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: Trip to Turkmenistan :
E. Barrett
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A ride in Turkmenistan by Elizebeth Barrett
The four of us in the party consisted of myself, Lisa, Ruth and Bridget. We arrived by Turkmenistan Airlines in Ashgabat, the capital of the country. The population of the country is about 5M. It possesses natural gas and petroleum and the main crop is cotton. Most of the capital was sadly wiped out in the late 1940s by an earthquake but it has been completely rebuilt. Since independence, around 10 years ago, it has been rebuilt again and is now said to be the most modern city in Central Asia. It boasts tree-lined wide streets, modern parliament buildings and a presidential palace, and an up-to-date museum. There are also numerous modern hotels but, to our observation, not many guests.
On Sundays and Thursdays there are lively markets where on display can be seen rows of carpets, native crafts and hand-made silver bracelets and necklaces. The export restrictions are on old carpets, rugs and Zergar silver jewellery, or anything antique. Carpets have to be taken to the museum of carpets, tagged for exportation, with a certificate to show to customs. We had timed our arrival, unbeknown to us when we booked, to coincide with the fourth annual Akhal-Teke conference. A few hours after our arrival we were whisked away to visit the Hippodrome or racecourse built in the 1980s. There are stands alongside part of the race circuit, and there are also various American type barns with perhaps as many as forty horses in each. We looked in about three barns and were told that the horses were fed on clover (but I think this must have been alfalfa), barley, sugar (beet?), hay and carrots; all that we saw was alfalfa and barley. We asked if we might see a horse in the open and a boy of twelve, who was small for his size, brought a horse outside and with a bridle and blanket only and no saddle galloped it up and down. These horses are very lean with hard feet and most of them are unshod. It appears that they are not trained to UK or US standards, but are simply mounted and ridden. All the horses we came into contact with were very gentle, no doubt because they have lived close to man for thousands of years. The horses are apparently galloped early in the morning and in the afternoon they are walked round the course by young boys, mainly with no saddles and just a blanket to sit on. I had been told before I went out that there are no saddlers in Turkmenistan. There is certainly a need for better tack but it has to be borne in mind that this is a poor country struggling hard to make its way following independence, having lost all the financial and other support which it used to receive from the USSR. The next morning, another hot day at about 28°C, we were off to the colourful Tolkuchka bazaar which is held in the desert outside Ashgabat. The Thursday market is smaller than the Sunday one but there were on display rows of carpets from Iran in brilliant reds, local silver jewellery and traditional handicrafts. Telpeks (local hats), made from long or short goat or sheep wool, were all there for the haggling. Beware, you are not allowed to bring out anything of great value: silver jewellery, for instance, would be taken off you at the airport.
Back to the Hippodrome and we visited the stable which was the President’s, which had recently been built, again on the American barn system, but photographs were not allowed. The horses in this stable were mainly all stallions and look well cared for, but we noticed that the better the horse the closer it was stabled to the racecourse. Many horses in the country have a hand-woven camel-hair "necklace" round their necks "to ward off the evil eye". Later I purchased one for my horse Cameron. Horses and yet more horses - we visited a private stud in the desert outside Ashgabat. This had several stallions and many mares and foals. The Akhal-Tekes come in many colours and here there was a variety, including the "golden colour" in which the coat has a metallic sheen. There were also to be seen brown, chesnut, cream and many shades of dun. All the horses looked well cared for and the mares and foals were outside with shelter from the sun. Mountains, here we come
The mountains are high desert, with scrub, loose shale, large rocks and boulders, the tracks are hard surfaced, this is an unforgiving landscape. The mountain range is vast, covered with thyme and sage, and with a few juniper trees. On the way up to the first camp, David gave us a warning about moving rocks as there might well be a black widow or a tarantula lurking beneath. And because of scorpions one always has to shake out ones boots before putting them on. Also, there were ticks in the area but luckily we escaped their attentions. As soon as we arrived at camp, a hooded cobra slithered by. Also one had to keep clear of the bushes for fear of what they might be concealing. It took four hours for us to reach the horse camp by the Sekizyap River. The camp was placed well above the river as in the previous week it had rained, causing a dramatic mud slide, and we could have been in danger of further slides and flash floods, although Turkmenistan is said to have only 50 days a year when it rains. But this probably reflects the weather in the capital and the desert, rather more than the mountains. While David got straight to work erecting the two man tents, Oleg brewed much needed tea and coffee. We then all walked down to the river were the horses were and met Anton our Russian guide for the next week. We were camping at about 5000ft with mountains all around us at about 6500ft. The river valley was quite lush with grass, small trees, rushes and other plants. The river sparkled in the sun and was completely clear; the following day we saw trout in it. We walked through the water to inspect our mounts and tack. There were five mares and one stallion Akhal-Teke, Iomud or Yomud and perhaps part bred, chesnuts, bays, duns, a black/brown stallion and a golden mare. We looked at the saddles which had been provided: