BREED PROFILE
The Heavenly
AKHAL-TEKE
According to legend, these horses from the Central Asian steppes (now known as Turkmenistan) were born of the cheetah, eagle, and snake – for they were blessed with speed, endurance, and coats that shone with an otherworldly sheen in the sun. B Y MON I QU E N OB L E
In 433 B.C. a young boy, who saw that a horse was frightened of its shadow, turned it to face the sun and made history. That horse was Bucephalus, the legendary mount of Alexander the Great and he was an Akhal-Teke (pronounced ahk-al-tech-ay). Over two thousand years later, Akhal-Teke are once again in the spotlight as one of the most antiquated and rare breeds on Earth. According to legend, these horses from the Central Asian steppes, now known as Turkmenistan, were born of the cheetah, eagle, and snake, for they were blessed with speed, endurance, and coats that shone with an otherworldly sheen in the sun. Chinese emperors sought them, calling them the Heavenly Horses and still today they are called the “Heavenly Argamak” by some. They were the reason behind the first war fought over horses recorded in history, where the war of the Heavenly Horses took place between the Han Dynasty and the Persian Empire. Winning the war in 104 BC, China grew one of the most feared cavalries in Ancient Asia. When you look at an Akhal-Teke, you can almost see “cheetah” in their lithe athletic form. Bred for speed and endurance, their thin-looking frames belie a strength and athleticism that made them the breed of choice for the Nomadic desert tribes who revered and relied upon them. Akhal-Tekes are proud looking horses, with aristocratic, long narrow heads that taper into large well-developed dry nostrils 20
ALBERTA BITS I SPRING 2022
and distinctively thin lips. Their eyes are often hooded and almond shaped, a characteristic developed to protect them from the harsh desert climate from where they were born. Their ears are long but not mulish, crowning a neck that speaks to their snake mythos – long and sinuously graceful with a refined throatlatch and set high into the shoulders making them look ever alert. Although their chests are deeply set, from the front they appear quite narrow as they are not a girthy breed and often look thin or undernourished to an unknowing eye. Their backs appear longer than most breeds but are nonetheless strong and set into a prominent wither. Combined with a strong, long
“An Akhal-Teke horse’s movement is long, low, and slinky.” loin and graceful neck, the Akhal-Teke is an exquisitely balanced horse. Dense of bone, their legs are well muscled with large, flat knees and short, strong cannon bones leading into small but extremely tough hooves. A unique trait to the Akhal-Teke is that their fetlocks on the hind legs are longer and more sloped than the fetlocks on the front legs. This is the opposite of most horses and a testament to thousands of years adapting to sandy terrain.
A true desert horse, the Akhal-Teke is renowned for its stamina and hardiness in sparse, dry terrain. Desert tribes traditionally supplemented their horses’ rations with sheep fat mixed into their feed but now, more often, supplement their feed with raw eggs. Thin in both mane and tail, AkhalTeke horses come in all coat colours. Highly prized colours are cremelos, perlinos, palominos, and buckskins as these colours most dramatically show off the breed’s trademark metallic sheen. Their coats are quite fine; the metallic “golden” appearance is due to the opaque core (found at the center of other breeds’ hair shafts) being extremely thin or completely absent in Akhal-Teke horses with this trait. Thin skin is another characteristic of this exotic breed also known for being extremely sensitive and not always suited for beginners. Once a bond between horse and rider has been made, however, these intelligent horses are very loyal and frequently considered to be a “one-person” horse. “An Akhal-Teke horse’s movement is long, low, and slinky”, describes Cathy Liddy, secretary for the board of directors of the Akhal-Teke Association of America (ATAA). While not designated a gaited breed, a study of their unique flowing stride is underway. Incredibly athletic, fast-moving animals, they are surprisingly smooth. It is perhaps this last trait of almost seeming to fly that harkens back to their third fabled ancestor, the eagle. Researchers
