Turkoman Horse

[Llanque Mazurek]

TheTurkoman horse, or Turkmene, is an Oriental horse breed from the steppes of Central Asia. It influenced many modern horse breeds, including the Thoroughbred horse. Modern descendants include the Akhal-Teke,[1] the Iomud, the Goklan and Nokhorli.[2]The Turkmen is only bred in north-east Iran.[3] There are about 3000 animals. The population is at risk.[4]

The Turkoman horse has influenced the English Thoroughbred,[1] most probably via the Byerley Turk. Turkomans were brought to England by soldiers stationed in various parts of the East. The best known was a stallion named Merv, who was brought to England by Baker Pasha[who?] in the 19th century. A very high stud fee which was charged for Mervs services, 85, which at that time was considered exorbitant for any stallion. Unfortunately, other Englishmen did not esteem Merv the way Baker Pacha did. Sidney[who?] quotes a correspondent who had seen Merv and stated: "He looked to me about 16 hands high, fine shoulders, good head and neck, fine skin, good wearing legs, bad feet and leggy. I thought him unsuited to breed hunters ... he looked to me about an 11 stone horse, and did not like going through dirt." In this context, "11 stone" referenced rider weight, thus such a horse would be one expected to be able to carry about 150 pounds (68 kg). Merv covered no mares in England, and in 1877 he was sold to the Earl of Claremont's stud in Ireland.[citation needed]

Turkoman horses, aside from being occasional gifts of state, were often brought into Western Europe by various individuals, mostly connected with the military in some way. Some of these horses have had a profound impact on various European warmblood breeds.

As mentioned in my review, I treated Red Dead Redemption II as a horse simulator in the beginning, and still do. I love games where I get to ride horses! Ghost of Tsushima comes to mind, when it comes to having a relationship with your horse, though I admit Red Dead Redemption II does not go quite as far with that.

So, here are my top three horses of Red Dead Redemption II as Arthur.

Being a gunslinger on the run, Arthur needs a capable steed. As you will get into gun fights a lot, traverse alligator-infested swamps and mountains alike, a versatile horse is best. Here are the main characteristics I am looking at:

Health:

Since the law will try to stop Arthur at any cost, his horse will be at peril of being shot. The more health it has, the better. Also, best invest in good saddles that lower the drain rate for health and stamina.

Speed/Acceleration:

Making a speedy get-away can be a life-saver! Also, a horse with stamina AND speed will be able to easily outrun the law. And win you any NPC race, of course. Which in turn will help your overall horse stats.

Last but not least, good equipment is key to getting the most out of your steed. For example, a custom-made saddle. I am very happy with the Alligator Ranch Cutter Saddle.

Prices

Some horses you can purchase, others you can find and tame in the wild and sell for a profit later on. The cardinal rule is: the higher the level of bonding, the higher price the horse will fetch.

The Arabian is a very old breed. Courage, speed and stamina define these intelligent horses. They may not look like much, but they are the Superior class in the game. There are four Arabian Horses you can either find or purchase as Arthur. The Red Chestnut Arabian, the Warped Brindle Arabian, the White Arabian and the Black Arabian.

I have found her there twice for free and therefore did not bother to spend 1,000 dollars on the stud. She will spawn only at night. I found her once tied up in front of the gun shop and after a robbery gone wrong around the corner from the St. Denis police station.

It is a shame that this fully bonded, superior horse will only fetch 210 dollars while her male counterpart goes for over a 1,000 dollars when bought at the stable.

The Turkoman is also a very old breed. They are a combination of war and race horse and have Standard handling. Their health ist exceptional, as is their stamina. Racing my Gold Turkoman is a joy indeed. He will even race up mountains, no problem!

They have courage and their acceleration more than makes up for their sometimes skittish temperament. My Turkoman also does not enjoy the cold.

Fully bonded, this horse will fetch a pretty price of over 900 dollars at the stable.

When it comes to health, she has slightly less than the other two, a nine out of ten, but she more than makes up for that with speed and stamina.

When it comes to handling, the Perlino Andalusian does feel a little more clunky than the Gold Turkoman. The Black Arabian is well-behaved and reacts perfectly.

As for temperament, the Black Arabian is extremely skittish when encountering large predators. She would buck me off every time I tried to cross to Shady Belle over alligator-invested water. Despite a Level 4 bonding very early in game. Which is the only reason why she does not land in the top spot.

There are a few other, decent horses around and one I really like is the Ardennes. This French war horse has great stamina and good health once you reach Level 4 bonding. They are not fast, but will keep their head in a gunfight and during pretty much any predator-encounter.

