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Akhal-Teke
Akhal-Teke
Distinguishing features Riding horse bred for endurance; noted for 'metallic' coat of some individuals
Country of origin Turkmenistan
Breed standards
Akhal-Teke Association of America Breed standards
International Association of Akhal-Teke Breeding (MAAK) Breed standards
Horse (Equus ferus caballus)
The Akhal-Teke (/ˌækəlˈtɛk/ or /ˌækəlˈtɛki/; from Turkmen Ahalteke, [ahalˈteke]) is a horse breed from Turkmenistan, where they are a national emblem.[1] They have a reputation for speed and endurance, intelligence, and a distinctive metallic sheen. The shiny coat of palominos and buckskins led to their nickname "Golden Horses".[2] These horses are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest extant horse breeds.[3] There are currently about 6,600 Akhal-Tekes in the world, mostly in Turkmenistan and Russia, although they are also found throughout Europe and North America.[4]
There are several theories regarding the original ancestry of the Akhal-Teke, some dating back thousands of years. The tribes of Turkmenistan selectively bred the horses, recording their pedigrees orally and using them for raiding. The breed was used in the losing fight against the Russian Empire, and was subsumed into the Empire along with its country. The Akhal-Teke has influenced many other breeds, including several Russian breeds. There has also been some crossbreeding with the Thoroughbred to create a fast, long-distance racehorse, but the resulting horses did not have the endurance of the purebred Akhal-Teke. The studbook was closed in 1932 [5] The Russians printed the first stud book for the breed in 1941, including over 700 horses.
Contents [hide]
1 Breed characteristics
2 History
3 Turkmenistan
4 Uses
5 Breeders
6 Genetic diseases
7 Others
8 Monuments
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Breed characteristics[edit]
An Akhal Teke stallion
The Akhal-Teke typically stands between 14.2 and 16 hands (58 and 64 inches, 147 and 163 cm). These horses are well-known for those individuals who have a golden buckskin or palomino color, a result of the cream gene, a dilution gene that also produces the perlino and cremello colors. A number of other colors are recognized, including bay, black, chestnut, and grey. Aficionados of the breed claim that the color pattern served as camouflage in the desert.[6] Many Akhal-Tekes have a natural metallic sheen to their coat, particularly noticeable in those with cream gene colors.[7] Akhal-Tekes are not thought to carry the dun gene or roan gene.
Perlino Akhal -Teke. Many members of this breed carry a gene for the cream dilution.
The Akhal-Teke has a refined head with predominantly a straight or slightly convex profile, and long ears. It can also have almond-shaped or "hooded" eyes.[8] The mane and tail are usually sparse. The long back is lightly muscled, and is coupled to a flat croup and long, upright neck. The Akhal-Teke possess sloping shoulders and thin skin. These horses have strong, tough, but fine limbs. They have a rather slim body and ribcage (like an equine version of the greyhound), with a deep chest. The conformation is typical of horses bred for endurance over distance. The Akhal-Tekes are lively and alert, with a reputation for bonding to only one person.
The breed is tough and resilient, having adapted to the harshness of Turkmenistan lands, where horses must live without much food or water. This has also made the horses good for sport. The breed is known for its endurance,[9] as shown in 1935 when a group of Turkmen riders rode the 2500 miles from Ashgabat to Moscow in 84 days, including a three-day crossing of 235 miles of desert without water.[10] The Akhal-Teke is also known for its form and grace as a show jumper.
The quality of the Akhal Teke horses are determined by the studbook manager. Depending on type, conformation, pedigree, quality of offspring and achievement in sport, the horses are designated as either Elite or Class I or Class II.[11] There are usually 2 annual grading events in Moscow, Russia called the "International Sport Meeting and World Championship “Heavenly Argamak”" and "Golden Akhal-Teke Cup Shael" where breeders present their best horses to a group of judges. At the World Championship a group of judges evaluate the horses in age and gender categories as well as in various sport disciplines and a halter class.
History[edit]
1848 French image of a "Turkmene" horse
The ancestors of the breed may date back to animals living 3,000 years ago, known by a number of names, but most often as the Nisean horse.[12] The precise ancestry is difficult to trace, however, because prior to about 1600 AD, horse breeds in the modern sense did not exist; rather, horses were identified by local strain or type.[13]
According to one theory of origin, the Akhal-Teke were kept hidden by tribesmen in the area where the breed first appeared, the Turkmenistan desert Kara Kum, which is a rocky, flat desert surrounded by mountains. Others claim that the horses are descendants of the mounts of Mongol raiders of the thirteenth and fourteenth century.
