NWBHC Equinealities, Akhal Teké

Akhal-Teké

Group	Hotblood
Influences	Turkoman ?
Breeds Influenced	Trakehner Don Karabakh Karabair
Characteristics	stands around 15.2 hands fast with great endurance a distinctive and elegant breed beautifully shaped head expressive eyes and long ears slender neck and long body with sloping quarters strong legs and large feet fine and silky mane and tail
Colors	metallic chestnut honey gold with black points bay silvery grey black yellow dun *all coat colors often with golden highlights (metallic bloom or sheen)
Odd Facts	Believed pure bred for over 4,000 years. Possible relationship between the Akhal-Teké and the Arabian Munaghi racing strain. Closely related to the Iomud, which is also directly descended from the Turkoman.

Overview:

The Akhal Teké is a warm- or hot-blood originating in the Turkoman Steppes of Russia. It stands around 15 hands and is usually bay, chestnut, grey or black, usually with metallic sheen. It has an elegant, long head, straight profile, a long, thin neck and a long back. The tail is low-set and silky and the long legs have light, strong bone. The breed has features of being hardy, temperamental, fast, and versatile. It has a bold temperament, but can be obstinate. The Akhal Teké is used as a riding horse. This breed has been strongly influenced by the Turkoman from which it descends.

The Akhal Teké is believed to be a strain of the ancient Turkmene or Turkoman horse which traces back over 2,500 years and was much favored by mounted warriors. It is notable for its outstanding powers of endurance and is an ideal horse in desert conditions. Akhal Tekés took part in the famous trek from Ashkabad to Moscow in 1935, a distance of over 4,100 km (2,500 miles) which included 360 km (225 miles) of desert. The latter were covered in three days by these extraordinary horses traveling totally withour water. The Akhal Teké is a very distinctive small, wiry horse, giving an overall appearance og being long and lean. It has a long head and neck, set on to a long body and legs, with sloping quarters and low-set tail. Both mane and tail are sparse and very fine in texture and the predominant color is a very striking gold which often has a metallic sheen. Greys and bays do also occur and the average height is 14.2 to 15.2 hands high. The one disadvantage of the Akhal Teké is its uncertain temper which may, however, be the result of its environment. It can be extremely obstinate, but when cooperative, makes a good all-round saddle horse that has excelled at such diverse activities as racing and dressage.

Physical Description:

An elegant, narrow, and light-framed horse, the Akhal Teké has an intelligent and beautiful head with a face that is usually straight. The face may be slightly Roman or concave below the forehead. It has large, expressive eyes and long ears. It has a straight, long and narrow neck and high withers, and its shoulder has good shape. Its body tends to be shallow, and its back and loins lack strength and muscle. It has a straight to slightly sloping croup with a low-set tail. It has fine, strong thighs and a long forearm. The cannons are short and the hindleg often sickle-shaped. It has small strong feet and little hair in the mane and tail.

Origin:

Bred around the oases of the Karakum Desert, the principal breeding center of the Akhal Teké is at Ashkahad. While it has contributed to many breeds, the Akhal Teke has been successfully influenced by none. An unsuccessful attempt was made to cross the breed with the Thoroughbred. The Turkomans used the Akhal Teké for racing and prepared it for the task with great care. They fed the Akhal Teké alfalfa, pellets of mutton fat, eggs, barley, and fried dough cake, and wrapped it in felt as a protection against heat and cold.

Other Facts:

While the Akhal-Teke lacks the size generally accepted for competition breeds, there have been notable exceptions to this general rule. The stallion, Absent, won the individual gold medal in dressage for the USSR at the 1960 Olympic Games. Several Akhal Tekes have been good show-jumpers. In 1935 a group of Akhal Tekes performed an outstanding feat of endurance when they traveled 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from Ashkhabad to Moscow. This epic journey included 3 days spent crossing a desert without water. (International Encyclopedia of Horse Breeds)

The hot-blooded Akhal Teké originated in the desert environment of northern Eurasia in the region of Turkmenistan (part of the former Soviet Union) about 3,000-2,000 B.C. The Akhal Teké is of national importance and makes an excellence jumper. It is a horse of the meso-dolichomorphic type and stands from around 14.2 or 14.2 hands to 15.2 hands high. The Akhal Teké is an ancient breed with endless stamina and an ability to withstand extreme temperatures and lack of food. The metallic sheen of the famous Akhal Teké chestnut is most frequently seen. Akhal Tekés may also be honey gold with black points, chestnut, bay, gray, black or yellow dun. All coat colors often have golden highlights, called metallic bloom or sheen, and occasionally white markings occur.

