Post by [B. e a u t i f u l S.inner] on May 27, 2007 17:20:48 GMT -5
Okay well I'm bored =P And I thought if I gave a bit of background information on one horse breed a week it would help people decide what breed of horse they want to join ect. And it might be fun to read. Well this week's Horse of the Week is...
-drumroll-
The...
AKHAL-TEKE!!
The Akhal-Teke is a very old breed, related to the ancient Turkoman horse that was the preferred mount of Eastern warriors some 2,500 years ago. Horses of a very similar type, probably the ancestors of the modern Akhal-Teke, was bred in Ashkhabad as long ago as 1,000 B.C. They were bred primarily as racehorses, and this is the pursuit the modern Akhel-Teke is still used for and at which it excels. Interestingly, it is also widely believed that the famous Bucephalus, favored mount of Alexander the Great, was of Turkmenian blood and, therefor, closely related to the Akhal-Teke.
The Akhal-Teke is something of a unique breed bearing many of the characteristics associated with the postulated Horse Type 3, which again points to its very early development. Found mainly in the Turkmenistan area of Central Asia, the Akhal-Teke was developed by the Turkoman tribes as a horse capable of great endurance and stamina, and able to cope with the extremes of heat and cold associated with that area. They are unrivaled in their powers of endurance, having famously traveled in 1935 from Ashkabad to Moscow, a distance of 2,500 miles (4,000 km), which included crossing 235 miles (376 km), of desert with no water.
The Akhal-Teke is believed to be related to the Arabian breed and bears a distinct similarity to the Munaghi Arabian, which is also bred for racing. The similarities between these ancient breeds have raised the question as to which influenced the other and, therefor, which one came first. The Ahkal-Teke does not have good conformation in the Western sense, but is possessed of an extraordinary elegance and beauty.
They are characteristically very long and slender through the frame, giving them the appearance of an equine greyhound. They have a finely modelled head and an unusually long and muscular neck, which is set very upright on the shoulders. The shoulders are sloping allowing for a particularly soft gait, possibly developed through the years of working on the sandy terrain of their homeland. They are deep through the chest, but are very narrow, and this narrowness continues back through the frame. The withers are high, and the back is long with a shallow rib cage. The croup is often slightly sloping, and is muscular and powerful. They are long in the leg and have fine bone. The hind legs particularly have a long and thin thigh, and are occasionaly sickle hocked. The legs are extremely tough and hard with well-defined tendons and well-formed hard feet. Their coat colors vary from a golden dun, though palomino, chestnut, bay, and gray, and have an unusual metallic sheen. Often the mane and tail hair is sparse.
The Akhal-Teke was traditionally, and continues to be, used for racing as is also a useful riding horse, able to compete in both dressage and jumping competitions. An interesting point to note regarding the Akhal-Teke is that they invariably move ;above the bit,' which means that their mouth is above the level of the rider's hands. This is mainly due to their very upright conformation through the neck and head. Akhal-Tekes used in the dressage world have to be trained to carry their head and necks lower to ensure they are not 'above the bit' and moving in a technically incorrect manner. The Akhal-Teke is often used for crossbreeding with and recently Thoroughbred blood was introduced to increase their racing speeds. Although the TB cross produces an attractive and workable horse, much of the Akhal-Teke's great natural endurance is lost. There are now efforts being made to keep th pureness of the Akhal-Teke and they are being bred at Lugov in Kazakhstan, Gubden in Dagestan, and in Komosomol Stud at Ashkhabad.
The Akhal-Teke has always been prized by the Turkoman people who care for them in an unusual way, when compared with Western practices. The horses are maintained in hard condition with good, muscular development and not an ounce of fat on them. Traditionally, they would rug them in thick felt blankets, both to ward off the cold of desert nights, and also to produce sweating during the intense heat of the day to prevent any surplus fat. They were also traditionally fed on a diet of alfalfa, corn, bread, eggs, or mutton fat. They are relatively small horses, standing between 14.2 hh and 15.2 hh, and are lively, alert, courageous, and occasionaly rebellious.