in the main they were new Russian Cavalry saddles with one Eastern flat (UK). Anton our guide had a cross between a Turkman and Russian Cavalry saddle which looked the best of the bunch as far as comfort was concerned. We were asked if we had brought our own snaffle bits, and we must have looked a bit blank - Russians evidently take their own bits on riding trips. However, we had been asked if we were bringing saddles and I had hoped to but realised that my own long distance saddle is too heavy to drag around. I was hoping to take a Wintec synthetic saddle with me - they are not only light-weight but have adjustable gullets and I would like to try one on a future occasion. Some of the horses looked as if they had worked hard, and some showed scars from old injuries. However, they all appeared sound and lean and had been mountain trained. Don’t, by the way, let anybody tell you that they can be used only in the desert and don’t forget the old saying "don’t judge a book by its cover". The stallion is kept tethered along with the oldest mare a fourteen year old blue dun, and the youngest a yellow dun. Otherwise they run free, feeding on the scrub and sparse grass and anything else they can find. They probably lead a near perfect life, running free and doing hours of steady work.
The night was windy and in the night we had some rain and in the middle of the night I had to scoop up our bags and boots and bring then into the tent. Oleg, the camp cook, filled me with admiration with his ability to give up cordon bleu type menus and to gauge accurately the amount of food which would be needed on the trip. He served up cooked breakfasts, lunches of soup and salad, dinners of beef, mutton, fish and Italian cuisine, all cooked on a two ring cooker or an open fire. Afternoon tea was, however, served at 5 o’clock instead of 4 o’clock! In the late afternoon we tended to walk up the valley to watch the sun playing on the mountains and to see the changing colours as it lowered in the sky. On the way down we gathered wood for the fire that evening. The days were hot, a dry heat, and only the coldest night called for a three season sleeping bag. The first day’s riding was short at my request, but this could have been extended to 30km. We rode along the riverbed and criss-crossed the river a number of times before climbing out of the valley onto the Aksu Plateau which stretches along the northern foothills of the Dushak Mountain, the highest peak in the area. The horses brushed through the thyme and sage, sending lovely aromas wafting across to us. Wild lavenders just coming into flower completed the scene. The mountains are harsh, and with shades of browns, reds and greys their appearance was always changing as the sun moved round and light played on the canyons. We returned for a late lunch to the simple camp where we used the river for washing and had no loos. What struck me was the complete remoteness of the area, with no people to be seen but birds, many flying high above us, wild animals and plants and, on the mountain tops, juniper trees. The tracks and mountains are hard shale and the horses made their way down the sheer mountainsides. We had to sit quietly, let the horses have their heads and lean back because the steep slopes made it necessary to keep one hand on the back of the saddle. I found the Russian saddle difficult to sit, owing to the fact that the stirrup bars are placed much further to the rear than on an eastern or long distance saddle, throwing my normal balance out. For the first day’s ride the stallion was left at home, and we had a loose mare travelling with us which we nicknamed "Bossy Boots". She had been stolen and her back damaged by, I believe, a wild animal: Anton believed that if she were given another six months off she would recover completely. Bossy Boots planned her tactics well, placing herself as third horse in the pecking order and challenging any ridden horse that wanted to overtake her. She excelled herself at the water crossings, completely blocking the way for the last two ridden mares and also the stallion. At times, she would leap straight down a steep bank into the river - these horses are certainly good jumpers. My horse, on one occasion, hesitated before entering the water but then, instead of wading across, leapt the whole river from a standstill. Saturday. On the following day we had another ride out from the first camp. Although I normally don’t like to stop more than one night in a place, the camp sites have to be decided on the availability of water and food for the horses. Today we set out in a different direction across the western plateau, passing the remains of an ancient settlement. At times we rode close to the rocky overhangs to get relief from the hot sun beating down on us. We covered about 40km, riding from about 9am to 2.30pm. We rode mainly at a walk, interspersed with long trots and short canters. When we were on the tops we were asked if we would like to gallop but we declined. Part of the problem was that I found the Russian saddle quite difficult to ride on and not really suitable for galloping on that terrain. We came across our first settlement with cultivated fields close to the river, and tethered close by were three red cattle and a youngster - they looked much like the Suffolk Red Polls only smaller. In the same place there was a large body of goats and sheep being looked after by two herdsmen. The white, black and brown sheep had long fleeces and most had lambs. Many of the sheep and goats had clambered high up on the shale to gain whatever little food was available. I was most impressed with Anton who made us skirt around the animals so as not to disturb them. Most of the flocks had large guard dogs, but not vicious ones such as I had encountered in Turkey a few years earlier. Today the black stallion came with us to bring up the rear, ridden bareback by the groom with just a blanket to sit on and a snaffle bridle with very short reins. Indeed they were so short that when we stopped to water the horses the poor chap was half way down his neck. How did he manage to stay on up and down the mountainside?