The last horse I rode, in Mongolia, tried to kick me with its back legs every time I even approached the saddle. This time, then, was a pretty drastic improvement. My lovely Couchsurfing host/Ashgabat guide extraordinaire Gulshat passed going horseback, but she was kind enough to take my camera and snap some pictures of me as I was getting a feel for my new ride.

So, consider a very young foal or a veteran older than 20 years if on a budget. The horses only live for 25 years on average. Therefore, most owners will let go of 20-year-olds for as little as $5,000.

Consider pasture (or turn-up) or partial boarding if looking to enjoy most full-boarding perks at a fraction of the budget. Most facilities charge $400 to $600 but offer great value for money. The horse enjoys pasture, water, and a run-in shed among others.

Conformation: High-conforming Turkomans and Akhal Tekes are highly desirable and, thus, fetch the highest prices. For instance, breeders carefully assess the horses for long, high-set necks, a lean, athletic body, and almond-shaped eyes.

Bloodlines: There are more than a dozen bloodlines within the Turkoman breed. Higher pedigree bloodlines such as the Kaplan and Peren are the most expensive. Moreover, the finest bloodlines are often imported from Russia and Turkmenistan, further inflating the asking prices.

Physical characteristics: Buyers, especially breeders and those shopping for racing horses, are keen on size. Taller horses, above 15 hands, are the most sought-after. But the demand fades after 16 hands. Similarly, optimally-sized Akhal Tekes, between 900 and 1,000 pounds, are the most desirable.

Coat color: Though regular buyers are happy with any color, breeders desire specific colors. Gold Turkomans and Akhal Tekes are typically the most sought-after and, thus, most expensive. Other shimmering metallic coat colors are attractive too, thus cost more than regular equine colors.

Disciplines and show records: Turkoman and Akhal Teke horses with a track record in popular disciplines are expensive because of the high return on investment. The price is even higher if the horse has a few records to prove their worth. Such a horse can cost $100,000+.

Turkomans have large, clopping shoulders with matching broad chests. The back is proportionally longer, while the legs are long and muscular. The Turkoman has tiny but strong hooves, perfect for surviving the hot deserts.

Akhal Tekes closely resemble Turkomans. They are slender, refined horses that grow to 14.2-16 hands and 900-1,200 pounds. The back is long and muscular, while the croup is flat. Though the shoulders slope, the neck is upright.

Akhal Tekes boast thin skins with shiny, fine coats. Registries accept all equine colors and markings, including palomino, cremello, and perlino coats. The sheen is golden in cream-colored Akhal Tekes and silvery in gray horses.

Unfortunately, they are fiery, hot-blooded horses. So, expect a spirited demeanor. Moreover, Akhal Tekes are one-person horses. They form strong bonds with the first owner but struggle to replicate the relationship with the next owner.

The neglect to which the Turkoman horse has been subjected in equine history is, perhaps a blessing. The majority of references by sixteenth to nineteenth century writers and travelers are far from complimentary.

Relegated to a mongrel status by observers whose eyes reflected current western fashions of elegance, the Turkoman was generally dismissed as a joke although it seems increasingly likely that its blood was far more instrumental in the development of the oriental horse and the thoroughbred than has so far been realized.

Now raised in a remote area of Central Asia, dwindling numbers of Turkomans continue to exist and are proof of the merit of a strangely lovely horse. They were said to be ewe necked and slab-sided. But the proper Turkoman is in fact, an elegant, tall horse with a conformation to suit his environment and his job.

Although for centuries there had been a fluid movement of boundaries in the Aralo-Caspian region the strains under discussion probably kept to their respective breeding grounds in historical times regardless of political nomenclature. Geography and climate are reflected in the conformation of the types.

The Teke is bred by the Teke Turkoman tribes in country that encompasses an area from Merv to Ashgabad; flat open land broken by irrigation ditches where the Oxus, the Morghab and Tejend rivers have been diverted for agriculture. Between these oases, however, lie miles of dry steppe where the few water holes are invariably brackish.

The Yamud and Goklan are bred by the Yomud and Goklan tribes whose boundaries are within Iran. The topography here varies between the steppes beginning at the eastern edge of the Caspian Sea to the dry steppe (Ghezelk Bayer) bordering the Atrek river. In the spring the grass is lush. In the summer the springs dry up and the Atrek becomes a dusty ditch. Grass turns to dust in the Khaled Nebi mountains.

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