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The Akhal-Teke horse is the only horse breed whose origin is covered with so many legends with a significant admixture of mysticism. Fans of this breed are looking for its roots in 2000 BC. Nothing that, according to the historian-hippologist V.B. Kovalevskaya, the domestication of the horse began only 7000 years ago.
The Nisean horse of Parthia, mentioned in the chronicles of the time of Alexander the Great, is the Akhal-Teke breed, its ancestor or the Nisei horse has nothing to do with it at all? And if the ancestors of the Akhal-Teke people are from Ancient Egypt? After all, in Egyptian frescoes, horses with a long body typical of modern Akhal-Teke horses are harnessed to chariots.
But on such frescoes, dogs also have an unnaturally long body, which indicates the peculiarities of the fine arts in Egypt, and not the breed characteristics of animals.
The territory of modern Turkmenistan was alternately occupied by Iranian-speaking and Turkic-speaking tribes. Then the Mongols also galloped past. Trade and cultural ties were relatively well developed even at that time, so looking for images of the ancestors of the Akhal-Teke horses on dishes, decorations and frescoes is a hopeless business.
Formation of rock
According to the official version, the Akhal-Teke horse breed was bred by a Turkmen tribe in the Akhal-Teke oasis. Moreover, the tribe bore the same name. In a good way, it is not even clear who gave the name to whom: a tribe to an oasis or an oasis of a tribe. In any case, the name “Akhal-Teke” is associated precisely with this tribe and the oasis.
But the documented history of the Akhal-Teke horse, due to the complete absence of writing among the Turkmen tribes, begins only with the arrival of the Empire in Turkmenistan. A strict division of the world population of horses into breeds and serious selection work have been developed only since the XNUMXth century. Prior to this, “breed” was determined by the country of origin of a particular horse.
There is documentary evidence that oriental horses, which in those days were called argamaks, stood in the stables of Ivan the Terrible. But that was the name of all horses from the East. These horses could be:
- Kabardian;
- karabairskimi;
- Yomud;
- Karabakh;
- Akhal-Teke;
- Arabic.
Being “overseas”, these horses were valued very dearly, but not all of them were Akhal-Teke horses. And, it is possible that Ivan the Terrible did not have Akhal-Teke horses at all.
The horses bred in those places were gradually divided into draft horses (Akhal-Teke), who carried chariots, and pack mountain (Arab) horses. The version is based on the fact that almost 4000 years ago in that area horses were indeed trained in chariots, and the training scheme was similar to that used by horse trainers at a later time.
Selection for a tribe
The horse, until very recently, was a means of transportation. A good horse, like a modern good car, was highly valued. And they also overpaid for the brand. But the main focus was on the fact that a good horse must withstand the demands placed on it. This was especially true for the horses of nomadic tribes, who constantly either went on raids or made long hauls.
The task of the Akhal-Teke horse was to quickly take the owner to the intended point and take him away from there even faster if it turned out that they could fight back the camp intended for plunder. And often all this had to be done in an almost waterless area. Therefore, in addition to speed and distance endurance, the Akhal-Teke horse had to be able to manage with a minimum of water.
In order to find out whose stallion is cooler, long-distance races were arranged with prizes that were expensive at that time. The preparations for the races were brutal. First, the horses were fattened with barley and alfalfa, and a few months before the races they began to “dry”. The horses galloped for several tens of kilometers under 2-3 felt mats until sweat began to pour from them in streams. Only after such training was the stallion considered ready to fight with rivals.
Of course, not adults rode foals, but boys. Such a harsh, from a modern point of view, treatment had a basis. This custom still exists in the Caspian basin. It’s a matter of limited resources. It was necessary to select high-quality animals as early as possible and destroy the culling.
Only stallions that consistently won races were allowed to reproduce Akhal-Teke horses. The owner of such a stallion could consider himself a rich man, mating was expensive. But in those days it could be a horse of any breed, as long as it won. Given that during the time of the Arab Caliphate, Iran and part of modern Turkmenistan were under the rule of the caliphs, an Arabian horse could also participate in the races. Who influenced whom in those days was a moot point: the living conditions and the tasks facing the war horses were similar. Most likely, the influence was mutual. And among the Akhal-Teke horses, there are many different types: from the “statuette” familiar to visitors to equestrian exhibitions to a fairly massive type; from a horse with a very long body, to a short-bodied one, similar in structure to an Arabian horse.
