The Golden Horse
Published by GHC • Sep 5th, 2007 • Category: International Horse, Junior Bloggers, by Madelainaby Madelaina, age 11
“Hey, I just saw a golden horse!” your friend calls to you. You shake your head. “Do you mean palomino? Or dun?”
Her face looks tuned out, but regardless of that she keeps going. “No, I don’t think so. But really, it’s gold, as in…gold!”
You’re confused, but as your friend points to a slim, seemingly extremely underweight horse with long spindly legs, you scream. No need to worry, that horse was no more than a horse, but a very special horse called the Akhal Teke.
In the Turkmen language, the Akhal Teke is a breed of horse from Turkmenistan where they are regarded as their national emblem. These golden horses are known for their speed and endurance on long marches and of course, their rare coat colour. They are also noted as a fantastic sport horse in all areas of competition; dressage, eventing, racing, endurance riding and show jumping. Akhal Tekes have adapted to harsh climatic circumstances and are thought to be one of the oldest surviving horse breeds.
Currently about 3,500 of these rarities remain in the world, a great percentage in Russia, though they can also be found in Germany and the United States. The Tersk stud in the northern Caucasus Mountains is doing their part by breeding and trying to keep them in existence.
Standing at between 14.3 and 16.3 hands, Akhal Tekes are usually distinguished by their faint golden shade similar to buckskins with black points. In addition to their common gold colour, they can also be bay, chestnut, black or grey. Its coat has a natural metallic shine, stronger than the ones noted in palominos, buckskins or some light coloured bays. It has been thought the shades of the Akhal Teke’s coat were used for camouflage in desert areas.
As a result of the purity in the Akhal Tekes, they have been bred with other breeds to create new ones, such as the recent Nez Perce Horse developed from combining an Appaloosa and an Akhal Teke. It is believed this ancient breed had an influence on the Thoroughbred through Byerly Turk. Another well-known breed that has been influenced by the Akhal Teke is the Trakehner.
When the Soviet Union came along, the Akhal Teke had to suffer greatly, being required to be slaughtered to cure hunger though nearby Turkmen refused. There was one point when only 1,250 horses were left. Since then export from the Soviet Union was banned. Nowadays n Central Asia, males are not gelded, and the government of Turkmenistan uses the horses as what Wikipedia described as “diplomatic presents as well as auctioning a few to raise money for improved horse breeding programs.”
I believe the Akhal Teke is a significant breed we should all appreciate and preserve. From the first time I have seen them in a picture book; I’ve gotten motivated and was keen to learn more. Now that I have, I hope you had too. Next time your friend tells you she saw a golden horse, you can put on your professor hat!
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Those horses are so beautiful!!! It’s too bad that their’s only so many left.. :((
Aww! so THIS is what u wer talkin about! i was sitting here thinkin ‘whats The Golden Horse?’ cool, i love these horses so much, my friend does too :D. hunger, pah, what is hunger? I could never eat horse..
So cute! Good blog. :)
Wow, great writing! I also read that Akhal-Teke are usually aggressive. They are magnificent though. Anyway, great job. :)
Awesome blog Madelaina! I had no idea theses horses even exsisted! To bad there is not many left! :(( :((
ooooo i LOVE theses horses! but i never knew much about them! thanx for the blog! :D
Thank you very much everyone! Funny Animalsrkool, I was probably talking about the most valuable horse in the world! lol!
Awesome Blog! I love the message that you have wrote. Why would anyone hurt such awesome animals? Can anyone answer that question? I can’t.
-Hannah