Horses : AKHAL TEKE

Origin: Turkmenistan

Australian Status:

International Status: The Akhal Teke is considered VULNERABLE globally by the EST.

Arrived in Australia: 1997. Pronounced "ahal teekee." It's worth noting  Australia imported many horses from India in our colonial days - mostly Persians and Turkomans (an early name for Akhal Tekes). Some went into the Australian Stud Book (Thoroughbred) which thus gained more eastern blood than others. Some of these were Akhal Tekes. Turkoman genes have showed up in a Waler that was DNA tested. Articles such as "The Teki Turkoman" appeared in several Australian newspapers in 1876-77, describing the horses and praising them, and saying they were prized in India and England. The book Clouds in the East :Travels and Adventure in the Perso-Turkoman Frontier by Valentine Baker, published by Chatto and Windlass in 1876 provided extracts for these articles.

Australian Population: Possibly 9 purebreds in total. 1 in WA, rest in QLD and 2 purebred foals expected, from imported semen, for 2020. No Akhal Teke stallions at stud in Australia now that Mukam has been gelded. Grateful thanks to Denise of the registry fornumbers). Several crossbreds. Another mare and stallion due to arrival later this year, 2022.
Purebreds:
Mansur (stallion)

1. Asha Ozal (mare, imported in foal to Russian stallion - announcement on Khan Tekes facebook page re purchase and pending arrival March 2022).
2. Kenar (mare)
3. Setara (mare)
4. JBK Mukam (gelding)

HIstory: Romance follows the breed through history - the horse people of central Asia, particularly the nomadic Turkman people developed this elegant breed. They originated in the countries now ending in 'stan' - Turkmenistan is regarded as the first home of the Akhal Teke. Numbers were reduced in former Soviet times when private ownership was banned and the horses put onto collective farms and many used for meat. Once, Turkmen raided at great speed into Persia on these horses - nothing could catch them. 

Numbers are now recovering due to the efforts of many, starting with a group of brave Turkmen who rode their Akhal Tekes all the way to rulers in Moscow in 1935 to ask for the breed to be saved. The breed owes much to the extraordinary efforts of Geldi/Geldy Kyarizov who alerted people to their plight and made long endurance rides in more recent times to show what they could do. In his travel to several countries of the region, from Turkmenistan, he collected some of the breed and helped others set up studs. Turkmenistan, now an independent country, recognises Akhal Tekes as a National Treasure. Ironically, Geldi was imprisoned for trying to keep the breed pure against corrupt government official practises such as crossing to Thoroughbreds. After 14 years of suffering he was permitted to flee the country, in 2015.

In 1881 when Russia gained Turkmenistan in conflict, the general Kuropatkin saw the horses and admired them greatly. He took some back to Russia to start a stud - naming the breed Akhal Teke after the Turkman Teke people who live about the Akhal oasis. The Russians started a comprehensive studbook. Thoroughbreds were introduced to the breed so now most Akhal Tekes trace to a Thoroughbred. Ironically the Thoroughbred itself has Akhal Teke ancestry. The breed was thought to number about 6,500 globally but with the work going into cleaning up the studbook, there is now though to be around 4,500. It is also thought the breed goes back several thousand years. Cave art in Uzbekistan such as at Aravan shows horses of the same elegant build. In China some are used today for polo. Most are in Russia. Genghis Khan is thought to have ridden an Akhal Teke. The past great Ameer of Afghanistan, Abdul Rahman, rode a Turkoman. 

Some Akhal Tekes were in NSW during the past couple of decades but seem to have dropped out of sight, it's not known if they bred. Several partbreds have been bred in Queensland and WA in recent times.

Breed traits: Tall, elegant, with the spare conformation of a true stayer. An irridescent coat is a trait with many of this breed, caused by each hair being hollow hence reflecting light. The cream gene brings this out most strongly, theories are it helped camouflage them in desert conditions or came from the centuries old custom of keeping the stallions tethered near yurts with their bodies and necks covered with layers of felt before campaigns - thus constantly polished coats possibly became a change in hair structure. The sooty gene in some lends a counter shading effect which highlights the iridescence.

An athletic breed. A long, straight, sometimes convex nose. Known for great stamina and speed. Good shoulders, defined wither. 14.2  to 16hh. Solid colours and dilutions, roan is thought absent. Some have white markings.  Several congenital conditions must be watched for such as naked foal syndrome, cryptorchidism, wobbler; in some lines. Once prized for their abilities rather than aesthetics. 

Uses: Racing, endurance, dressage, jumping, cross-country, polo.

Breed Organisation: Akhal Teke Horses Australia http://www.akhaltekesaustralia.com.au/? (This Australian organisation has never been active as far as can be ascertained, and does not reply to queries, but website a useful source for information).
 

The international overseeing body VNIIK, based in Russia. They have a website in English which has been inactive since 2009. The Akhal Teke Association of America has registering details - basically all Tekes are registered in the Russian studbook, which is a closed studbook. This is the Russian registry, in English.

Additional Notes: Akhal Tekes of Australia website  - information and lovely photos of some Achal Tekes in Australia.

Khan Tekes is a stud and has an active facebook page.
D'Haram Tekes is a stud with the only stallion in Australia , in Western Australia, and have a Facebook page.

Photos:

Top; JBK Mukam, now gelded was the only Akhal Teke stallion in Australia, owned by Denise Kaye's Die Kinder Stud, in Queensland. Photo kindly supplied by Denise. 

Bottom; Gelmay, purebred Akhal Teke mare. Photo kindly supplied by Denis Kaye. 

(population & breed organisation updated 22/05/2020 by A.Y.)

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