Breed Profile: Akhal Teke

Akhal Teke have a reputation for speed and endurance, intelligence, and a distinctive metallic sheen. The shiny coat of palominos and buckskins led to their nickname "Golden Horses".These horses are adapted to severe climatic conditions and are thought to be one of the oldest existing horse breeds.There are currently about 6,600 Akhal-Tekes in the world, mostly in Turkmenistan and Russia, although they are also found throughout Europe and North America. Akhal was the name of the line of oases along the north slope of the Kopet Dag mountains. It was inhabited by the Tekke tribe of Turkomans. 

The Akhal-Teke typically stands between 14.2 and 16 hands (58 and 64 inches, 147 and 163 cm). These horses are well known for those individuals who have a golden buckskin or palomino color, a result of the cream gene, a dilution gene that also produces the perlino and cremello colors. A number of other colors are recognized, including bay, black, chestnut, and grey. Aficionados of the breed claim that the color pattern served as camouflage in the desert. Many Akhal-Tekes have a natural metallic sheen to their coat, particularly noticeable in those with cream gene colors. Akhal-Tekes are not thought to carry the dun gene or roan gene. The Akhal-Teke has a refined head with predominantly a straight or slightly convex profile, and long ears. It can also have almond-shaped or "hooded" eyes. The mane and tail are usually sparse. The long back is lightly muscled, and is coupled to a flat croup and long, upright neck. The Akhal-Teke possess sloping shoulders and thin skin. The breed is tough and resilient, having adapted to the harshness of Turkmenistan lands, where horses must live without much food or water. This has also made the horses good for sport. The breed is known for its endurance.

Best Horse Photos

I love Horses! Here are some really cool horse pictures off the web

You can see a lot more here:

https://www.pinterest.com/hoofbeats1000/

on, cute horses, cool horses, and beautiful horses.

Equine Collage

These are really fun to make, and all you need is paper, horse magazines, glue, and scissors!

You can hang them up on your wall or door.

Look for woords and letters that you can string together to make up your thoughts and feelings about horses, get creative!

Snail's Pace

Here is a puzzle for you all to figure out, answer is on the bottom, but don't peek until you've given up, or think you know the answer!

Ever since Roy and Dale signed on at the Friendly Dude Ranch, the two cowboys have been in constant competition. For their next day off, they've planned a race to the river to decide who has the better horse. Frank, the foreman, who's had just about enough of the cowboy's bickering, decides to teach them a lesson.

"Okay", says Frank, "you can race, but the one whose horse takes longer to reach the river wins!"

  Not wanting to turn down a challenge, Roy and Dale agree, but since neither wants to cross the finish line first, they spend the whole day aimlessly wandering around in circles to avoid it.

  Long after dinner time, the cowboys, no closer to the river than when they started, cross paths and admit they're tired of this contest but don't know how to end it. The ranch cook just happens to be passing by and offers them a solution. Within seconds Roy and Dale are racing as fast as they can to the river. What did the cook say?

He said to switch horses

Endurance Riding

I love endurance riding. I plan to compete in it, one because it's full of adventure, two, because it's competitive, three, I love Arabians! So here is a little about it:

Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide.

There are two main types of long-distance riding, competitive trail riding and endurance rides. In an endurance ride, discussed in this article, the winning horse is the first one to cross the finish line while stopping periodically to pass a veterinary check that deems the animal in good health and fit to continue. In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles (160 km) long. Shorter rides, called Limited Distance rides (LD), are organized for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained. However, LD's have evolved into a competition of their own, in which more experienced riders and horses also participate. There are also longer, usually multi-day, rides as well. As with human marathon running, many riders will participate to improve their horse's personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a proper vet completion record to be a "win". In the USA, the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) sanctions endurance rides. In the UK, Endurance GB is the governing body. Winning riders can complete 100-mile (160 km) rides in 14 to 15 hours.

Any breed can compete, but the Arabian generally dominates the top levels because of the breed's stamina and natural endurance abilities.

 bonus:

You should be careful around all horses but be especially careful around horses with red ribbons tied to their tails. Riders do that to signal other riders that their horse is a kicker.

Wrong Way To Dismount: story

A friend and I were riding double on Lilly, just walking up a hill. Then I felt myself slowly sliding sideways! I thought my friend was trying to pull me off or was really off balance, so I leaned the other way. But we just kept sliding, very slowly. I'd usually be on the ground by the time I was halfway down her side, but somehow I was still on! Well, we both were. I grabbed the horn, but then I realized the saddle was falling too! Thankfully Lilly stopped too. So we just eased to the ground. Whew! But we both laughed, because it was fun. But it wouldn't have been so fun if she was running, so I should have checked the cinch.

State Horses

Have you ever wondered what your state horse is, or if you even have one? Here they are

Albama 

Rack Horse

North Carolina

Spanish Mustang

South Carolina

Marsh Tacky

North Dakota

Nokota Horse

New Jersey
State animal: The Horse!

Vermont and
Massachusetts:
Morgan

Texas
Quarter Horse

Florida
Cracker Horse

Idaho
Appaloosa

Kentucky and Maryland
Thoroughbred

Missouri
Missouri Fox Trotter

Bonus:
Oldest Horse
The oldest horse was 62 years old