AKHAL-TEKE HORSES - THE SOUL OF THE TURKMENS

The horse has always been a measure of material and spiritual values for the Turkmen. Yes, the argamak was considered a sign of wellbeing and  prosperity, but at the same time it was never considered a bargaining chip, since nobility, devotion, friendship have no value. Namely, these are the qualities that the famous Turkmen horses possess. If the lion, according to the level of his authority in the world of animals, was quite rightly called the king of animals, then the people elevated the dignity of the Akhal-Teke to a higher rank, calling them "heavenly" horses. In fact, a man, having given such an assessment to a horse, equated him with himself. But man has a soul. Does the Akhal-Teke have it? 

Of course have! - answer the familiar horse breeders. Both soul and heart. Human heart. I do not mean size, but the ability of the Akhal-Teke to feel and express their feelings in the same way as a person. He, like us, knows how to be happy and sad. The only thing he can't do is talk. But, most likely, this is not necessary. Actions are often more eloquent than words. Ask any horse breeder if the argamak has a soul, and he will give many examples telling about the spiritual qualities, nobility, loyalty and incorruptibility of the Akhal-Teke people. Here is one of them.

Until now, the workers of the "Turkmenatlary" association, especially the older generation, remember the wonderful person, Honored Horse Breeder of Turkmenistan Dmitry Terentyevich Klimenko. For many years of work, he has raised many famous horses and raised more than one generation of wonderful athletes-riders. Everyone loved him - both people and horses. Jockeys - because he instilled in them a love for horses, and horses - for the devotion to them, which he carried through his whole life.

One day a sad day came when the big and kind heart of Seis stopped beating. At the funeral, along with the participants in the funeral procession, the Akhal-Teke Kambar walked, who was raised by Dmitry Terentyevich. Apparently he understood that he was saying goodbye to his master forever and walked with his head downcast.

When the last words of farewell were heard and the procession set off on its way back, Kambar lingered at the grave. At first he stood looking at the grave mound, then he lay down, resting his head on the freshly poured earth at the head of the deceased. Large tears rolled from his eyes. 

Nobody hurried the horse. Everyone understood that he was saying goodbye to his friend. Looking at this scene, people themselves could hardly hold back their tears. How can you not believe that the Akhal-Teke has a soul!

The familiar seis, who devoted more than twenty years to the horse breeding business,   participated in the Ashgabat-Moscow horse race in 1988, along the route laid through the Karakum desert by the legendary Turkmen horsemen back in 1935.

“The path was not easy,” he said. - Midsummer, desert, unbearable heat. Both people and horses walked under the scorching rays of the sun, tired, but walked, approaching the intended goal. Finally, we left behind the Karakum, the Ustyurt plateau, Kazakhstan, and we entered the territory of Russia. The long-awaited coolness has already come here. We did not move in a cavalcade, but in separate groups and one by one, meeting at the transshipment bases. My horse Keremli was with me. One day, having already covered a rather long distance, we stopped to rest at the edge of a field overgrown with alfalfa. As soon as I unsaddled my horse, several of our horsemen appeared from behind. Passing by, they shouted: "Hurry up, otherwise you will be late for the base!". Keremli, who went to the field to nibble alfalfa, stopped and looked at me attentively, as if asking: “What are we going to do: shall we go or have a rest? If I go, I'm ready. " I looked at my watch: there was enough time. “Run, graze, we'll have time,” I said and slapped him on the rump. Another horse in full steam would have rushed to frolic in this sea of grass, but Keremli, full of dignity, with sedate unhurriedness went to the field, emphasizing with all his appearance "I am no longer small to frolic like a child." He even ate with dignity - slowly, not trying to fill his stomach for future use. Akhal-Teke people never greedily pounce on food, they eat just enough to only satisfy their hunger. And in this, too, their noble basis is visible. I can tell a lot of other stories - funny, sad, instructive, but they will also confirm that the Akhal-Teke has a soul.

Akhal-Teke horses have seen and experienced a lot during their centuries-old history. There was glory, but there was also oblivion. Today it is hard to believe that even decades ago the purebred Akhal-Teke were dragging out a miserable existence. Thoroughbred horses were mercilessly put under the knife, and the horse is the soul of the Turkmens. Now the former glory of the Turkmen horses is being revived. During the years of independence, "heavenly" horses have regained their lost wings. They compose songs about them, make films, write books and pictures, erect monuments to them. The proud profile of the Akhal-Teke is placed in the center of the State Emblem of Turkmenistan. Akhal-Teke is the same symbol of the nation, like the famous Turkmen carpets.

The Turkmen, having given the world an invaluable gift - the Akhal-Teke horse, did not just raise a breed of horses unsurpassed in beauty. Having tamed the horse many centuries ago, they managed to make the argamak not only a reliable assistant, but also a loyal friend. A horse raised by a man has adopted his best features, passing them on from generation to generation. And, perhaps, a person also learned something from the "heavenly" horses, for example, courage, modesty, kindness ... As my friend, a well-known rider once said, “The blood of an Akhal-Teke horse is a part of the blood of the Turkmens, and the Turkmen cannot be taken from the horse ".

Vladimir Zarembo

Akhal-Teke horses - the soul of the Turkmens (turkmenistan.gov.tm)