The world's mystery horse, the Akhal-Teké is a modern thin-skinned, fine coated, and heat-resistant desert horse. Believed descended from the ancient Turkmene horse, the Akhal Teké is an undemanding horse capable of adaptation to variable climates. The Turkmenes are now extinct. From their Central Asian homeland, many Akhal Tekés were trekked from Ashkhabad to Moscow in 1935 over a distance of 250 miles (400 km). These horses crossed the Karakum desert in only three days without any water.

This ancient Russian horse has been bred in Turkmenistan, Central Asia, for centuriess by nomadic Turkmen tribes. The tribesmen lived in a very isolated area which is surrounded by mountains and desert. The Russians claim that the Akhal-Teké has never been crossed with other breeds. The isolation of the area in which the Akhal Teké was bred lends substance to the Russian claim. The Akhal Teké is believed to be a pure breed of ancient lineage -- more than 4,000 years. The tribesmen protected their breed of horse and took great pride in its purity. There are others who claim that the Akhal Teké may have descended from horses the Mongols left behind during their raids in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Akhal Teké bears a very close resemblance to the Turkoman (from Iran). Therefore many believe that the breed originated from the Turkoman, but it may have been the other way around. There is archaeological evidence that the Akhal Teké existed over 3,000 years ago in the area of present-day Turkmenistan. The Akhal Teké was also the original war horse of the Turkmen warriors. Now the Akhal Teké is used for racing, competitions and cross-breeding.

The Akhal Teké may have had an influence on the development of many breeds as the Byerly Turk (one of the Thoroughbred's foundation sires) probably had Akhal-Teké blood. Since the fact cannot be authenticated due to its antiquity, equine historians are unsure of this claim. The Polish and West German Trakehner does have some Akhal Teké blood, as do many of the Russian breeds, such as the Don, Karabakh and Karabair. Among the chief bases of the Akhal-Teké is the Tersk stud in the northern Caucasus, where it is being used in the evolution of new breeds.

This is unique and eye-catching breed has enormous stamina and the ability to withstand great extremes of temperature. This may be due to its use as the chief mount of the Turkmen warrior for many centuries. Since it was used as a charger, weak specimens were not allowed to survive. And because food was scarce in the arid Asian desert, these horses were tethered and fed mixtures of alfalfa and barley by hand, rather than being allowed to roam free to graze in herds.

Its fine, light head is well set-on, having a straight profile and broad forehead. Its ears are long and mobile with good width between them and its large eyes are lively and expressive. The muzzle is slender with flared nostrils to give it a bold expression. The long, thin but well-formed neck is set very high and is carried almost vertically to its body with the head at a 45ş angle. While its neck is occasionally swan-necked, its withers are clean and pronounced. Though the chest is not full, it is in proportion, and the shoulder is sloping. It has a long, straight back with a slightly sloping croup and tucked up abdomen. Its girth appears to lack depth due to exceptional length of legs. A long, tubelike, and narrow body gives an the impression of a spare, long-muscled, sinewy horse. Its long, slender and strong legs have broad, clean joints set high off the ground and clearly defined tendons. The pasterns are long, and the well-formed foot, small hooves and low-set heels. The Akhal Teke has thin skin with short, soft, silky hair. The short mane is sparse and extremely fine.

With an aptitude as a riding horse, the Akhal Teké has qualities as a good jumper, with speed and stamina. It has a lively and courageous temperament, though it may sometimes be rebellious and stubborn. With a full-flowing and supple action, the Akhal Teké has an outstanding aptitude for speed and remarkable endurance. With a long history of racing, attempts were made at the beginning of the 20th century to make the Akhal Teké faster with infusions of Thoroughbred blood. Offspring from these crosses became known as Anglo-Tekés, and while they proved to be quite fast over long distances, they were still smaller than their Thoroughbred parents and lacked the distinctive features of their Akhal Teké parents.

The Akhal Teké possesses boundless stamina and endurance, performing unequaled feats over exceptional distances and in desert conditions. Today, the Akhal Teké races, is a long-distance performer, and competes in jumping and dressage. It is a spirited animal, hardy and with great stamina, and very versatile. The Akhal Teké is a top-class riding horse excelling in competitive events and it is also a prized race horse. The hot-blooded Akhal Teké is one of the world's oldest breeds that is today an excellent riding horse highly valued in its native Russia.

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© 1997-2007 NW Breyer Horse Club
& Refiner of Gold Creations
Equinealities in place since 1997,
Section in place 2001,
Updated 3/13/2007