UNESCO has announced that it has inscribed the art of breeding Akhal-Teke horses in Turkmenistan on the World Tangible Heritage List.
Akhalteke horses were first described more than 3,000 years ago. The American NGO Livestock Conservancy has included the breed on its list of endangered breeds: according to various sources, there are around 7,000 left in the world.
In 1935, a group of horses travelled 2,500 miles from Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, to Moscow in 84 days. One of the stages was a 225-mile crossing of the Karakum Desert.
The most famous member of this unique breed was Absinthe, who won an Olympic dressage gold medal in 1960 and a total of six medals in his career - the most ever won by a single horse.
Eziz Boyarov
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