European Horse Pack singles by Genkicoll

Four European horses made to be compatible with the Forest Tarpan by Ghirin.

Turkmen Akhal-Teke Horse

The Akhal-Teke horse breed (pronounced Ah-cull Tek-y) is a breed from Turkmenistan, where they are the national emblem. It is named after the nomadic tribe that bred them. They are racehorses, noted for their endurance on long marches and are thought to be the predecessors of the Arabian and English thoroughbred breeds. These beautiful "golden-horses' are adapted to severe climate conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest surviving horse breeds. There are currently about 3,500 Akhal-Tekes in the world, mostly in Turkmenistan and Russia, although they are also seen in Germany and the United States.

Alexander the Great's horse, Bucephalus, is said to have been an Akhal-Teke.

Breed characteristics

The Akhal-Teke's most notable and defining characteristic is the natural metallic bloom of its coat. This is especially seen in the palominos and buckskins, as well as the lighter bays, although some horses "shimmer" more than others, and is thought to have been used as camouflage in the desert, where the heat causes the desrt to shimmer. Also noteworthy are the breed's almond-shaped eyes. The breed is very tough and resilient, due to the harshness of the Turkmenistan lands, living without much food or water. This has also made the horses good for sport. The breed has great endurance, shown in 1935 when a group of Turkmenian horsemen rode the 2500 mile journey from Ashgabat to Moscow, which lasted 84 days, and included a 3 day desert crossing of 235 miles without water.

The horses have a fine head with a straight or slightly convex profile, and long ears. The mane and tail is usually sparse. Their long back has little muscle, and is coupled to a flat croup and long, upright neck. The Akhal-Teke possesses a sloping shoulder and thin skin. These horses have strong, tough, but fine limbs, although the hind legs are sometimes sickle-hocked. They have a rather shallow body with a shallow ribcage (like an equine greyhound), although a deep chest, and this shallowness continues to the back of the frame. The conformation is not considered "good" by Western terms, but that is made up by the breed's great beauty, and tremendous athletic ability.

The Akhal-Tekes are brave riding horses, lively, and alert, but are known to be obstinant and rebellious at times. They are generally a one-rider horse.

The horses are usually a pale golden color (like honey) with black points. They can also be bay, black, chestnut, or gray. The Akhal-Teke usually stands between 14.3 and 15.2 hh.

Chestnut Goklan Horse

The Goklan horse is, with the exception of the Yabou, the "heaviest" descendant of the old Turanian horse. He was bred in the main by the Goklan Turkoman, whose tribal borders are within Iran. As a result of the needs they had for their horse, the horse is well suited to mountainous terrain.

Breeders of Turkomans in Iran note that some Akhal-Teke foundation sires bear a strong resemblance to the Goklan horse they breed today. Curiously enough, some Arabian horses also bear a strong resemblance to the Goklan: the famous Polish Arabian sire Wielki Szelm (left) bears a very strong resemblance to Akhal-Teke foundation sire Dor Bairam (right). The Arabian has a higher tail-set and shorter back, accommodations to their differing terrain. Otherwise, in overall conformation, they are both much like a heavyweight Thoroughbred hunter.

Russian Arabian Dun Horse

The modern Russian Arabian breeding program was thus begun in 1930 at Tersk. Ever since the stud has accumulated much experience and produced dozens of superb individuals.

In 1930 the gray Koheilan IV was bought in Hungary, and from France came six pure–blood Arabian mares and a stallion. In 1939 from England came 6 Arabian stallions and 19 mares.

In 1939 a large group of Arabians arrived from Poland, and 9 more Arabian mares from Germany were added to the Tersk stock in 1947.

In March 1976 a WAHO commission visited Tersk. It confirmed the high quality of the stock there and recognized the pure–blood origins of all the horses except for Amara and Basma imported from Egypt in 1973.

In 1986 some stock was transferred to Khrenovoe, the stud founded by Count Orlov. The Arabian department at Khrenovoe is quite successful. The Khrenovoe horses compete with the Tersk Arabians on the track.

White Yabou Horse

The Yabou (sometimes spelled "yaboo") is the pack horse of the peoples on the Turkoman steppes. Some older references use "Yabou" in terms of "the horse of the people, a pack horse, a nag," but the Yabou is much more than that. The Yabou is every bit as hardy and enduring as the other Turkoman strains, and differs from them only slightly. There is a copious mane to go with the generous tail. The neck is set on lower than that of the Teke, Yamout or Goklan. The horse is somewhat less narrow than other Turkomans, and typically shorter. The shoulders especially are powerful. All in all, this is a horse built to carry weight over a distance, at speed. (Sometimes his job was to run behind the Turkomen horses, carrying their heavy felts). He often ambles and paces with fantastic speed.

Preliminary blood test results performed at the University of Kentucky show that the English Thoroughbred is more closely related to the Yabou than to either the other Turkoman breeds/strains or the Arabian in terms of shared genetic markers. That this ubiquitous "utility" horse would have a closer association to the Thoroughbred than other "thoroughbred" horses has come as somewhat of a surprise, but perhaps it should not. From the photo above (taken by Farshad Maloufi and used here with his permission), one can see that the Yabou is not at all lacking in quality.

The Yabou comes in the complete range of colors found in the Turkoman and Caspian horse.

The Turkoman do not breed Yabous themselves, although they use them extensively for pack horses. Rather, they buy them from gypsies who live in the more forested areas of the mountains. The Yabou probably always shared the range of the Turanian Thoroughbred, and was much more numerous; the Pazyryk kurgans each contain only a single Turanian but as many as a dozen or more Yabous.

Updated 2010-11-03

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