Sunday. Another long ride starting after an early breakfast of omelettes. Today we had a lot of cloud cover which meant it was not so hot as the previous day. We retraced our way along the river and then climbed to the high plateau with a number of trots and canters on the way. On the tops with its steppe type of landscape we came across a large herd of sheep and goats, the herdsman having a large donkey to ride and two large guard dogs. Every day the smell of herbs wafted around us as we rode, the horses brushing against the plants released the oils that give us the scent. Other plants we saw were poppies, including opium poppies, marijuana growing wild, broom, yarrow, cornflowers and lavender. The mountains are home to many tortoises and they regularly criss-crossed our path, from tiny ones to large ones of a great age. We also saw lizards and poisonous snakes, including cobras and the deadly gaboon viper which is so deadly that if bitten you would be dead in two hours. No help was available here as we were many hours from anywhere by horseback. We also saw large lizards called "sand crocodiles", together with silver foxes. In the area there are hyenas and leopards but we did not see any. What we did see, however, was an abundance of fossils. Monday, a day of rest for the horses, the others hiked to the waterfall with Anton and Starrs while I had a lazy day, read my book and washed my clothes. A surprise - it rained and the others returned from the waterfall soaked. The camp was soaking wet and as we had nowhere dry to sit Anton invited us into his tent, which had a central hearth used for cooking which would also give out some warmth at night. His tent had open sides with a canvas top. In these comfortable surroundings Oleg served us lunch. Tuesday. We moved today to the Bakcha camp, riding some 40km across the western plateau to the spring of the Bakcha River. It was very hot and we had a long ride ahead of us, starting at 9am and reaching camp at 5.30pm. We began by retracing our steps, criss-crossing and riding along the river for an hour, then climbing steeply to the mountain top and the vast plateau. We climbed and descended, only to climb again over three mountain ranges. A break at lunchtime but no lunch and I just made use of my water bottle, but we were grateful for the break in which to sit in the shade of our horses’ bodies and gaze at the view, as we still had at least four hours ahead of us. Later on we came to a difficult river crossing that was not safe to ride the horses over. The stallion was tethered while we dismounted and Anton asked us to hand him our horses one at a time while we crossed the river and clambered up the far bank. He then sent each horse to the lad on our side who in turn sent it up to the rider. All went well until the stallion’s turn came. He panicked and tied himself in knots rearing and plunging, and getting caught in the overhanging branches. He kept veering off to join a cow that was watching the proceedings. At the third attempt he did manage the crossing and joined the mares. We then wound our way along the valley beside the river for an hour to the camp at the head of the gorge. It was a long hot ride but I would not have missed it for anything. The horses finished the long, arduous day as fresh as when they started. How incredible they are. This was a beautiful gorge. We camped close to the water and Anton and the groom just slept in the open for the first night. Our camp kitchen straddled the stream close to the spring. I thought to myself that if heaven is like this it will be OK. The best grass in the valley, according to the horses, was underneath the tents, so in the night they were trying to push underneath us and I had to shield Lisa from being trodden on. The horses kept returning to the camp kitchen, looking for tit-bits and generally making a nuisance of themselves.
