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 foundation stallions of the breed. The Trakehner has also been influenced by the Akhal-Teke, most notably by the stallion Turkmen-Atti, as has the Russian breeds Don, Budyonny, Karabair, and Karabakh.
The breed suffered greatly when the Soviet Union required horses to be slaughtered for meat, which however the local Turkmen refused to eat. At one point only 2,000 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. Male horses are not gelded in Central Asia.
In the early 20th century, crossing between the Thoroughbred and the Akhal-Teke took place, aiming to create a faster long-distance racehorse. However, the Anglo Akhal-Tekes were not as resilient as their Akhal-Teke ancestors, and many died due to the harsh conditions of Central Asia. The crossbreeding was ended in 1935, after the 2,600 mile endurance race from Ashkabad to Moscow, when the pure-breds finished in much better condition than the part-breds. The Thoroughbred cross is believed to have been so destructive to the breed that a horse with Thoroughbred ancestors must have 15 generations pass before it can be registered in the studbook. Since 1973, all foals must be blood-typed to be accepted in the stud book in order to protect the purity. A stallion not producing the right type of horse can be removed. The stud book was closed in 1975.
The Teke is one of the original hot-bloods, like an Arab or a Thoroughbred.
Uses of the Akhal-Teke
Because of the purity of the ancient breed, the Akhal-Teke has been used for developing new breeds, most recently the Nez Perce Horse (Appaloosa x Akhal-Teke). The Akhal-Teke, due to its natural athleticism, makes it a great sport horse, good at dressage, show jumping, eventing, racing, and endurance riding.
One such great sport horse was the Akhal-Teke stallion Absent, who won the individual gold medal in Rome at the 1960 Olympics, at the age of 8, ridden by Sergei Filatov. He went again with Filatov to win the bronze individual medal in Tokyo in the 1964 Olympics, and won the Soviet team gold medal under Ivan Kalita at the 1968 Olympics in MexicoCity.
External Links
- (French) Akhal-Teke France, French association of the Akhal-Teke horse. http://www.akhal-teke.fr/
- Akhal-Teke Association of America. http://akhal-teke.org/
- International Association of Akhal-Teke Breeders. http://www.maakcenter.org/
- Articles about Akhal-Teke horses: introduction, in US, history (translated from Russian. http://www.akhal-teke-horses.com/AboutAkhalTeke.php
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