In old photographs, it is not always possible to recognize horses of the Akhal-Teke breed, and even the ancestors of the lines that exist today.
For 100 years, serious selection work has been carried out, which resulted in both a “porcelain figurine” taller and a horse of a sports type.
The fact that the origin of the Akhal-Teke breed of horses is hidden by the veil of time, and the variety of types indicates that they were bred not only in the Akhal-Teke oasis, does not prevent anyone from admiring these horses today.
Myths and legends about the breed
One of the persistent stamps that scare horse lovers away from this breed is the myth of their viciousness and affection for the owner. There is a legend that the Akhal-Teke horses were placed in a pit and the whole village threw stones at the horse. Only the owner took pity on the horse and gave him food and water. So they brought out the breed of vicious horses directly according to Lysenko’s theory.
In fact, everything was much simpler. The “fidelity” of the Akhal-Teke horse was explained by the fact that the foal from birth did not see anyone but the owner. The herd for the grown Akhal-Teke stallion was the owner’s family. Not a single self-respecting stallion will be delighted with the appearance of a member of a strange herd in the field of view and will try to drive him away. Outcome: a vicious beast.
And not a single evidence of the vicious Akhal-Teke mare has survived. This is not surprising. The mares were sold. Borrowed to get a foal from a famous stallion. In general, mares were treated like normal horses.
Although, under the condition of growing in “stallion” conditions, the character of the mare would also not be sugar in relation to outsiders. And in the same way, a horse of any other breed, grown in similar conditions, will behave.
Since the times of the USSR, there have been clubs staffed by Tekin horses near hippodromes and a factory that breeds Akhal-Teke horses in Our Country. They are taught to beginners to ride, horses change riders and the reaction of “unique evil monsters” is no different from the reaction of horses of more common sport breeds.
The second myth is that the Akhal-Teke horse is a nutty beast who only dreams of killing the rider in the process of the race. It also has nothing to do with reality. Everything is explained simply: Akhal-Teke horses are still participating in race trials, and in the USSR this was a mandatory procedure for selection for a tribe.
A racehorse is trained to lean on the reins. The more the jockey pulls on the reins, the more the horse invests in it. To increase the length of the gallop jump, the jockey “pumps” the reins, at the right time, easing the pressure. Trying to rest against the snaffle again, the horse involuntarily increases the reach of the front legs and the length of the captured space. The signal for the end of the race is the completely thrown rein and the relaxation of the jockey’s body. Thus, if you want to stop the Akhal-Teke horse, which has passed the hippodrome tests, drop the reins and relax.
A beginner, on the other hand, sitting on a horse, instinctively uses the reins as a handle for support.
The reaction of a galloping Akhal-Teke horse to a taut rein: “Do you want to ride? Let’s jump!” The beginner, frightened, pulls on the reins more. Horse: “Do you need to go faster? With pleasure!”. Thoughts of a beginner after the fall: “Those who said that they were rabid psychos were right.” But in fact, the horse honestly tried to do what the rider wanted from her. She is so accustomed.
Sincere admirers of the Akhal-Teke breed and owners of the KSK “Argamak” in St. Petersburg, Vladimir Solomonovich and Irina Vladimirovna Khienkin, tried to reverse this belief by speaking at horse shows in St. Petersburg and teaching young people how to ride and tricks on Akhal-Teke horses. Below is a photo of horses of the Akhal-Teke breed from the KSK “Argamak”.
These horses look a little like rabid evil psychos who dream of killing a person. In fact, the Akhal-Teke is a breed of horses that does not stand out in any way in terms of character. In any breed come across “crocodiles” and good-natured human-oriented horses. In any breed there are phlegmatic and choleric.
The video once again confirms that you can work with Tekins in the same way as with any other horses.
Breed Standard
Standard horses have it easier than other animals. The main thing is that the animal meets the requirements for it. There are usually several types and working lines in any horse breed. Often, if a horse performs well, he will go for breeding, even if his legs are tied in a knot. Fortunately, a “bow-legged” horse cannot show a high result.
