THE AKHAL TEKE HORSE

Origin and History: The Akhal-Teke descends from the Turkmene horse, which is believed to be of Scythian type. Originally bred as war and raiding horses, the Akhal-Teke remains a powerful and sure-footed horse that exhibits excellent stamina and endurance as well.

The Akhal-Teke breed is named for the Teke tribe that were a nomadic people descended from the Scythians. The Akhal oasis was home to the Teke tribe, whose summer and winter ranges were located in the plains of Turkmenistan and the Northern region of the Kopet-Dag Mountains. The breeds lineage was kept through an oral tradition of maintaining the breeds records. This tradition along with the breeds relative isolation has helped to keep the breed pure. Like other nomadic peoples whose lifestyle relied upon their prized horses, the Tekes brought their horses into their tents, gave them the best feed available, and were used as the true measure of wealth.

Breed Standard and Characteristics: The unique appearance of the Akhal-Teke horse comes from evolving to fit their surroundings and uses. The rugged existence of a nomadic raiding horse along with the cold desert nights and sparse grazing season has lent to the resilience and hardiness of this breed.

The head is long and narrow, particularly between the eyes and muzzle and often described as dry and has a chiseled appearance. The ears are slim and are set forward allowing them to swivel easily in alertness. The eyes are sometimes almond-shaped or oriental, but should be large and expressive. The neck is long and slim, with a refined throatlatch and should be set high on the shoulder. The withers are prominent, lending to the free-moving shoulders.

The overall appearance of the Akhal-Teke is long and slim. The chest is narrow with a deep heart girth, and the back is long with a level croup. The Akhal-Teke is a medium sized horse that is well-muscled without added bulk. The average horse should be in the range of 14.3hh to 16hh.

Modern Uses: The Akhal-Teke horse excels in endurance and racing, as the qualities of stamina and speed were essential to their existence in history. Today they are also being used in Dressage, Eventing, Jumping, and Western events.

Colors: The colors within the Akhal-Teke breed are diverse and include the following:
Dominant Black (also called Electric Black and Raven Black), Mahogany Bay, Dark Golden Dun, Light Palomino, Dunskin, Liver Chestnut, Chestnut, Bay, Palomino, Cremello, Golden Bay, Golden Chestnut, Claybank or Red Dun, Grulla, Cream Grulla, Grey, and Perlino. The metallic sheen in the golden colors is a breed distinction. There are no disallowed colors. White markings are common in the Akhal-Teke, including loud sabino and rabicano markings.

Population: The Akhal-Teke are used in America, Asia, Europe, Australia and other countries. In America they number in the hundreds and are gaining in popularity.

Breed Registry Link(s)
www.akhal-teke.org home of the Akhal-Teke Association of America, Inc

Writer: Angela Crawford is a writer for the popular Horse Classifieds website, PerfectSteed.com