The Majesty of the Horse: An Illustrated History. Tamsin Pickeral
great antiquity of the Turkmenian it is likely that this horse was one of the earliest hot-blooded horses, along with the Caspian, that evolved within the same geography. With the spread of this horse through Turkestan and down into Saudi Arabia and across to Africa it is a small step to consider it influencing the development of the Arabian and also the North African Barb, which in turn was fundamental to the development of the Iberian breeds. The Turkmenian was also influential in the development of the English Thoroughbred through the Thoroughbred foundation sire, the Byerley Turk, who is thought to have been a “Turk,” and through the large number of Turkmenian horses imported to England during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the Thoroughbred was evolving. The Turk, or Turkoman, breed is one of the modern descendants of the ancient Turkmenian horse, which also gave rise to the Akhal Teke and Iomud. Confusingly, the terms Turkoman and Turkmenian are often interchanged, with horses bred in Turkmenistan referred to as Turkmenian and those bred in Iran referred to as Turkoman. There is, however, little difference between them.
The Akhal Teke, directly descended from the ancient Turkmenian, and in a sense the modern reincarnation of this breed, has with little exception been bred pure. In the twentieth century there was the introduction of some Thoroughbred blood to the Akhal Teke, to try to increase the size of the breed, but this was a largely unsuccessful experiment. The Akhal Teke (meaning literally “pure” or “oasis” from the Teke tribe) has been bred by the Turkmene people systematically and stringently, living in the difficult desert climate in the oases of Turkmenistan. Ashkhabad, the capital of Turkmenistan, has been a center of breeding for the Akhal Teke and its ancestors since 1000 B.C.E. and is still a major breeding center, although the horses are also bred in Kazakhstan, Dagestan, Russia, and in the northern Caucasus, as well as in small pockets of the United States, the United Kingdom, and parts of Europe. Traditionally, only the fastest progeny were bred so that the qualities of speed and endurance are ultimately fixed within the breed. The horses are quite unique in appearance, particularly when compared with the European warmblood. The Akhal Teke should be a “meatless” animal: there should be no excess fat, and the horse’s muscle mass should be long and unpronounced. To condition the horses, the nomadic tribesmen would wrap them in thick felt blankets to sweat them out during the day, and work them in the mornings and evenings. The young stock would be started at just under two years old even though the breed does not mature until around five.
The Akhal Teke’s endurance is legendary; no breeds can match it in terms of speed and stamina. Like its relative the Iomud, the Akhal Teke is also able to exist on minimal water and food. Although most famous as an endurance breed, the Akhal Teke is extremely athletic and has a natural aptitude for jumping. The horses have also excelled in dressage, as demonstrated by Akhal Teke stallion Absent’s gold medal win in 1960 in Rome—they are one of the most talented and least recognized of breeds.
The Akhal Teke has tragically suffered a huge reduction in numbers, but efforts to stabilize and increase the breed since 1980 have been relatively successful, although it can still be considered rare.
Rarer still is the Iomud, a breed that is a close relative of the Akhal Teke but little known outside Turkmenistan, its country of origin. The Iomud has much in common with the Akhal Teke: it is a desert-bred horse with tremendous endurance and stamina, though it lacks the Akhal Teke’s quality and is not as fine or elegant. The Iomud has a heavier frame with a thicker, shorter neck and an attractive head. Its coat is fine and most often gray or chestnut, and the mane and tail hairs are sparse. Though not as fast as the Akhal Teke, the Iomud is famed for its quick recovery rate after endurance racing.
The Iomud’s extreme qualities are a product of both early breeding and the arid desert and semi-desert regions in which the horses are raised. As a result of these harsh conditions, Iomuds are extremely tough and able to exist on minimal rations of water. Early in the breed’s development, there would have been crossbreeding with other hardy breeds from the Central Asian steppes, such as the Mongolian and Kazakh, and it is likely that this influence continued throughout its history. There has also been some Arabian influence, and since the 1920s some Akhal Teke blood has been introduced to help preserve and improve the breed. Today, however, numbers are extremely low.
CASPIAN
PREHISTORIC – IRAN – RARE
HEIGHT
10–12 h.h.
APPEARANCE
A small, fine head with an Arabian-like look; the occipital bone gives a slightly hooded look. Nostrils are wide but low on the nose and the ears tiny. A very sloped shoulder and very defined withers, with markedly slender though dense bone in their legs. Extraordinarily tough, oval-shaped hooves.
COLOR
Bay, chestnut, gray, or black.
APTITUDE
Riding, light draft, showing, dressage, jumping
THE TINY, BEAUTIFUL CASPIAN is totally unique among horse breeds, and one of the oldest and most important breeds still in existence. All breeds of light horse are thought to descend from the Caspian and its ancestors, and as such it provides a tangible link between early Equus and the modern horse.
These exquisite creatures lived undiscovered in northern Iran for centuries, subsisting among the rocky mountains and dense forests and leading a largely undisturbed life until they were “rediscovered” in 1965 by the American Louise Firouz, who had established a small riding school in Iran. It was on a trip to the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, looking for suitable ponies to use in her school, that she came across three magnificent but tiny horses. Despite their diminutive size, they were decidedly horses and not ponies, exhibiting horse-like conformation and character; today the Caspian is still recognized as a small horse, not a pony. Firouz realized the importance of these animals, which bore a striking resemblance to those seen on the Seal of Darius (c. 500 B.C.E.) and other ancient artifacts, and instigated a five-year study of the horses in their environment. Through dedicated searches and study it was estimated that approximately fifty of these horses were living all along the south coast of the Caspian Sea. Because the area in which they were found was so large, it was also conjectured that they could not be totally purebred, but had retained the strong genetic base of their predecessors.
Extensive study and research has been undertaken into the history of the Caspian, and skeletal examination has revealed that the horses have certain unique characteristics among modern breeds, and that they also bear a significant resemblance to the postulated Horse Type 4, theorized by leading experts on equine prehistory F. Ebhart, J. G. Speed, E. Skorkowski, and R. d’Andrade. Further, many artifacts, such as the Seal of Darius, which depicts the Persian king in a chariot pulled by two minute but magnificent horses, and artifacts of the Oxus Treasure (fifth to fourth century B.C.E.) testify to the existence of a very small, fine and beautiful breed of horse in use during prehistory. Tracing this link reveals that it is possible that the Caspian and its ancestors were also the ancestors to the Arabian horse and the breeds of fine, desert horses that ranged across Eurasia from prehistory to the present. The frequency with which they are mentioned or appear in pre- and ancient history is not insignificant and attests to the great value placed on them. Despite their small size they were widely used for chariot racing and were as prized for their speed and endurance as they were for their appearance.
Unlike other breeds of horse the Caspian reaches its full adult height very rapidly, often within the first six months of life, and then gradually fills out and matures. They reach sexual maturity at under two years old, and most significantly mares tend not to ovulate after foaling for up to a year, which makes continuous breeding programs difficult. Louise Firouz established a stud for breeding the Caspian in Iran, but in 1976 her herd was attacked by wolves. To ensure the safety and continuance of the breed, which was extremely rare at that stage, some of her herd were flown to a stud in Shropshire, England, where they were successfully settled. Today the Caspian horse is a greatly refined model of its prehistoric ancestor, but retains the essential elements that make it such an extraordinary