Behind the Bit

Posted: 19 Jan 2010 04:59 PM PST

http://www.akhalteke.net/web/karakum.nsf/PermaLinks/TNKH-732NJD

These are such intriguing horses! The naturally high head carriage, the elegant heads, and exotic look make them beautiful. Their anorexic appearance makes me wonder a) why their owners don't feed them (joke!) and b) whether they will hold up to work. Well, guess what? They're beautiful and tough.

From whence they came
The breed is thought to have descended from the gazelle-like, light bodied horse of Central Asia, specifically in the southern region of the modern country of Turkmenistan. The native Turkoman horse of the Teke tribe, the Akhal Tekes were bred for raids on other tribes; they were valued for their speed, stamina and fiery temperament in order to withstand long distance raiding journeys.

What are their unique traits?

Their manes and tails are sparse -- some have no forelocks
They're rare -- world wide their numbers are in the low thousands, and in the U.S. there are around 250.
The Akhal Teke's especially silky hair shaft (see research on this trait) produces a unique metallic sheen.
Their hooves are tough and rarely require shoes.
They are alternately described as difficult/stubborn and independent/loyal, which can be thought of as two sides of the same coin (they are thought to be one-person horses).
In 1960, an Akhal-Teke purebred stallion, Absent, won the dressage gold medal and by the end of his career, had won 6 Olympic medals.

Speaking of dressage

An Akhal-Teke named Absent won the gold medal at the 1964 Rome Olympics, and in a June 2009 Chronicle of the Horse article, Axel Steiner wrote that Absent was among the first modern type dressage horses. Ranier Klimke rode Chan, an Akhal-Teke, to Grand Prix.

Here is some footage of the breed doing dressage...