WOW that is a lot... And I typed all of that! It took forever =P So I understand if you don't wanna read all of it.
Note: copyright of The Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies by Tamsin Pickeral.
-drumroll-
The...
AKHAL-TEKE!!
The Akhal-Teke is a very old breed, related to the ancient Turkoman horse that was the preferred mount of Eastern warriors some 2,500 years ago. Horses of a very similar type, probably the ancestors of the modern Akhal-Teke, was bred in Ashkhabad as long ago as 1,000 B.C. They were bred primarily as racehorses, and this is the pursuit the modern Akhel-Teke is still used for and at which it excels. Interestingly, it is also widely believed that the famous Bucephalus, favored mount of Alexander the Great, was of Turkmenian blood and, therefor, closely related to the Akhal-Teke.
The Akhal-Teke is something of a unique breed bearing many of the characteristics associated with the postulated Horse Type 3, which again points to its very early development. Found mainly in the Turkmenistan area of Central Asia, the Akhal-Teke was developed by the Turkoman tribes as a horse capable of great endurance and stamina, and able to cope with the extremes of heat and cold associated with that area. They are unrivaled in their powers of endurance, having famously traveled in 1935 from Ashkabad to Moscow, a distance of 2,500 miles (4,000 km), which included crossing 235 miles (376 km), of desert with no water.
The Akhal-Teke is believed to be related to the Arabian breed and bears a distinct similarity to the Munaghi Arabian, which is also bred for racing. The similarities between these ancient breeds have raised the question as to which influenced the other and, therefor, which one came first. The Ahkal-Teke does not have good conformation in the Western sense, but is possessed of an extraordinary elegance and beauty.
They are characteristically very long and slender through the frame, giving them the appearance of an equine greyhound. They have a finely modelled head and an unusually long and muscular neck, which is set very upright on the shoulders. The shoulders are sloping allowing for a particularly soft gait, possibly developed through the years of working on the sandy terrain of their homeland. They are deep through the chest, but are very narrow, and this narrowness continues back through the frame. The withers are high, and the back is long with a shallow rib cage. The croup is often slightly sloping, and is muscular and powerful. They are long in the leg and have fine bone. The hind legs particularly have a long and thin thigh, and are occasionaly sickle hocked. The legs are extremely tough and hard with well-defined tendons and well-formed hard feet. Their coat colors vary from a golden dun, though palomino, chestnut, bay, and gray, and have an unusual metallic sheen. Often the mane and tail hair is sparse.
The Akhal-Teke was traditionally, and continues to be, used for racing as is also a useful riding horse, able to compete in both dressage and jumping competitions. An interesting point to note regarding the Akhal-Teke is that they invariably move ;above the bit,' which means that their mouth is above the level of the rider's hands. This is mainly due to their very upright conformation through the neck and head. Akhal-Tekes used in the dressage world have to be trained to carry their head and necks lower to ensure they are not 'above the bit' and moving in a technically incorrect manner. The Akhal-Teke is often used for crossbreeding with and recently Thoroughbred blood was introduced to increase their racing speeds. Although the TB cross produces an attractive and workable horse, much of the Akhal-Teke's great natural endurance is lost. There are now efforts being made to keep th pureness of the Akhal-Teke and they are being bred at Lugov in Kazakhstan, Gubden in Dagestan, and in Komosomol Stud at Ashkhabad.
The Akhal-Teke has always been prized by the Turkoman people who care for them in an unusual way, when compared with Western practices. The horses are maintained in hard condition with good, muscular development and not an ounce of fat on them. Traditionally, they would rug them in thick felt blankets, both to ward off the cold of desert nights, and also to produce sweating during the intense heat of the day to prevent any surplus fat. They were also traditionally fed on a diet of alfalfa, corn, bread, eggs, or mutton fat. They are relatively small horses, standing between 14.2 hh and 15.2 hh, and are lively, alert, courageous, and occasionaly rebellious.
WOW that is a lot... And I typed all of that! It took forever =P So I understand if you don't wanna read all of it.
Note: copyright of The Encyclopedia of Horses and Ponies by Tamsin Pickeral.