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.
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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. |
| 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. | |
Akhal-Teke
Facts |
- 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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