The Akhal-Teke horse originated in Turkmenistan, a republic in Central Asia, and is said to be descended from the Nisean horse, which existed 3,000 years ago. Believed to be a direct descendant of the extinct Turkmen horse, it was specifically bred by tribesmen of Turkmenistan for long desert rides and prized for its speed and endurance during desert raids. The breed took its name from a series of oases on the north side of the Kopet Dag Mountains that were inhabited by the Turkmen Tekke tribe.
The breed's proud lineage stretches back to classical times and historic Greece, and may even include Alexander the Great's horse, Bucephalus. This vast horse was said to be afraid of its own shadow, and Alexander turned the animal toward the sun to ride it for the first time. Bucephalus is described as a horse with black fur and a vast white star on its forehead. He is also said to have had a “baltzey” (black eye) and was bred to be that of the “best Thessalian breed.”
Akhal-Teke. Bob Langrish photo
The Persians also had an incredible cavalry with many different breeds of horses. In his stable, Xerxes had Nisean horses (or horses from the city of Nisaia, located in the Nisean Plain at the foot of the southern region of the Zagros Mountains in Iran) that had many notable features that were passed down to their descendants. One of these was a bony nub on their foreheads, often referred to as horns. It is quite possible that King Darius, a descendant of Xerxes, intoxicated by the success of defeating the Greeks, could have given Nisean stallions to the Macedonians. So Bucephalus could have descended from Nisean horses mixed with the “best Thessalian line.”
The horse's name translates as ox-head. Was that because he was stubborn? Or because he was a handsome, ram-headed horse with “horns” like an ox? If he was a descendant of Thessalonica mares covered by Persian stallions, then it is quite conceivable that Alexander's favorite stallion did indeed have an ox-head like the Carthusian, the Lusitano and the Spanish Mustang.
In 1881, Turkmenistan was overrun by the Russian Empire. Russian General Kuropatkin developed a fondness for horses he had seen fighting the tribesmen. After the war, he set up a breeding farm near the Akhal oasis and renamed the horses “Akhal-Teke.” Eighty years later, as Russia struggled to modernize after World War II, the Akhal-Teke breed was nearly wiped out. It was during the rule of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, in the Cool War of the 1950s and 1960s, that the party decreed that the horses could not be used for any purpose other than meat production. Saparmurad Niyazov, leader of the Communist Party of Turkmenistan, ended the slaughter in the slow 1980s; by that time only about 1,250 animals remained.
Today, Akhal-Tekes are the national symbol of Turkmenistan and appear on the country's official coat of arms as well as on banknotes and postage stamps. The government offers the horses as diplomatic gifts and auctions some to raise money to improve its breeding programs. Akhal-Tekes are now bred all over the world.
Characteristics
Akhal-Teke. Bob Langrish photo
The Akhal-Teke is a slender, elegant horse with a long, skinny neck and a noble head with a straight or moderately arched face, which has vast, expressive eyes and alert ears. High withers, deep chest and long, slender body sit on long legs with diminutive but sturdy hooves. The mane and tail are usually silky and skinny. The average size ranges from 14.2 to 16 hands.
Coat colors include chestnut, brown, palomino, gray, dun, black and cream, but the breed's most striking feature is the natural metallic sheen of their coat. These horses are known for their golden dun or palomino coloring, a result of the cream gene, a dilution gene that also produces the perlino and cremello colors.
The Akhal-Teke is bright, quick to learn and gentle, but can also be very sensitive, temperamental, brave and stubborn.
Application
The Akhal-Teke, with its long strides and speedy, agile and supple gait, is an ideal horse for endurance competitions and flat racing. Its athleticism also makes it suitable for dressage, show jumping and eventing. A notable example is the Akhal-Teke stallion Absent, who won the Grand Prix de Dressage at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, an individual bronze medal at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo (Sergei Filatov) and a team gold medal at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City (Ivan Kalita).
For more information:
Akhal-Teke Horse Association
Akhal-Teke Association of America