The next day’s ride took us back up Kyzyl Kaya Valley and a large loop of 30km with stunning scenery on the plateau tops, with miles and miles of open steppe. These mountains go on for hundreds of miles. Another great day’s riding and, sadly, we spent the last night in camp. Our last ride was about 45km towards the Bakharden Underground Lake. After an hour along the river we climbed back to the tops where a herd was grazing. Shortly afterwards we met two young boys on a very sweaty Akhal-Teke horse, riding it only with blankets. They had been up on the plateau galloping - the horses are incredible how they just go on and on, living on next to nothing. We stopped for a break by an old Soviet Union lookout post, now unmanned, before continuing down and round the next valley to the ride end. We had hoped to see the wild or feral herds of sheep and horses, presumably the horses coming from Iran. Whether these were Turkoman horses or Caspian I had no idea. At the time of the Shah’s departure horse breeding establishments were broken up and large numbers of horses went feral. It was also decreed that no one could keep more than one horse. Anton took his horses back to the last camp, before taking them to the mountain tops to avoid the worst of the summer heat. There was a little more feed up there and also, interestingly, a telephone. He also would be preparing his own horse for the big endurance race in the coming October. I have been told that they hope to get 1000 horses taking part, racing across the desert. Anton is Russian and has a wide knowledge of plants and herbs: he goes round the villages treating horses with herbal remedies. While we were in camp, he produced herbs for the cooking pot, for tea and also a plantain type leaf which he used to heal Bridget’s grazes successfully. On our return there was an e-mail from David, telling us on the night we left there were big mud slides which destroyed the camp site at Bakcha - no doubt the horses warned Anton of the forthcoming hazard! The horses had been taken back there because of damage to the water system at the underground lake.
The jeep ride back to Ashgabat was somewhat hairy, speeding down mountain tracks. We got covered in dust and the windscreen wipers had to be used to see!!! Back in Ashgabat, after bathing we could have made sandcastles with the sand left in the bottom of the bath. Friday, our last day, we set off early to visit a private stables known as Katch’s Place. The horses were well look after and correctly fed, even though obtaining food is difficult at times. We were shown round by and American lady whose husband is with their Embassy. She loves it out there and has two horses of her own, an Akhal-Teke and an Iomud cross, which breed is a little heavier (there are variations in the spelling according to whether one is in Turkmenistan or Iran). This lady was trying hard to impress correct riding and proper training on the Turkmen - at present in some quarters it is "use your heels and saw the mouth to stop". Anton certainly rides correctly and expects others to do so. We were also able to visit The National Stud out in the desert but we were able to look at only the 40 or so stallions stabled there. They were variable not only in size but in type and condition. Unfortunately, we were not able to speak to anyone about the horses. Russian Cavalry Saddles
The saddles are placed on a large shaped felt which is leather covered and is split along the spine. The saddles are built up from a number of components which are laced together. The tree is similar to that on a US Decker pack saddle. It is of wood, lined with two layers of felt, with two metal hoops at the pommel and cantle. The tops of the hoops are covered with soft padded leather laced to form a suspension-type seat between the pommel and cantle hoops. The girths or clinches are threaded through the saddle sidebars and there is a number of areas for making adjustments on the tree. The stirrup leathers loop over and through the sidebars. The whole is covered with leather, giving a seat and skirt. The siting of the stirrups is much nearer to the cantle than on a UK saddle. The skirts have no lining so underneath your leg is not only the stirrup leather but also the rigging or girths. The saddle does not have girth straps as such. The pommels and cantles are high.
The saddle tree was long for the size of horse, but none of the horses suffered from sore backs. The treatment of the horses back after many hours’ riding was just to remove the saddles at once and, only if they were sweating, rub them with a towel. In the dry heat the horses sweated very little. The horses I am interested in the history of the various breeds of horse and so was naturally led to Turkmenistan, one of the cradles of horse breeding and horsemanship. At present I am carrying out research from primary sources in England and I have travelled on horseback in parts of Rajasthan, India, on Marwari and Kathiawari, horses which are similar to the Akhal-Teke and from which they developed from early times. In type they are nearly look alikes - the Akhal-Tekes even have their ears turning slightly inwards. The stamina of both breeds is well known and both have the ability to travel long distances and have hard legs and feet. Recently Dubai hosted a 100 mile endurance race and whatever times the Arab horses took over that distance, the Akhal-Tekes could better them by two hours. Some of the colours are not often seen in the UK, although perhaps they are more so in the States. Many of the range of dun, chesnut and bay/brown have not been seen in the UK since the 18thC. I discovered that the Icelandic horses possess similar colours, owing to the fact that they