Akhal-Teke Horse Day in Turkmenistan (24/04)

Every year on the last Sunday of April, Turkmenistan celebrates Akhal-Teke Horse Day (Turkm). Türkmen atynyň güni) — national treasure and a source of pride for the country. The people of the country especially honor and love this breed of horse.

The Turkmen Horse Festival, established in 1992, is held at the level of a national holiday and is celebrated in all regions of the country simultaneously. Concerts, exhibitions, literary, musical and poetic evenings, honoring horse breeders and seiis of the country are held everywhere. Leaders of foreign countries often become guests of the holiday.

Horse racing begins in the Ashgabat region. More than 20 participants must cover a 60-kilometer marathon. Moreover, unlike other types of competitions, the winner here is not the one who crossed the finish line first. It is much more important to bring the horse to the end of the race without injury, in good condition, and most importantly, the horse’s pulse should not exceed 64 beats per minute.

Also for this day, meetings of the International Association of Akhal-Teke Horse Breeding, exhibitions and fairs and international scientific conferences are traditionally held. And on the day of the holiday, in addition to horse racing, exhibitions and a competition for the title of breed champion among horses, show jumping competitions, horseman performances, performances with the participation of horses and other equestrian tournaments are also held.

The history of the Akhal-Teke people, often called «royal horses», dates back centuries. This breed is considered the oldest cultivated horse breed.

From the 7th-6th centuries BC, ancient historians and poets mention the unsurpassed beauty of Central Asian horses, known as Nisean. There is a hypothesis that this name is directly related to the ancient capital of Parthia, — Nisa.

Subsequently, they became better known as Akhal-Teke — after the name of the Akhal oasis and the Turkmen Teke tribe, which had been breeding this horse breed since ancient times.

It is noteworthy that today, centuries later, the State Emblem of Turkmenistan adorns the profile of the magnificent Akhal-Teke horse — Yanardag, world champion of the breed in 1999. And it is not surprising that this Day appeared in the holiday calendar of Turkmenistan.

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