Akhal-Teke horses see boom in NW China’s Xinjiang
CULTURE
By He Yan

2017-05-03 14:19 GMT+8

2415km to Beijing

By CGTN's Zheng Yibing
Akhal-Teke horses are a rare breed known for their superior speed, endurance and intelligence. Reports say there are only about 3,000 on the planet, mostly found in central Asia, like Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.
The animals – also known as heavenly horses – now play an important role in China not only to preserve the number of pure-bloods, but also to improve local breeds.
The Akhal-Teke horse, also called the “blood-sweating” horse in China, is a rare breed known for superior speed, endurance and intelligence. /CGTN Photo
Ziliya Tuerga is in charge of training the Akhal-Tekes at a horse farm in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.
Aged 21, he is from Zhaosu county in Xinjiang's Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, and has been riding horse for 14 years. Each day, he trains with his best friends, the pure-blood Akhal-Teke horses.
For him, they are true beauties, with their short hair, shimmering skin, and slim neck and legs.
The young rider has become friend with Akhal-Teke horses. /CGTN Photo
Not only that, "they have stunning stamina compared with other breeds, and are believed to be able to cover some 500 kilometers in just a single day,” he says.
In addition to riding, Ziliya cares for the newborns on the farm.
The horses are part of an ancient breed. More than 2,100 years ago, Zhang Qian, a Chinese envoy from the Han Dynasty went west to seek Akhal-Teke horses and form alliances with the western kingdoms, in order to fend off nomadic invasions from the north.
This resulted in the introduction of the Akhal-Teke horses, part of the ancient Silk Road history.
CGTN Photo
In 2014, Chinese President Xi Jinping received an Akhal-Teke horse from Turkmenistan, a national treasure, a symbol of friendship.
Now, on top of the pure-bloods, Akhal-Teke horses are also imported to improve local breeds in China.
For Ziliya, the Akhal-Tekes are ideal race horses.
When these foals are about two years old, he will give them formal training and get them ready for races one or two years later.
2415km

READ MORE