have been isolated for 900 years. (A small book by Sigurour A Magnusson, "The Natural Colours of the Iceland horse", gives excellent colour definition with photographs.) The other breed of horse in the area is the Iomud. This ancient breed is slightly heavier than the Akhal-Teke and has an average height of 14.2 – 15.2hh. It is developed from the ancient Turkmenian breed by the Iomud tribe in the Tashauz oasis in southern Turkmenistan. This is another breed that is extremely resistant to the desert heat and can survive without water for long periods. The colours are grey or chesnut, or occasionally black or golden chesnut. Unlike the Akhal-Tekes, this breed is kept in herds in the desert and semi-desert. Similar horses are bred in Iran and are known as the Yamud and the Goklan, taking theirs names from the tribes. Many of the light horse breeds have developed from the Akhal-Teke, the English throughbred and the Arab being two of them. It is almost certain that the influence of The Silk Road enabled the horse to travel from Turkmenistan to Europe and the Far East. Finds in China reveal the same type of horse. The Gilded Bronze from the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD8) is thought to be modelled on one of the "heavenly horses of Ferghana" and it is recorded that in 101BC, as the horses neared Chang’an, the people sang this hymn awaiting their arrival: The Heavenly Horses are coming, Coming from the Far West, They crossed the Flowing Sands, For the barbarians are conquered. The Heavenly Horses are coming That issued from the waters of a pool, Two of them have tiger backs: They can transform themselves like spirits. The Heavenly Horses are coming Across the pastureless wilds A thousand leagues at a stretch, Following the Eastern Road. The Heavenly Horses are coming. Jupiter is the Dragon, Should they choose to soar aloft Who could keep pace with them? The Heavenly Horses are coming Open the gates while there is time. They will draw me up and carry me To the Holy Mountain of K’un-lun. The Heavenly Horses have come And the Dragon will follow in their wake. I shall reach the Gates of Heaven, I shall see the Palace of God. This sums up why I was drawn to Turkmenistan. To take advantage of the wonderful riding on good horses you need to get your own party of 4-6 people together. If possible, take out a saddle and also a snaffle bit measuring about 5.5" between rings. The country is very short of good tack and if you have any surplus items such as a bridle, girth, breast girth or even a saddle they would be most welcome. If Anton did not need the tack (and we were provided with sound tack) there are many other stables in the area who would be grateful to receive it. The people on the ride I, Elizabeth am virtually a lifelong horserider, having owned by own horse since the age of 13 and I am now a grandmother. My hobby for many years has been long distance riding, not competitively. There is nothing I like better than saddling up my own horse and riding across England. My present horse has ridden across 23 counties of England (that's a big chunk of the country and this means that I've ridden him from the south to the north and back again, and also criss-crossed the country as well). Just over 10 years ago I followed the footsteps of Celia Fiennes (pronounced fines!) who rode around England just over 300 years ago. This was extremely adventurous at that time. We published a book on the trip "Horseback Journeys of Celia Fiennes - 1000 miles across England" which is still in print. In recent years Bill, my husband, and I have run a small company working on access for horseriders. We initiated The Icknield Way Trail which runs across the country for about 140 miles and the final link will open this October. I am also a collector of equestrian travel books and on the history of the horse. I am doing research on that subject from primary sources. Oh, I must tell you that I own a horse Cameron who is thoroughbred cross Welsh cob, stands at 16.1 and I have owned him since he was 6 months old. He is now 21 but I am pleased to say he is still fit to travel. Lisa I've known for many years and she has accompanied me on some of my travels round England. She has a small stud of Welsh section A ponies and her own riding horse is a thoroughbred which she bred herself, of about 16.1 also. We have ridden in India together, riding nearly all the way from Jodhpur to Udaipur in desert country. Last year we rode in the Smoky Mountains and went to the Int Museum of the Horse in Kentucky to see the Chinese exhibition. She is also a grandmother by the way. Ruth does not own her own horse but for her vacations enjoys visiting far flung places. She has ridden in Mongolia, Ladakh in N India (where we met), Iran and Pakistan. On this last trip together she travelled to Iran for a few days, having crossed over from Turkmenistan. She works in a theatre doing design and stage management. Bridget we only met on the trip, she is a friend of Ruth's. She is an artist of some ability especially her horse paintings. On the trip she spent every spare moment painting. She was the youngest of the party. She has painted Akhal-Teke horses and her interest in them began when she painted John Major's (our former prime minister) horse which he received as a gift. The book "Horseback Journeys of Celia Fiennes - 1000 miles across England" is ISBN 0-9516011-1-3 "See more about Elizabeth" on <http://www.thelongridersguild.com>www.thelongridersguild.com. This is a new website on which we've been working for a year with CuChullaine, collecting info about long distance riding. You will also see a photo of me and my horse. |
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