Show and Championship of the Unique Turkmen Horse Breed Held in Bábolna

The European Championship and equestrian show of Akhal-Teke breed of Steppe horses from Turkmenistan took place last weekend in Bábolna (northern Hungary).

In his opening speech, Minister of Agriculture István Nagy said that the breed, considered the ancestor of most popular horse breeds, is threatened with extinction. The Akhal-Teke was listed as an endangered agricultural animal breed in Hungary in 2020. He said that the attachment to horses goes back through their history and that horse breeding is part of their national values. This is why the government supports equestrian sports and events, training of young horses, and the work of stud farms as public bodies, the minister noted. He stressed that the preservation of protected indigenous and endangered breeds and breeds under reconstruction is supported in order to preserve the genetic basis of livestock breeding. The decisions to support this call for proposals have been taken and the initiative will continue in the coming years.

József Nyéki, president of the Hungarian Akhal-Teke Horse Breeding Association, said that

fifty-nine horses from eleven countries, purebreds and partbreds, had been entered for the event.

The animals were scored by a three-member jury, in walking, cantering and free jumping, as well as in movement and dressage.

The Akhal-Teke breed is one of the oldest cultivated species in the world. It takes its name from its breeders, the Turkmen Teke tribe and its breeding site, the Ahal Region.

The breed evolved in a semi-desert environment where food and water are scarce, and the harsh conditions have resulted in a bloodline inherited from the most resistant species, and is considered a national treasure by the Turkmen.

The breed’s ability to cope with the weather is illustrated by the fact that in 1935 a group of Turks rode them from Ashgabat (capital of Turkmenistan) to Moscow, a distance of 4,300 kilometers in 84 days, three of which they rode without water because there was no spring in the area.

The conscious use of the Akhal-Teke in Hungarian horse breeding was present until the 19th century and was revived in the 1970s when three stallions arrived in Hungary. Since the 1990s, with the dedicated work of a few breeders, the stock has slowly increased in number and genetic potential. In Hungary there may be close to 100 breeding mares, and there are 1886 registered mares in the world. Breeding of purebred horses in the country is practiced in Agostyán, Bakonyszentkirály, on the border of the Bükk National Park, Jásszentlászló, Kecel, Lendvadedes, Mahóca, Mikebuda, Ópusztaszló and Szentgál.

The Akhal-Teke may be the golden-haired steed of Hungarian folktales, as one of its characteristics is its golden coat. The center of the hairs is almost transparent, acting almost as an ‘optical fiber,’ so that the horse is covered with a metallic sheen.

Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Nagy István / István Fekete