Akhal-Tekes: Gift
from the Desert
Exotic
looks, graceful moverment and unmatched stamina
best describe this ancient breed.
By Georgia Brown
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The
Akhal-Teke is a tall, refined breed that has been bred for
racing and stamina for three centuries by Turkmen nomads of
central Asia. Its origins can be traced to Persian civilizations
through excavations of skeletal remains and written accounts
that have emerged out of the mists of antiquity. Its common
ancestors bore a succession of different names: Massaget,
Parthian, Nisean, Turkmene, and finally in the 1880s, the
name Akhal-Teke was coined. “Akhal” refers to
the long oasis that stretches along the northern side of Kopet
Dag Mountains. “Akhal-Teke” refers to the horses’
breeders – a Turkmen tribe of nomadic warriors living
on the edge of the desert in the foothills of the Kopet Dag
Mountains, which today divide Turkmenistan from northern Iran
and Afghanistan.
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A
History of the Breed
A good horse has always been a source of pride to Turkmen owners.
Able to carry heavy loads and travel long distances, often with
two riders, the Akhal-Teke was a valuable part of the nomadic
peoples who lived in dome-shaped felt tents. They were tethered
individually or in small herds near the homes of their owners,
and today one of their enduring qualities is the ability to
bond with their human partners. |
Scholars
studying writings by Roman historians concluded that the pure
strains were cultivated to improve and influence several modern
breeds throughout the world including the Arabian and English
Thoroughbred. |
The harsh geography of Turkmenistan—90 percent is desert
on the eastern bank of the Caspian Sea—contributed to
the breed’s ability to tolerate heat and drought. With
fresh grass available only part of the year, the horses learned
to survive on meager rations low in bulk and high in protein.
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Akhal-Teke horses were prized as military mounts and were sent
as gifts from Turkmenistan to the czars of Russia in the 19th
century. The first official Akhal-Teke stud was founded near
Ashkhabad in the 1880s shortly after Russia annexed Turkmenistan.
In the 20th century, an unsuccessful experiment by Russians
to improve the breed and increase its size through crossbreeding
to English Thoroughbreds ended with the famous 1935 Ashkhabad
to Moscow endurance race. The Akhal-Teke proved its superiority
by traveling 2,600 miles over terrain that included swamps,
rugged rocky soil and three days of scorching sun across the
Kara Kum desert. After 84 days, the Akhal-Teke horses arrived
in significantly better shape than others. |
Traditionally,
Akhal-Teke stallions are taught to rear on command. This is
to demonstrate to mare owners that their studs are not only
beautiful and successful, but bold, and capable of the demands
of war. Today, this tradition can be seen in Russian circuses
with more than 10 golden stallions rearing at once!
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During
some perilous years under USSR state supervision, distinguished
individuals stepped up to defend the breed whenever it was
threatened. Horse breeds were depleted in great numbers during
the Soviet Union’s mid-century transformation to a machine-driven
agricultural economy. An order requiring horses be slaughtered
for meat was refused by Turkmenistan horsemen. However, personal
ownership of a horse was prohibited, and all horses belonged
to government-managed stud farms. Horses were sold only at
state auctions and were not chosen by the breeder but by government
officials.
With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, state-breeding farms
gradually became privatized. With Perestroika, Russians could
own horses, but initially few could afford them. In the first
10 years of the free market economy, many breeders marketed
to the West. Some state farms exported horses or set up shareholding
companies. As the internal economy grew, the market for Tekes
began flourishing inside Russia. Today in Russia, records
are carefully maintained by the International Association
of Akhal-Teke Breeding (MAAK), and horses bred in Turkmenistan
and Russia are performance tested on the racetrack. They also
use purebred Akhal-Tekes to improve Budyonny, Karabair, Orlov-Rostopchin
and modern Russian Warmbloods. |
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Breed
Characteristic Type
The breed standard for conformation is different from other
horses. The proud carriage of the dry head, distinguished
by thin, well-set ears and large and often slanted eyes is
described as the “look of eagles.” The straight
or convex head meets the neck at an acute angle. The back
is long, well-muscled and slopes to a low set tail.
The Akhal Teke is known for its fine coat and a variety of
colors ranging from cream to black; some chestnuts, buckskins
and palominos have a unique golden or metallic sheen, and
there is a silver luster on some grays. It appears like a
glossy polish overlaying the basic coat color. (Could this
be the horse of a different color in the Oz books?) In 1956,
the Russians presented a golden dun stallion to Queen Elizabeth
II. As the story goes, the queen’s horsemen thought
the gleaming coat was the result of glitter, which they tried
to wash off when they got back to the stable. To their surprise,
the metallic sheen only increased when their coats were clean.
