The American non-governmental organization entitled 'Livestock Conservancy' has listed the Akhalteke horse breed as threatened. Status on this list is determined by genetic uniqueness combined with a census of breeding populations.
'The Akhal-Teke descends from the raiding horses of Turkmenistan first described over 3,000 years ago'.
The report says the Akhal-Teke is a globally rare breed, with an estimated population of less than 7,000.
The Livestock Conservancy notes that, despite common Western beliefs, the Akhal-Teke almost certainly predates the development of the Arabian horse.
Furthermore, historically Turkmenian stocks had a profound influence on the development of horse breeds in Europe, most notably the English Thoroughbred.
'It is now hypothesized that at least two of the three founding sires of the Thoroughbred had Turkmenian blood, and were likely Akhal-Tekes».
It should be noted that Ashgabat has established the headquarters of the International Akhal-Teke Horse Association and has applied to UNESCO for inclusion on the World Heritage List.
Turkmenistan celebrates the Turkmen Horse Festival every year with an international Akhal-Teke beauty pageant.
Credits: Eziz Boyarov, Ashgabat
Comments (0)