THE PRESIDENT'S HORSES Elite of Akhalteke Breed

TOWARDS THE GOLDEN AGE WITH THE GOLDEN RACERS

The cover of this catalogue preserves a great national property: the elite of the Akhalteke breed — 132 Turkmen racers, shown in all their exterior splendour and genealogical grandeur. All of them are Presidential steeds or nurselings of the Presidential stable --a new horse-breeding farm in Turkmenistan with the elite core of thoroughbred Akhalteke horses.

This exemplary farm emerged owing to the indefatigable concern of the first and lifetime President of the country Saparmurat Turkmcnbashi about the development of the Turkmen horse-breeding. When in the middle of the eighties he headed Turkmenistan the Akhalteke actually lived out its days, being almost exterminated by a callous system, it was he, a great patriot of the Turkmen land and a subtle connoisseur of the Turkmen soul, who resolutely stood up for the major national property of his nation. The Akhalteke was saved, and not simply saved but revived for a new history: it has become its highest symbol, being placed in the State Emblem of independent neutral Turkmenistan.

The Great Serdar has not just returned the Akhalteke to the nation, he has also regenerated the national history that commenced five thousand years ago. You see, the main envoy of this history was an unsurpassed Turkmen racer that shared with the Turkmen nation its arduous but still wonderful destiny. Today, truly the finest hour has struck in this fate. It has struck for the Akhalteke either as it has found an unprecedented shelter in the native land, which generosity, being multiplied by the talent of people, inhabiting it, reared it in the old days.

The Turkmen horse-breeders have been perfecting the exterior and muscular system of the thoroughbred racers for ages in concordance with traditions and customs of their ancestors-selectors. Rules of selection and feeding, reproduction and training of a desert steed - - argamak, were handed over from generation to generation. A Turkmen has never separated himself from a steed. A horse was a family member, it was cherished and valued higher than one's own life.

Formerly the Turkmens had no written genealogy of their steeds, but they knew their male line origin and conveyed such knowledge from generation to generation.

The first pedigree book of the thoroughbred Akhaltekes was issued in 1898, and the Turkmen horse-breeders rendered assistance in its compilation. It was the expedition for the best of the horses, being dictated by a profound people's love. Steeds had been seeking in daikhan homesteads, nomad encampments in the desert were attended, some were brought by inhabitants themselves who reconstructed the genealogy of their favourites in details. The best from the better was Boinou - - a steed that the people's careful selection memory made the forefather of the modern horse breeds. Born in 1885, Boinou was a steed-legend that had never been the second in races and left a great and fast posterity.

Only an outstanding stallion could be a head of the whole clan, amounting to hundreds of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Mares' fate is quite opposite: they have scarcely succeeded to leave more than 10-12 foals. Therefore all lines are from the times immemorial named after the line of the eminent stallions.

At present the structural type of the Akhalteke breed is represented by seventeen lines, being originated from the renowned stallions. Here are their names: AKSAKAL, SKAK, EVERDY-TELEKE, KIR-SAKAR, DOR-BAIRAM, POSMAN, SERE, PEREN, GEL, GAPLAN, FAK1R-PALVAN, SLUCHAI, GARLAVACH, ARAB, SAPAR-KHAN, MELEKUSH, GELSHIKLI, GANBAR, POLOTLI, KARADER. In the State pedigree book they are registered under their own roll number as other stallions and dams, so, this or that line is expressed as an intricate order of numerals, reproducing the whole genealogy of a racer.

At present actually all lines of rearing of the Akhalteke breed are represented in the Presidential stable. Their successors - - a world champion stallion Yanardag, elite stallions like Bitaraplyk, Tebigat, Heregdag, Piyada, Kervenbashi, are bred there... At present it is the top of selection work in the breed.

A proud profile of a stallion Yanardag is in the centre of the State Emblem of independent Turkmenistan. This horse is the pearl of the Presidential stable, a racer unsurpassed in type and exterior.

A stallion Bitaraplyk (Neutrality) and other presidential racers have been highly assessed by specialists as well. These stallions are at the head of the breed rating, having been already used as stud-horses. Naturally, today the Presidential stable functions not merely as the accumulator of the best heads, but as a reproducer of the future sires, dam networks. The farm has already given birth to horses that will have been second to none in the contests.

However, contests are held to reveal the strongest. Perhaps, the nurselings of the new Akhalteke horse complex of the President of Turkmenistan that has been erected on Saparmurat Turkmenbashi's initiative will be the strongest. It is the largest in Central Asian region super modern horse-breeding centre that could have been envied by many countries of the world. Total area of the complex, located in the picturesque valley at the Kopetdagh foothills, is about 56 hectares. These vast territory embraces a new hippodrome with three racecourses, covered with grass and sand, (distances — 2000, 1800 and 1600 meters) and spectators' stands for 5 thousand seats, the arena for exhibition-exercising of the best representatives of the breed, a special promenade ground, a series of auxiliary premises. A jockey-club is in a special building perfectly equipped with training classes and a hall. Even an enormous pool was constructed for the Akhaltekes with automatic water filling-discharge. And a special ventilation and protection system against ubiquitous insects is installed in six spacious stables where more than 300 steeds can be kept at the same time.

The complex is extremely proud of the only in the region immune-genetic laboratory, fitted out with the up-to-date equipment. Even a DNA-analysis can be carried on there under the genetic fingerprinting method, excluding any possible falsification of a racer's origin. In a specialized veterinary laboratory

wherein all conditions for racers' healing are foreseen - - an operating and examining room, unique X-ray devices and SZE are at their «services».

Moreover, henceforth the experts and connoisseurs of the unique breed might not simply admire the beauty and speed of the Akhaltckes but try their luck playing totalizator, being introduced in Turkmenistan for the first time for the most venturesome races' connoisseurs. Like in other large international hippodromes a photo-finish is also envisaged there for unerring recording of the race results. After all, one can simply come and relax there, communicate with the beauty of the Akhal nature - - that very oasis of the Turkmen land where from the best in the world racer has originated.

And again it has returned here, to the bosom of the home nature, having proved the wonderful regularity of the Turkmen history to come back to the sources and springs of the people's soul. The Akhaltekc, being an integral part of this history, has revived with its nation and such revival was guided, realized and turned into the horizons of the golden age by the great son of the Turkmen land Saparmurat Turkmenbashi.