Pages of History: THIS ALL IS ABOUT HIM
August 13, 2017 | 18:07 |520
It can be argued with a high degree of probability that none of the representatives of the animal world have had so much written and with such passion about them as horses. If all the works devoted to these long-legged and gorgeous animals are put together, they would make up several large libraries. However, horses can be attributed only conditionally to the category of animals, and then only out of respect for science, which has spent a lot of time to determine the place of each mammal, amphibians, reptiles, insects, etc. in the hierarchy of the fauna kingdom. The abstract consciousness, however, suggests that if the human being can be called top of the evolution and considered to be its crown, then a horse can be placed next to him with confidence.Vladimir ZAREMBO
"DO NOT LET A SINGLE AHALTEKE HORSE DISSAPEAR..."
In 1896, the administration of the Transcaspian region seriously undertook the study of the issue of horse breeding in the Turkmen land. In the beginning, the very existence of purebred Turkmen breed was questioned in the sense that it is understood by breeders. Clarity was introduced by a specially created Commission of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Having traveled all the corners of the country, looking literally in each aul, asking old residents, the members of the commission were convinced that miraculous horses do live on the Turkmen land. The Central State Archive of Turkmenistan keeps the report of this commission. It, inter alia, states: "Between the Turkmen tribes, both in the region as well as in Persia and Afghanistan, of course, there has been and still is a typical breed of the horses, which has all the attributes of a thoroughbred today. Particularly valued by the Turkmen is Akhal-Teke, purebred specimens of which are available in Beurdzha, Bami to Kyzyl-Arvat in one direction and to Geok-Tepe - in another."
It also notes that the Akhal-Teke is sharply different in appearance from the Arabian breed and gives the right to assume perfect self-sufficiency of the type. "Akhalteke horse is, apparently, from a tall indigenous breed that existed in ancient Turan long before the Arabian era." The commission's conclusion was as follows: "There is indeed a horse breed "Purebred Akhal-Teke". For centuries it has been cultivated, for centuries acclimatized for the Turkmen land, it is out of competition with other horses. In view of the constancy of this breed, its high ability to transmit to its descendants its qualities, it is highly desirable to support the existence of the most valuable Turkmen horse."
At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, there has been a disturbing tendency to a rapid reduction in instances of elite Akhal-Teke - Afghans, Persians, Khivans paid a lot of money for them, and not every owner of a thoroughbred horse was able to resist the temptation. In order to prevent the disappearance of the breed lines urgent measures to preserve their homeland were taken, including opening of the regional state stable, purchasing the best producers of breed from local people and establishing the purebreed society, the Central Administration of the State horse-breeding, which, as evidenced by TSGAT documents "have a duty of the urgent purchase of all worthy producers of the Akhal-Teke breed - stallions and dames, not to let any Akhal-Teke horses disappear."
Gradually purebred horses began to take part in exhibitions outside of Turkmenistan. And beyond its borders there was no limit to admiration for our horses ...
This is, for example, the report to the head of the Trans-Caspian region by sub-yesaul G.Mazan accompanying the Akhal-Teke horses at the show in Pyatigorsk in 1902: "... a group of stallions and mares of Akhal-Teke breed was recognized by the Exhibition Committee as outstanding and they were awarded the following prizes: Stallion Gecheli -1st prize, stallion Sapar Khan – 2nd prize, Gomeli mare with a suckling -1st place, mare Guli Bai with a suckling – 2ng place. Agar is recognized as the most outstanding one. It had buyers who offered 1500 rubles (a huge sum for those times.-Aut.), But in view of the value of this stallion for the stable, I rejected the offer."
