In the era of the Revival of the New Epoch of the Powerful State, under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and thanks to the tireless efforts of Hero-Arkadag, large-scale work is being carried out in Turkmenistan to promote the Akhal-Teke horse. Today, our “heavenly” horses have gained worldwide recognition. Owing to such qualities as unparalleled beauty, speed, intelligence, courage, and loyalty, they have been recognized as a treasure of all humanity.
The boundless love of our people for the Akhal-Teke horses has found profound expression in folklore and Turkmen literature. Fairy tales, epics, legends, poems, and historical accounts have come down to us through the millennia. They testify that from ancient times the horse has been man’s faithful friend, a companion capable of swiftly overcoming great distances and never abandoning its rider in difficult times. Hero-Arkadag has also dedicated several works to our “heavenly” horses, enriching the treasury of world literature.
Such works by Hero-Arkadag as “The Akhal-Teke Horse – Our Pride and Glory,” “Swift Step of Race Horse,” and “The Horse – a Symbol of Loyalty and Happiness” have been translated into many languages of the world, becoming an encyclopedia for a wide range of readers and a valuable guide for horse breeders and hippologists. These profound works glorify the legendary historical path, origin, and worldwide fame of the Turkmen horse. They provide a detailed account of the inseparable bond between the Turkmen people and the Akhal-Teke horses, a bond that has shaped their destiny and formed the national character.
Turkmen horses, which originated in ancient times and were perfected by seyis have had a significant influence on the improvement of many horse breeds around the world. Akhal-Teke horses are distinguished by their beauty, speed, and endurance, and the origins of this unique breed are inseparably linked with the history of our people.
As noted in the work of Hero-Arkadag “The Akhal-Teke Horse – Our Pride and Glory,” the Akhal-Teke horse, which was formed on Turkmen soil, is a symbol of strength, health, and beauty created by nature and the genius of humankind. That is why the history of the love and friendship between humans and horses arouses such deep interest. It began five thousand years ago and continues to this day. This history has been preserved in numerous testimonies and records from different eras, as well as in the oral heritage of the Turkmen people—its epics and legends. Even today, various monographs and scientific studies are devoted to the Akhal-Teke horses.
This statement by the scholar Arkadag, which summarizes and systematizes scientific and historical information relating to the Akhal-Teke horses, emphasizes that their history stretches back five thousand years. In the book, these scholarly views are substantiated by information from ancient scholars such as Xenophon, Homer, Herodotus, Appian, Strabo, and Plutarch; by archaeological discoveries in Altai, Anev, Altyndepe, Namazgadepe, Jeytun, and Margush; as well as by the Orkhon-Yenisey inscriptions, historical sources from China, India, Egypt, Babylon, Greece, and Rome, the treatise of the Hittite Kingdom, Turkmen epics, and other historical evidence.
Speaking about the purity of the breed of our “heavenly” horses, Hero-Arkadag emphasizes in his book “Swift Step of Race Horse” that in ancient times the Turkmen horse was called the “Nisaean horse,” the “heavenly horse,” and the “paradise steed.” Scholars attribute the fundamental distinction of the Turkmen horse from other breeds to its pure bloodline, since the ancestors of this breed have from ancient times lived exclusively on the territory of Turkmenistan. In the epic “Gorkut Ata,” the Turkmen Oguz refer to their horses as arguns, while in the “Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk” the word argamak is frequently used. For anyone familiar with the Turkmen language, the meaning of these words is clear—they refer to a pedigreed, purebred horse.
The novels of Hero-Arkadag “A Good Name Is Immortal” and “The Bird of Happiness” also reflect the Turkmen people's love for their horses. By reading these works, we not only become acquainted with the history of the development of the national art of horse breeding, but also see a vivid example for the younger generation of Hero-Arkadag’s sincere pride in our horses.
In the novel “A Good Name Is Immortal,” Hero-Arkadag quotes Aba (note: Aba Annayev, the brother of Hero-Arkadag’s grandfather, was renowned as a talented horse breeder and selector who raised and trained a large number of elite horses), who used to say that if a horse were called an “animal” or “livestock,” it would understand. This is because the relationship between a horse and a human is the same as that between people—they understand one another without words, through a glance or movement. Above all, what is needed here is love and affection.
In the novel “The Bird of Happiness,” Hero-Arkadag recalls how Aba unfailingly identified the ailments of horses and gave wise advice: when caring for a horse, one should from time to time look into its eyes, penetrating its inner world: “…look from time to time into the horse’s great poppy-like eyes. For in its gaze it expresses all of its pain.”
The works of Hero-Arkadag devoted to the Akhal-Teke horses describe the ancient origins of the breed, its purity, distinctive characteristics, its place in world civilization, and many other valuable facts. We wish the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan, as well as President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, good health, long life, and great success in their large-scale activities for the prosperity of the Motherland and the well-being of all people, and in their noble efforts aimed at preserving and passing on to future generations the legacy of their ancestors and the traditions of horse breeding, while further enhancing throughout the world the glory of the Akhal-Teke horses, which are the national pride and a treasure of all humanity.
