Aptitude
It has become quite difficult to write about the aptitudes of the Akhal Teke horses.
The reason for this is the fact that ever since roughly 1900 the breed has been selected in a very different manner than it was selected before by the original breeders.
Instead of being the working and war horse of nomads, living practically inside the household and up very close with people, selected to fit this lifestyle and any demands made on it by the nomads, it was bred as a short-distance racehorse, without any concrete type of other work, kept in large state studfarms with little contact to people, living either in boxes or open herds. Horse management itself, especially of the stallions, changed from familial to extensive, with ever growing important effects on basic character and temperament. Under such extensive handling it was no longer of import, e.g. whether a stud in sexual arousal would tolerate humans up close during breeding, or whether it in general handled easily. Contrary to e.g. the former closeness to people, stallions now would live apart from humans, whatever misbehaviour they showed was of no import regarding breeding choices. Stabling, breeding and use became rather similar to that of English Thoroughbreds and allowed similar traits to surface and infuse the breed.
Racing as the main work of these new Akhal Teke also means breeding for sheer speed without anything else attached. Whether physical values needed to be a practical ridden workhorse, or mental and psychological traits necessary for that, under the new selection methods it became pure chance whether or not a horse would keep the old values it had been bred for by the nomads.
Hence the difficulty to nowadays make clearcut suggestions for aptitudes and work types. It is necessary for people wishing to employ modern Teke to verify their choice actually is suited to those.
With regard to those wishing to preserve old values, this cannot be done while still submitting to current selection. There have been so many traits already bred out of the breed, either completely or in part, that anyone who approaches it with the idea of having the old nomad horse in front of him will have a surprise coming on learning more about it. E.g. former Teke, in fact all the Turkoman strains, used to be endowed with a particularly comfortable amble, called Perestrup in Russian language, today this gait is all but extinct. Another example is the fact that the former Turkoman horses were reported to have an excellent character, submit readily to their owners and be gentle in general, while being fierce towards strangers. Today we have a rising number of Teke which are man-eaters, are neurotic in behaviour, or quite unintelligent; and we have the not really unearned reputation of them being eminently difficult and rebellious. In view of the fact that the former Turkoman and the modern Akhal Teke practically are the same breed, it is obvious that what we see today is a result of the breeding choices effected between 1900 and now.
Thus it is not possible to take whichever individual of the breed and assume that the old aptitudes are there still. They must be verified and it is unlikely that anyone looking for all of them still is lucky enough to find them.
As to this section about aptitudes, we give a mixture of what used to be in the breed and what is known from current horses employed in various manners. We also give our suggestions as to what ought to be ideally sought after, so that at least those few traits still in the breed may be duly preserved.
The reason for this is the fact that ever since roughly 1900 the breed has been selected in a very different manner than it was selected before by the original breeders.
Instead of being the working and war horse of nomads, living practically inside the household and up very close with people, selected to fit this lifestyle and any demands made on it by the nomads, it was bred as a short-distance racehorse, without any concrete type of other work, kept in large state studfarms with little contact to people, living either in boxes or open herds. Horse management itself, especially of the stallions, changed from familial to extensive, with ever growing important effects on basic character and temperament. Under such extensive handling it was no longer of import, e.g. whether a stud in sexual arousal would tolerate humans up close during breeding, or whether it in general handled easily. Contrary to e.g. the former closeness to people, stallions now would live apart from humans, whatever misbehaviour they showed was of no import regarding breeding choices. Stabling, breeding and use became rather similar to that of English Thoroughbreds and allowed similar traits to surface and infuse the breed.
Racing as the main work of these new Akhal Teke also means breeding for sheer speed without anything else attached. Whether physical values needed to be a practical ridden workhorse, or mental and psychological traits necessary for that, under the new selection methods it became pure chance whether or not a horse would keep the old values it had been bred for by the nomads.
Hence the difficulty to nowadays make clearcut suggestions for aptitudes and work types. It is necessary for people wishing to employ modern Teke to verify their choice actually is suited to those.
With regard to those wishing to preserve old values, this cannot be done while still submitting to current selection. There have been so many traits already bred out of the breed, either completely or in part, that anyone who approaches it with the idea of having the old nomad horse in front of him will have a surprise coming on learning more about it. E.g. former Teke, in fact all the Turkoman strains, used to be endowed with a particularly comfortable amble, called Perestrup in Russian language, today this gait is all but extinct. Another example is the fact that the former Turkoman horses were reported to have an excellent character, submit readily to their owners and be gentle in general, while being fierce towards strangers. Today we have a rising number of Teke which are man-eaters, are neurotic in behaviour, or quite unintelligent; and we have the not really unearned reputation of them being eminently difficult and rebellious. In view of the fact that the former Turkoman and the modern Akhal Teke practically are the same breed, it is obvious that what we see today is a result of the breeding choices effected between 1900 and now.
Thus it is not possible to take whichever individual of the breed and assume that the old aptitudes are there still. They must be verified and it is unlikely that anyone looking for all of them still is lucky enough to find them.
As to this section about aptitudes, we give a mixture of what used to be in the breed and what is known from current horses employed in various manners. We also give our suggestions as to what ought to be ideally sought after, so that at least those few traits still in the breed may be duly preserved.
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