The main features that make the Akhal-Teke horse recognizable in the photo:
- long body;
- long neck with a high exit;
- long, often straight croup.
These same structural features prevent her from successfully starting in equestrian sports. Height could also interfere, as today athletes prefer tall horses. But her height was “corrected”. Previously, the standard was 150-155 cm at the withers. Today, this is a culling, and the Akhal-Teke horses have “grown up” to 165-170 cm at the withers.
At the same time, in the sport type, the Akhal-Teke can often be recognized only by the breeding certificate. In the photo, the Akhal-Teke stallion Archman of the Uspensky stud farm is a possible future sire.
Photo of the most famous Akhal-Teke horse – Olympic champion Absent. The Germans still do not believe that there is no blood of German horses in Absinthe. This Akhal-Teke is a massive type with a very correct build.
For the modern sport of high achievements, the Tekins have too many shortcomings in addition, although the Assumption Plant is trying to eliminate them. Many Tekins are distinguished by the presence of a neck with an Adam’s apple.
A high neck extension also creates great difficulties, since in dressage the neck and head have to be artificially lowered down.
And jumping is hindered by very long back and lower back. In a long horse, the vertebrae of the dorsal and lumbar sections are very easily damaged during high jumps.
Leading positions in the races have long been occupied by Arabian horses and the rules have already been written for this breed. Akhal-Teke horses have enough endurance, but they cannot recover as quickly as Arabian horses.
And the role of a hobby-class horse for Akhal-Teke horses was closed by the myths about this breed that exist in the minds of people. But there is a much more serious obstacle to increasing the popularity of Akhal-Teke horses among the masses: the unjustifiably high price “for the skin”. Usually they ask for at least 2 times more for an Akhal-Teke horse than for a horse of any other breed with the same quality. If the suit of the Akhal-Teke is also beautiful, then the price can increase by an order of magnitude.
Fat
Looking through the photos of Akhal-Teke horses, one cannot help but be amazed at the beauty of their suits. In addition to the main suits common to all representatives of the domesticated tarpan, Akhal-Teke horses have very common suits, the appearance of which is determined by the presence of the Cremello gene in the genotype:
- bulanaya;
- nightingale;
- isabella;
- ash-black.
The genetic basis of these suits are standard:
- black;
- bay;
- redhead.
The gray suit is determined by the presence of the early graying gene. A horse of any color can go gray, and it is often difficult to say on what basis the graying occurred.
Today, the Isabella suit has come into fashion and there are more and more Tekins of this suit.
Stallions of this color began to be left in the production of factories. Although the Turkmens considered the Akhal-Teke horse of the Isabella suit to be vicious and they removed it from breeding. From their point of view, they were right. Isabella horses have a minimum of pigment, which should protect them from the burning sun of Central Asia.
A horse of any other color has dark gray skin. It already prevents sunburn. Even a light gray horse has dark skin. This is noticeable on the snore and in the groin.
Isabella has pink skin. It is devoid of pigment and cannot protect the horse from ultraviolet radiation.
In addition to the original suits, Akhal-Teke wool has a special metallic sheen. It is formed due to the special structure of the hairs. The mechanism of inheritance of this brilliance has not yet been discovered.
From this it follows that, even if the Arabian horse had an influence on the Akhal-Teke, then there was definitely no reverse blood infusion.
In the presence of a metallic sheen, golden-salted Akhal-Teke horses look especially beautiful. In this old photo, a horse of the Akhal-Teke breed of a golden-salted color.
Woolen Akhal-Teke with zonal darkening.
And “just” a buckskin Tekin in national dress.
Early maturity
Remembering the legends that in the old days Akhal-Teke foals were ridden a year, today many are interested in how old Akhal-Teke horses grow. Maybe you can ride them for a year already? Alas, the development of the Akhal-Teke is no different from the development of other breeds. They actively grow in height up to 4 years. Then the growth in height slows down and the horses begin to “mother”. This breed reaches full development by 6-7 years.
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Conclusion
It is not known whether the Akhal-Teke will be able to withstand the modern requirements of big-time sports, but it could already now fill the niche of a hobby-class horse for a rider who knows how to ride without special sporting ambitions. In fact, only unreasonably high price prevents this.