The ancient and endangered Akhal-Teke is the subject of a fervent state cult in the desert nation, built up by horse-loving Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, ex-president and official father of the nation.AFP was given rare access to the competition, held at an equestrian complex in the capital Ashgabat and presided over by strongman president Serdar Berdymukhamedov, Gurbanguly's son.Crowds of men in matching tracksuits clapped in unison and waved national flags as sand-coloured stallion Hankerven, adorned with jewellery and a traditional carpet, clinched the top prize.
State-controlled media hail the horses as a strategic priority for the country © STRINGER / AFP
"There are no beauty contests for women in Turkmenistan but there are for horses," said Ashir, a 70-year-old breeder."We Turkmen are known for our carpets and horses," he told AFP at his stud farm not far from the capital."That is why our flag features carpet motifs and our coat of arms depicts the Akhal-Teke."Foal rapThe Turkmen authorities discourage residents from speaking without permission to foreign media, with outside journalists rarely allowed into the reclusive country.
Human rights monitors rank the energy-rich former Soviet republic among the world's most isolated © Igor SASIN / AFP/File
