{"id":44344,"date":"2025-01-22T10:38:31","date_gmt":"2025-01-22T15:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ehorses.com\/magazine\/?post_type=horse-breed&p=44344"},"modified":"2025-01-22T10:38:31","modified_gmt":"2025-01-22T15:38:31","slug":"akhal-teke","status":"publish","type":"horse-breed","link":"https:\/\/www.ehorses.com\/magazine\/horse-breed\/akhal-teke\/","title":{"rendered":"Akhal Teke"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Dazzling Akhal Teke horses are one of the world\u2019s most eye-catching breeds. Turkmenistan is their original homeland. The ancestors of these golden-coated horses are likely to have lived in this region for hundreds of years, making them one of the world\u2019s oldest breeds. Perhaps Akhal Tekes were even the \u201cHeavenly Horses,\u201d which were written about in legends long ago!<\/strong><\/p>

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Akhal Teke – History and Origins<\/h2>

Whether they are the Heavenly Horses or not, they have an intriguing history. It is closely tied to the Turkmen people, who treasure their golden beauties with coats that shine like polished metal. It\u2019s now known that modern domesticated horses were developed by humans<\/strong> on the steppe to the north of the Black Sea. Starting from here, horses were acquired and used by many other people.<\/p>

The Turkmen people were originally a tribe from Central Asia who were famous for their skill with horses. They probably originated near Lake Baikal in Siberia<\/strong>. As nomads, they moved around and finally migrated to the area of modern-day Turkmenistan in the 8th century CE. This territory, mostly covered by the Karakum Desert, lies to the southeast of the Caspian Sea.<\/p>

One of the powerful Turkmen tribes was named Teke. The name Akhal Teke can be translated as \u201chorses of the Teke people from the oases of Akhal.\u201d<\/strong> Oases are very important places to herders as they need to know where they can regularly water their animals in the desert.<\/p>

\"Akhal

The name Akhal Teke can be translated as \u201chorses of the Teke people from the oases of Akhal.<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tHow much do Akhal Teke Horses cost?\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhile it\u2019s possible to find horses under $10,000, it\u2019s not unusual for an Akhal Teke sports horse to cost over $50,000.\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Tales of the Heavenly Horses<\/h2>

Tall, lean Akhal Tekes also look similar to the horses buried in tombs at Pazyryk in Siberia. Some of these burials are 3,000 years old<\/strong>. When archaeologists excavated the tombs they discovered not only human remains, but also the bodies of horses dressed in fantastic harnesses. Their wonderful headdresses, shaped like deer antlers, were made from colored felt. The excavators wondered whether these horses buried in high-status tombs<\/strong> could be examples of the famous Heavenly Horses.<\/p>

These legendary horses were desirable to rulers in ancient times. References in various documents suggest they were special because they had almost supernatural powers of endurance<\/strong>. They were said to never tire, and to sweat blood! Powerful kings and emperors along the Silk Road all the way to China coveted them. They came from the Ferghana Valley, which is in present-day Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The Chinese wanted these horses<\/strong> so badly they went to war over them.<\/p>

It has been suggested that Alexander the Great\u2019s horse Bucephalus was an early example of this type of horse. Alexander wanted to incorporate the region from which they came into his world empire. It\u2019s also speculated that these were the horses the Romans knew as the Nisaean breed. The name Akhal Teke is relatively modern<\/strong>, dating only to 1881 when the Turkmenistan region came into the Russian sphere of influence. For many years, Turkmenistan was a republic within the USSR. Interestingly, this breed is known as the Argamak in Russian, as this means \u201cdivine looking.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

All the evidence does suggest that some of the ancestors of the Akhal Teke were the Heavenly Horses of legend<\/strong>. In late medieval and early modern times, European writers referred to the \u201cTurkoman\u201d horse, which was imported into Europe in considerable numbers. This type of horse is now known to have made an important contribution to the modern Thoroughbred. Today, this lovely modern Turkmen horse is the symbol<\/strong> of Turkmenistan and Turkmen identity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\tAkhal Theke for sale<\/strong>\r\n\r\n