KaraKum Stud Blog | Teke conformation

Thursday 22nd, September 2005

Teke conformation - neck 09/22/2005 09:15 AM

Blanca brought up the ideal neck set for Tekes and sport horses and that deer neck is a conformational defect in Tekes.
Deer neck is a conformational defect and some Tekes do have deer neck and combined with the neck being short and set too broad it is really not what any rider or breeder would want to see.
You judge the neck from length (long/short) the setting to the withers (high or low/broad or free), carriage, (high or low) and form (thick or thin). The Akhal-Tekes have been ridden, as I mentioned in an earlier comment on the art of riding, in short and free, this means the rider has short stirrups and let the horse find his form himself, to be sound in this form they will have to be naturally high in the front.
The Akhal-Tekes are supposed to have a long, high set, high carried, and thin neck. What riders that look at a correct Teke would oppose to that conformational feature is that the long and thin neck would make the horse "wobbly" on the bit. When the riders are on the correct Tekes they forget about this. The Tekes are very steady and balanced when worked in the right form unless they have conformational defects.

This picture shows a correct Akhal-Teke that according to his conformation can do good in all disciplines. Note also the correct uphill build of this horse. The head is in proportion with the body and not too heavy.

A picture named M2

This picture shows an Akhal-Teke with a short, thick, broad and low set neck carried high (deer neck). The horse has a well developed crest that hides the deer neck but it doesn't affect the rideability. The horse is also overbuilt, the croup is higher than the withers which makes it even more difficult to ride the horse in a good form and it will cause soundness problems in the future. The head is big in proportion to the body. And I cannot resist to comment on the nose line being concave.

A picture named M3

Comments :

1. maria09/22/2005 18:10:40

I am not going to enter the discussion on the copyright here but the illustration is worthwhile. Whatever the merits of the horse for sale (I don't know whose website it comes from), the difference in the neck conformation between it and Galabeg is striking.

I have an appalling photo of Altai with a deer neck, though in his case it was more his resistance to develop correctly, his continuous mistrust of the bit.

I can also think of one off-spring of a well-known European stallion who is now about three, I think, who has a classic deer neck and he hasn't started his training, so it really is conformation in his case. I can't possibly name him because I will get eaten alive.

I also want to quote a description by a journalist of Shaar where he describes him in very florid Russian as "a porcelain Chinese figurine come alive, with a high set neck of inconceivable bend".

It's a nice description and shows what importance is placed on this part of Teke anatomy.

I was quite tempted to paste in a few illustrations myself but it is quite difficult when it isn't your own horse, isn't it? Todd once did a silhouette of Yulduz for us to guess who it was. Can we not ask him to black-out a few examples of conformation defects?

Joking aside, I think it's a useful discussion. I didn't know about all these things until quite recently, I am still learning.

2. Allegra Steck09/22/2005 18:19:21
Homepage: http://www.centralasianequines.com

Another interesting difference that has not been noted is that Galabeg is a mature stallion while the other picture is of a yearling at a very gawky growth stage. It would be a more worthwhile comparison to see how he looks now that he is also more mature.

3. Blanca09/26/2005 07:42:25

Allegra, I'm afraid this picture is from when the stallion was 5

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