Incidentally, there were a lot of proposals to buy Akhal-Tekeans after they "came out". And whoever would refuse to have such a jewel in his stables! The same G.Mazan, in October 1913, wrote after returning from an exhibition in Kiev: "...Teke horses were so nice and rare of a breed that buyers appeared instantly, including Russian breeders and even the manager of the German Stud Farm Svit von Etingen, who offered a lot of money. All the proposals were rejected by me ... The Teke horses were outside the competition at the exhibition and I drove them to Kiev only to acquaint our horse breeders with this beautiful but unknown breed in the interior of Russia. All the Teke horses we highly admired and the State Horse Breeding awarded them an honorary silver cup ... "
PEGASUS - WAILING HORSE OF INSPIRATION
Wise and poetic ancient Greeks at the dawn of mankind came up with an amazing image of a centaur - half-human half-horse, identifying themselves with a horse, or a horse with themselves. This myth, of course, is not new, but how beautiful it really is! Happy and naive, they were not yet acquainted with the theory of Darwin, they did not know about the biblical version of the creation of man, and freely, as they dictated the inner feeling, they thought childishly and enthusiastically that from the moment they were born, there are incomprehensible, mysterious ties associated with this fantastic creature - the horse, making up a single whole with it.
According to the notable horse breeder of Turkmenistan, Bazarbai Meredov, who devoted many years to the study of the Akhal-Teke breed of horses, the closeness of the Akhal-Teke to men is already in the similarity of the organization of their nervous and hormonal system. The hormones of Akhalteke mares and stallions are highly active and, as a result, carry a powerful charge of what is commonly called passionarity or, figuratively speaking, a special flame in the blood. People-passionaries, as a rule, have extraordinary abilities - they are great scientists, outstanding poets, rebels and brilliant generals. The same thing happens with the Akhal-Teke. It is the passionarity, the special fire in their blood that makes them as we know them and appreciate them - temperamental, strong, courageous and noble.
Beauty, magnificent becoming, gracefulness of Akhal-Teke cannot fail to impress the imagination of all who once touched this outstanding breed. Here is one of the documents of the Office of the Chief of the Trans-Caspian region from 1897:
"The Turkmen horses have a long reindeer neck, a small dry head is attached to the neck at such an acute angle that no other breed has. Thin ears and very special, expressive, elongated, brilliant-shaped, and intelligent eyes. The colors of these horses are very different: bay, black, red, gray, brown, rarest isabel. But even the most common color gets an unusually bright shine due to a fine silky hair, which is not found in any other horses. It glistens in the sun.
The Akhal-Teke horse is long, with tall thin legs. The general dryness of the constitution, the tenderness of the skin are wonderful - even in a calm state all the veins are depicted. "
You read and see that the author's hand was driven by sincere admiration, combined with inspiration, whose symbol again can be seen in the horse - the winged Pegasus.
THE HORSE FOR THE GENERAL
It is said that the famous Turkmen general Yakub Kuliyev preferred to ride the Akhal-Teke horses. In early 1942, the general needed a new horse. A special representative was sent to Ashgabat to purchase the Argamak. The issue of transferring the horse was put before the Council of People's Commissars of Turkmenistan (prototype of the current Cabinet of Ministers). Someone suggested respecting the commander and making him a valuable gift - a noble horse. The choice fell on the stallion Dor-Sakar.
But before the horse was sent to the general, it was decided to consult with horse specialists. And this is the answer they gave: "Stallion Dor-Sakar, belonging to the collective farm "Kyzyl-Yulduz" of the Stalin district, born in 1930, dark-chested, recorded in the State Pedigree Book of Central Asian breeds of horses (volume III - Akhal-Teke horses) , is one of the sons of the stallion Kara-Kunon III - the representative of one of the main lines in the Akhal-Teke horse breeding - the line of the Crow, of which there are only three heads left in the breed. The main feature of the representatives of this line is their dark color, playfulness, and rascality. Due to these features, representatives of the Crow line, in particular Dor-Sakar, can in no case be removed from the breed, otherwise the Akhal-Teke horse breeding will be irreparably damaged. From stallions-producers, which are possible for withdrawal from the pedigree, without damage to horse breeding, we can offer the stallions "Mars", "Novruz", "Barbus", which, according to age-related data, can be freely used for the saddle by the high command of the Red Army... "
So it happened. General-major Kuliyev was sent a beautiful stallion BARBUS, on which the commander had galloped farther along the battlefields.