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Sign
of Success: Neck bands are awarded to stallions for exceptional
performance. Originally, neck bands were given after a successful
war campaign, attack on a camel caravan or a win on the race
track. |
The
Path to Florida
There are only a few thousand of these horses in the world and
about 250 in the United States. At two farms in Florida, two
women are following their lifelong passion to preserve the Tekes’
pure bloodlines and tell others the intriguing story of the
breed.
Now living near Sarasota, Dasha Cole grew up in Uzbekistan,
and at age 12 she was allowed to ride Tekes at a state-run stud
farm and racing facility in USSR. “In those days it was
possible to give the grooms a little money, and they would let
you ride the older horses. Once you proved yourself capable
of riding in the arena, they would let you ride them out to
the racetrack,” said Dasha. “I knew then that I
wanted to own one someday.”
Dasha got her childhood wish and now owns three Tekes and a
small farm in Myakka City. She boards horses and finds time
to take dressage lessons on her mare when not working as a realtor
in Sarasota.
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“I worked as an interpreter in Russia at high level meetings
between foreign dignitaries. When I moved to the US, I set another
goal: to compete with my horses in dressage and to make new
friends while I show what the Akhal-Teke can do. Through my
horses, I hope to bring a better understanding between Americans
and Russians so that we can put aside our differences and be
friends,” said Dasha. |
Historically
bred for racing and war mounts, today, Akhal-Tekes are primarily
used for dressage, endurance, show jumping and eventing.
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| Jessica
Eile-Keith was born on the Swedish island that is home to the
Gotland pony. She first saw a golden Akhal-Teke in a picture
book her grandmother gave her and later learned about them through
her mother who taught Russian at the Royal Institute of Technology
in Sweden. “It became my childhood dream to buy a golden
Teke stallion from Russia and ride it to Sweden,” she
says. Instead she was instrumental in introducing the breed
to Sweden and is past president of the Swedish Akhal-Teke Association.
She met an American student, Todd Keith, in Stockholm, married,
and when the family moved to Dade City, they brought several
of their Tekes from Sweden with them. |
“In Russia today their successes are in endurance racing,
dressage, show jumping and eventing,” said Jessica. “They
are also gaining popularity as all-around sport horses in Sweden.
These horses are often given as gifts to Western heads of state
by the Russians. Now they are status symbols; to wealthy Russians,
owning a Teke is as important as owning a Mercedes.” |
Akhal-Tekes
are sensitive and known to develop a strong bond with their
owners; Jessica Eile-Keith and her mare Rosanna are living proof.
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Thanks to advocates like Dasha and Jessica, the Akhal Teke
enjoys growing popularity outside of its traditional homeland
of Turkmenistan and neighboring Russia. In Germany, France,
Italy, Switzerland and Sweden, they compete in endurance racing,
dressage, show jumping and eventing. The Akhal-Teke’s
high head carriage and smooth gaits make them stand out under
saddle. Their movement appears long, free flowing and elastic,
giving the impression of light, effortless agility.
“The breed as a type is a hotblood like the Arabian
and Thoroughbred,” said Jessica. “However, in
temperament they are social, easy to work with and have a
willingness to please.” Heads up competitors. That combination
sounds like a winner.
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| Akhal-Teke
Conformation |
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Body:
The breed is distinguished by its tall, light and athletic
body, standing 15 to 16 hands. Its long, slim body is
tubular, well-muscled and slopes to a low-set, sparse
tail.
Withers: high, long and well-muscled
Shoulder: long, slanted, with well-developed
muscles
Croup: broad with well-developed muscles
stretching to the hock
Head and Neck: The long and high set
neck gives it a proud carriage. The head is light and
dry with a lean lower jaw, usually straight or with
a convex forehead. The ears are thin, mobile and high-set
on a wide poll. The head is set onto the neck at an
acute angle. The eyes are large with a somewhat slanting
shape, which is sometimes compared to the look of a
bird of prey.
Legs: lean and long with well-developed
joints, firm and well-shown tendons, small and strongly
built hooves. Legs stand parallel to each other.
Coat: thin and silky with a light mane
and tail. The forelock and feather are absent or insignificant.
Colors: range from black to cream in
great varieties, often with metallic shine of gold or
silver. |
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Akhal-Teke
Facts
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- How
to Pronounce:
Ah-cull Tek-y
- The
akhal teke horse is the center of the Turkmenistan
Coat of arms.
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- One
of the most famous representatives of the breed
is Absent, a black stallion who won a gold medal
for the Russians in individual dressage at the
1960 Olympics with an astonishing score of 82.4%.
The horse went on to compete in three more Olympic
games winning six medals under three different
riders.
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For
more information about Akhal-Tekes visit
http://www.karakumstud.com
Todd Keith & Jessica Eile-Keith or
http://www.akhalteke.homestead.com
Dasha Cole
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