take a long time to adapt (get used to) athletes, therefore they are not very popular;
late maturation: they are most active only by the age of about 5 years (this reduces the likelihood of being used in sports due to the inexpediency of their long-term maintenance).

Scope of use

In ancient times, argamaks were used in battles and hunting. They were never used for packing work and were not harnessed to carts.

Nowadays, despite their unusualness, Akhal-Teke horses have great potential, therefore, the application is different:

they are excellent horses (due to their exceptional endurance, they do well with both short and long races);
there is no equal for these horses in dressage (graceful movements; thanks to years of training, they give excellent results);
in show jumping (overcoming obstacles): the record of this breed is 2 m 12 cm, and the world record is 2 m 47 cm;
in distance races popular in recent years, where the endurance of these horses is very important;
horses do an excellent job with circus tricks and horse riding;
it is possible to use them for tourism, despite the myth of their nasty nature (with skillful selection, they are quite suitable for these purposes).

The main purpose of these horses is horse riding and exhibitions.

A horse is a herd animal, and in order for it to be healthy, it needs to be walked.

In addition, to keep horses you need:

stable;
hay storage room;
shed for other feed;
a place for keeping tools, harness and various equipment.

Stable conditions

The animals spend most of their time in the stable, where they should have everything they need:

Cleaning and hygiene

The animal and the room in which it is located must be kept clean. Otherwise, it will affect his health and life expectancy.

To prevent this from happening, you need:

Correct feeding

The Tekinians' diet consists of the following feeds:

green grass;
hay, straw or other roughage;
carrots, potatoes, beets (you can give cabbage, apples or watermelons, but not much);
oats, wheat, corn and bran;
silo;
table salt in the form of a briquette;
vitamin and mineral supplements (if necessary).

A horse weighing about 500 kg per day eats:

oats - about 6 -7 kg;
dry grass - up to 10 kg;
bran - about 2 kg;
vegetables - up to 6 kg.

It is advisable to divide the daily ration of oats, wheat or corn in equal parts into three doses. It is preferable to give hay 5 times a day. You can sprinkle it with salt water before serving. Before each meal, the horse needs to be watered.

Roughage makes up almost half of the total daily diet. It is better to use meadow or cereal-legume hay. First, they give dry food, and then juicy. Half an hour before and after eating, the animal should not be loaded with work. Was this helpful?

Akhal-Teke horse is an oriental breed of riding horses. From the description of the breed, you can find out that it is one of the most ancient, which has survived to our days. These horses are few in number, and therefore very expensive.

They are highly valued not only for their relative rarity, but also for their exceptional exterior and high working qualities.

The breed was named in honor of the Turkmen Teke tribe, which bred the best representatives of the breed, and in honor of the Akhal oasis, which had the most horses.

History of the breed Akhal-Teke horses

The breed originated from local horses that belonged to the nomads of Central Asia. These horses were known 3500 years ago. Even then, Akhal-Teke horses differed sharply from other horses due to their tall stature, dry build and grace.

By origin, the Akhal-Teke breed is close to the Arabian breed. It is even assumed that these horses may be the ancestors of the Arabian horses, but most likely these breeds developed in parallel.

In ancient times, Akhal-Teke horses were bred in the Parthian kingdom, later they began to be bred in Turkmenistan and Persia. And only the Turkmens managed to preserve the breed in the country. This was facilitated by the fact that the Turkmens valued horses very much, since they were the only means of transportation; the life of the riders during the wars depended on the horses. The horses were grazed in oases, fed with grain and flatbread, and in winter they were brought into tents and covered with blankets. The best horses were kept not in the herd, but next to the dwelling, while the owner devoted a lot of time to training, as a result of which the horses bit and kicked the opponent's horse in battle, helping the owner to gain the upper hand.

Thanks to this content of Akhal-Teke horses, they have formed a special character and external data. Over the centuries, the external data of Akhal-Teke horses have not changed, today they look like in ancient times.

Appearance Akhal-Teke horses

The height of Akhal-Teke horses at the withers ranges from 147-163 cm. The physique is dry, there is not even a drop of fat, the muscle mass is excessive.

The head is large, also dry, with a curved profile. The ears are thin, relatively large. The eyes are almond-shaped. The neck is set high, flexible and long. The chest is not very wide, but deep. The legs are strong and long.

The skin is thin, the relief of the subcutaneous vessels stands out on it. The coat is short, not thick, silky. The tail and mane are rather sparse, sometimes the mane is practically absent altogether. Among this breed, there is an anomaly, due to which foals are born almost bald, as a rule, they die in the first months.

The coat of Akhal-Teke horses is characterized by an unusual shine. Most often, golden-red, golden-salty, golden-bay, dun and black colors are found, and the isabella color is rare. There may be white markings on the legs and head.

Characteristic features of the breed

The stride, trot and gallop of this breed are smooth and high. This method of movement was developed by Akhal-Teke horses when moving along the quicksands of deserts. Although these horses look very graceful outwardly, they are distinguished by increased endurance: they can go without water and food for a long time, make long journeys, they tolerate a hot climate well, they are not very well adapted to frost, but they tolerate them better than other southern breeds.

This breed is a horse, therefore it is adapted to walking under the saddle. The character was formed as a result of special conditions of detention. Since the horses were often kept alone, in the immediate vicinity of the housing, the Akhal-Teke horses developed a high attachment to people. They are called horses of one owner, as they are going through a hard change of owner.

They need a subtle psychological approach. Akhal-Teke horses are very smart, they feel the rider perfectly, but at the same time they are independent, and if the rider fails to establish contact with the horse, she will decide for herself what to do. That is why Akhal-Teke horses are considered difficult for sports. But they are very devoted. Like all southern breeds, they have a "hot" disposition, they quickly become aroused, but do not show excessive aggression.

ApplicationAkhal-Teke horses

Most often, this breed was used as war horses, as well as for falconry. They were used less frequently for regular travel. And they were never harnessed to carts, they were not beasts of burden.

Today they are more likely to participate in smooth races and distance runs, and less often in dressage and show jumping. Although these horses are very playful, in terms of speed indicators they are inferior to the horses of the English riding breed. In Turkmenistan, special prizes have been organized for the Akhal-Teke horse breed.

Akhal-Teke horses are perfectly adapted for horse riding competitions. They also showed themselves well in circus training, where their smooth movements and subtle mind are very appropriate.

These horses are late maturing - their best athletic form begins at 4-6 years old, so keeping them is quite expensive.

Population declineAkhal-Teke horses

Over a thousand-year history, the breed of Akhal-Teke horses has remained unchanged. This became possible thanks to the methods of folk selection. The pedigree of horses was not kept in the studbook, but was passed down from generation to generation of Turkmens. But in the twentieth century, the breed began to experience decline. Factory breeding caused significant damage to the breed.

In the 70s and 80s, the Turkmen stud farms received a directive to reduce the number of livestock. As a result of this thoughtless law, the best breeds were sent to the slaughterhouse. It should be noted that the Turkmens themselves did not eat horse meat sausage, since horses have always been a national treasure of Turkmenistan.

Livestock has not only declined, genetic diversity has been lost. The breed was re-bred when its status became threatening. The largest population is in Turkmenistan, Russia is in second place in terms of the number of breeding Akhal-Teke horses. In the United States and European countries, there are also small livestock, where this breed is also appreciated and enjoys great love for its uniqueness and beauty.

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