The breed is very similar to, and possibly the direct descendant of the Turkoman horse, a breed believed to be extinct, though a related strain may be bred today in Iran. Other breeds or strains with Turkoman roots also include the Yomud, Goklan and the Nokhorli.[14] Some historians believe that the two are different strains of the same breed. It is a disputed "chicken or egg" question whether the influential Arabian was either the ancestor of the breed or was developed out of this breed. But a substantial number of Arabian mares have reportedly been used to improve the breed in the 14th and 19th century.[15] It is also possible that the so-called "hot blooded" breeds, the Arabian, Turkoman, Akhal-Teke, and the Barb all developed from a single "oriental horse" predecessor.[16]
Akhal-Teke stallion Mele Koush, foaled 1909
Tribal people in what today is Turkmenistan first used the Akhal-Teke for raiding. The horses were their most treasured possession since they were crucial for income and survival. They selectively bred their horses, keeping records of the pedigrees via an oral tradition. Horses were managed and trained in very specific ways. Stallions were tethered next to the tent while mares and foals were free to seek forage. The stallions were covered from head to tail with up to seven layers of felt, which kept their coat short and shiny. Before raids they were put on a sparse diet to prepare them for the long ride through the desert with no water and hardly any feed.[17] The horses were called Argamaks (divine or Sacred Horses) by the Russians,[18] and were cherished by those who valued their speed and stamina in the desert and loyalty to their owner. Han emperors from China sacrificed armies to obtain just a few of the precious "Argamaks".[19]
In 1881, Turkmenistan became part of the Russian Empire. The tribes fought with the tsar, eventually losing. In the process, however, the Russian general Kuropatkin developed a fondness for horses he had seen while fighting the tribesmen, founded a breeding farm after the war and renamed the horses, "Akhal-Tekes", after the Teke Turkmen tribe that lived around the Akhal oasis (near Geok Tepe). The Russians closed the studbook in 1932 which included 287 stallions and 468 mares. Stallions are not gelded in Central Asia. The studbook was printed in 1941.
The Akhal-Teke has had influence on many breeds, possibly including the Thoroughbred through the Byerly Turk (which may have been Akhal-Teke, an Arabian, or a Turkoman Horse), one of the three foundation stallions of the breed. Three other stallions, known as the "Lister Turk", the "White Turk", and the "Yellow Turk" also contributed to the foundation of the Thoroughbred breed.[20] The Trakehner has also been influenced by the Akhal-Teke, most notably by the stallion, Turkmen-Atti, as have the Russian breeds Don, Budyonny, Karabair, and Karabakh.
The breed suffered greatly when the Soviet Union required horses to be slaughtered for meat, even though local Turkmen refused to eat them.[21] At one point only 1,250 horses remained and export from the Soviet Union was banned. The government of Turkmenistan now uses the horses as diplomatic presents as well as auctioning a few to raise money for improved horse breeding programs.[22]
In the early twentieth century, crossbreeding between the Thoroughbred and the Akhal-Teke took place, aiming to create a faster long-distance racehorse.[23] The Anglo Akhal-Tekes were not so resilient however, as their Akhal-Teke ancestors, and many died due to the harsh conditions of Central Asia. After the 2,600 mile endurance race from Ashkabad to Moscow in 1935, when the purebreds finished in much better condition than the part-breds, the studbook management decided to consider all crossbred horses born after 1936, as not purebred. Horses with English Thoroughbred ancestors born prior to that date were allowed to remain inside the studbook (e.g. 044 Tillyakush, grandson of Thoroughbred Burlak, 831 Makh, granddaughter of Thoroughbred Blondelli and great-great-granddaughter of Thoroughbred Junak, and line founder 9 Ak Belek, a direct descendent in the male line of the Thoroughbred stallion Fortingbrass). Since 1973, all foals must be blood typed to be accepted in the stud book in order to protect the integrity of the breed. From 2014 on, a DNA test based on hair follicles is sufficient if the DNA of the parents is on file.[24] A stallion not producing the right type of horse may be removed. Nowadays, artificial insemination is allowed as well as embryo transfer. The surrogate mother, however, needs to be a pureblood Akhal Teke mare for the foal to be registered in the General Studbook as a pureblood Akhal Teke.
Turkmenistan[edit]
Turkmenistan has a separate agency - Turkmen Atlary responsible for the breeding, training and maintenance of Akhal-Teke horses.[25] However, their work has been the focus of criticism from the President himself.[26] They are the administrative arm of the International Akhal-Teke Horse Association, an association that meets once or twice a year upon invitation in Ashgabat. Most of the bigger breeding farms and national Akhal Teke associations as well as Akhal Teke owners and representatives of the horse industry from around the world attend.[27][28] There is a horse racing organization called "Galkinysh" .[29] In Ashgabat, the Ahalteke equestrian complex,[30] one of the largest in Central Asia, is a horse-breeding center. The former Akhal-Teke horse Holiday, celebrated on the last Sunday in April, has been renamed 'Turkmen Horse Day'[31][32]
Uses[edit]
Akhal-Teke under saddle
Free jumping Akhal-Teke
The Akhal-Teke, due to its natural athleticism, can be a sport horse, good at dressage, show jumping, eventing, racing, and endurance riding. A noted example was the Akhal-Teke stallion, Absent, who won the Grand Prix de Dressage at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, while being ridden by Sergei Filatov. He went again with Filatov to win the bronze individual medal in Tokyo in the 1964 Summer Olympics, an
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Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
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Horse Breeds Pictures for Kids Black and White to Color Funny Hd Wallpapepr Images Pics
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