Characteristics of Akhal-Teke horses and maintenance rules, how much it costs
One of the most ancient horse breeds was bred by the nomadic Turkmen over 5000 years BC. e. Akhal-Teke horses make an indelible impression on any person at first sight. An inimitable look and suit are combined with an ardent disposition, intelligence and pride. At the same time, they are hardy and fast horses, reliable friends, devoted to the end of their lives.
Content
Origin history
The Akhal-Teke breed was developed in the regions of Central Asia, where the Great Silk Road passed. In the desert, hardy horses were needed to accompany the caravans. The name of the breed was determined in the 18th century. It was based on the names of the oasis in Turkmenistan (Akhal) and the tribe (Teke) living there. The priority of Turkmenistan is explained by the preservation of the livestock of purebred horses, breeding and the special, reverent attitude of people towards horses.
Advantages and disadvantages of the breed
Akhal-Teke people are a combination of grace, strength and endurance. A proud and intelligent horse demands respect for itself and does not forgive insults. She is very attached to the owner and may not accept a change of owner. Horses are not picky about food, but they need careful care.
Physical development in horses of the Akhal-Teke breed ends by 4-6 years, which increases the cost of their maintenance.
Description of the Akhal-Teke horse
Horses of this breed, once seen, cannot be confused with others. The purity of blood preserved over millennia is expressed in the characteristic signs of the exterior. The Akhal-Teke stallion at the withers reaches 160-170 centimeters, the mare - 150-160 centimeters. If we compare it with animals of other species, then it resembles a cheetah: the same light, fast, beautiful. Akhal-Teke residents are frisky and jumpy, they can go without water and food for a long time.
Exterior
Characteristic features of the Akhal-Teke horse exterior:
- Dry head with a slight hump at the bridge of the nose. The ears are set wide apart, thin, mobile. The eyes are large, with an "Asian" cut. Wide nostrils.
- The neck is long. The mane and bangs of soft, short hair.
- The chest is narrow and muscular.
- The abdomen is drawn in, the ribs are straight.
- The back is straight and long.
- The croup is sloping.
- The tail is set low, thin.
- Legs are slender, long.
- The hooves are small and firm.
- The skin is thin, with translucent blood vessels.
The absence of a mane is found only in the Akhal-Teke breed.
Varieties and suits
There are three varieties within the breed:
- Tall, with ideal body proportions.
- Medium-sized, with averaged proportional indicators.
- Stunted, strong in build.
Among Akhal-Teke horses there are horses of various colors (in fractions of the number of the total number of livestock):
- bay (2/5);
- bulan (1/5);
- black (1/8);
- red (1/8);
- gray (1/25);
- salt (1/20);
- isabella (1/50).
All colors are characterized by a short golden or silver undercoat. It gives the main color a gloss that changes depending on the brightness of the lighting.
Temperament and learning
Akhal-Teke horses are not distinguished by their gullibility towards strangers. The peculiarities of the formation of the breed developed pride and independence in them. Akhal-Teke recognizes only the owner, does not make contact with other people. This attachment has been artificially cultivated in animals for thousands of years.
Among the Akhal-Teke, there are excitable, nervous and hot individuals. Coercion by force meets stubbornness and refusal to follow orders. But the horse does not show aggression towards a person.
Trust is essential before training begins. This will take time, an understanding of the psychology of the Akhal-Teke. If the horse recognizes the trainer, then the training does not require effort. Horses of the Akhal-Teke breed, possessing a good memory, learn easily and willingly.
What are the features of Isabella horses?
Isabella color resembles the color of baked milk. Akhal-Teke horses of this color have pink skin and cream-colored hair. In the sun, Akhal-Teke horses of the Isabella suit seem to be cast from gold. In addition to their rare color, they have bright blue or green eyes.
Breeders attribute the appearance of horses of this color to a latent form of albinism. This is confirmed by the predisposition of Isabella horses to diseases of the eyes and skin, which is typical for albinos. Akhal-Teke people with this color are more difficult to adapt to the conditions of the Turkmen desert.
The use of Akhal-Teke horses
Akhal-Teke people are bred for horse riding. They show excellent results in show jumping and long races. In terms of jumping in length and height, the Akhal-Teke horses have no equal among other breeds. Akhal-Teke residents set world records in height (2.20 meters) and length (9 meters).
Obedient and trained Akhal-Teke athletes amaze judges and spectators at dressage competitions with grace and precision of movements. For the same reason, Akhal-Teke horses are used for circus performances.
Basic rules of content
To maintain the health of horses of the Akhal-Teke breed, it is required to fulfill the requirements for their maintenance.
The list of necessary conditions includes:
- Feeding according to the physical activity of the animal.
- Daily cleaning.
- Water treatments 3 times a week.
- Hoof inspection once a month.
- Examination of teeth twice a year.
- Daily exercise in the fresh air.
For cleaning horses use:
- natural hair brushes (hard and soft);
- wooden comb;
- sponges (for muzzle and turnip);
- velvet / cloth;
- rags for washing hooves;
- hook for cleaning hooves.
The cleaning procedure starts from the head, moving to the shoulders, withers, back and legs. A stiff brush is used for wool. In places where bones are not protected by muscles, clean with a soft brush. Then the tail and mane are moistened with water and combed with a comb. Hooves are cleaned with a crochet and wiped with a wet cloth. Wipe the muzzle near the eyes and nostrils with a damp sponge. Another sponge is used to treat the skin under the tail. Rub the entire horse with a slightly damp velvet mitten.
Stable arrangement
The stable is located outside the city, away from the motorway. Animals are kept in wooden structures with good ventilation, lighting (natural + artificial).In stalls, a warm floor is arranged: a bed of straw with a thickness of at least 10 centimeters is laid on a concrete-clay base. The feeders are placed over the entire width of the stall with a tray depth of 40 centimeters.
Feeding and drinking
It is recommended to feed the horse at certain hours, which stimulates the secretion of gastric juice and better absorption of the feed. The drinking regime is similar to that of other horse breeds: water is given before feeding. The daily volume of fluid varies with the season. In hot weather the horse needs 60-70 liters of water, in cold weather - 35-40 liters. The water should be fresh, clean, with a temperature of + 10 ... + 15 degrees.
Physical activity is not allowed half an hour before and after feeding. The sweaty horse is watered after it has cooled down. The diet is determined based on physical activity. In the old days, the Turkmen supported the horse with camel milk, cakes with lamb fat, eggs.
Basic diet
The nutritional basis of Akhal-Teke horses is:
- roughage;
- green food;
- concentrates.
Roughage:
- hay;
- straw;
- chaff of spring wheat, barley.
Green food is fresh grass. Concentrated feed includes cereals and silage.
Cereals in the Akhal-Teke diet:
- wheat;
- barley;
- oats;
- corn.
Silage is prepared from green mass of corn or sunflower. The daily diet takes into account the energy consumption of the animal. On days when the horse is walked with a light run, he is given forage (coarse and green feed) without concentrates. With prolonged, slow-paced riding, the percentage of forage is reduced to 70%, replacing it with concentrate. During training in show jumping, dressage, sledding, the percentage of concentrates is brought to 40%.
In show jumping and dressage competitions, forage and grain are equal. In triathlon, the horse needs more energy and gets 60% grain and 40% fodder. Akhal-Teke residents participating in the race are fed mainly with concentrated feed (70%).
During feeding, the animal is first fed roughage, then green. The daily rate of roughage is divided into 4 parts: one - in the morning and in the afternoon, two - at night.
Nutritional supplements
Horses give juicy feed (vegetables, fruits) last. Vitamins are added to complementary foods as needed.
Bathing
Akhal-Teke residents, with its mobile nervous system, benefit from water procedures. Water invigorates the animal, influences mood and appetite. Washing is carried out once every 2 days. In summer, the horse is bathed in a reservoir (natural / artificial). The rest of the year is doused with a hose or bucket. The reservoir should have a sandy or gravel bottom without silting.
The water temperature is within +20 degrees. The water treatment lasts 20 minutes. At the end of it, excess water is removed with a palm, a scraper. Drying of skin and hair occurs in the air. The animal is walked at a slow pace for 20 minutes, until it dries in the sun. The horse is gradually accustomed to washing from a hose and a bucket so that the water under pressure does not frighten it.
Dental care
With age, the chewing teeth of the Akhal-Teke begin to collapse, causing pain when chewing. The older the animal, the more often its teeth should be examined. If a toothache is suspected, the horse is shown to a specialist.
Signs of dental problems are constant tension in the muscles of the back, poor appetite, causeless anxiety of the animal: the horse often rears up.
Grazing
A fenced-in paddock should be located next to the stable. Akhal-Teke residents walk twice a day, if there is no training - at least half an hour.
Horseshoe
Horses participating in races, show jumping are shod with special horseshoes that have an orthopedic effect. This protects the animal from leg injury. In other cases, use universal horseshoes.
Disease prevention measures
Starting from a certain age, Akhal-Teke horses, like horses of other breeds, are vaccinated against tetanus, rabies, and flu. Check for glanders twice a year. To avoid digestive problems, high quality and fresh feed is used.
Breeding
Puberty in Akhal-Teke horses ends by the age of 2. But for breeding, animals are attracted at the age of 4-5 years. Insemination of mares in the "hunt" is carried out artificially. The stallion is selected in advance so that the foal is born of the desired color.
A mare's pregnancy lasts 11 months. One, rarely two foals are born. After 5 hours, the newborns are back on their feet and can follow their mother. The mare feeds the foal for the first six months. Then it is gradually transferred to plant foods. Until the middle of the last century, stud farms for breeding Akhal-Teke horses were located in Turkmenistan. Currently, breeding work is carried out in the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan.
Interesting facts about the breed
There are 3,000 purebred Akhal-Teke horses in the world. Half of them are located in Turkmenistan. The Turkmen consider the Akhal-Teke people to be their national treasure, the brand of the country. The horse is depicted on the coat of arms, banknote of the national currency. In her honor, a national holiday is held - an annual horse race, in which only Akhal-Teke horses can take part.
In past centuries, the rulers of the country could afford to keep Akhal-Teke horses in herds. The nomadic Turkmen kept 1-2 horses, which were constantly near the dwelling on a long lasso. Foals were taken to the tent for the cold season. Stable maintenance has shaped the relationship between man and horse, as equal partners with complete trust in each other.
In the old days, the Turkmen in the first place in importance was the father, then the guest. The horse was in third place, he was more important than his wife, children and other relatives. Akhal-Teke horses lived to a ripe old age, not knowing what a whip was. Due to the illiteracy of the population, the pedigree of each horse was transmitted orally. The information for the herd book was accumulated by the middle of the 20th century.
Akhal-Teke Absinthe at the Olympic Games in Rome (1960) became a world sensation. With his dressage performance, he captivated the audience with the beauty of the exterior, impeccable execution of commands, demonstrating the fusion of rider and horse.
Price - how much does it cost
The cost of Akhal-Teke horses at international auctions varies from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars per horse. Isabella horses are especially highly valued.
