are they all breeds or are some of them generic names of a group of breeds? Which name is the oldest to be mentioned in written sources and how are the breeds described?
Many and intriguing questions indeed.
Here is a description of the Ottoman Turks that entered Europe in the 17th century, from Jeremy James' The Byerly Turk who citates The Duke of Newcastles book
Méthode et Invention Nouvelle et Dresser Les Chevaux :
" standing high, tough of unequal shape, being remarkable beautiful, active, with plenty of power "

1. Laurence Bougault04/20/2007 05:51:02
Homepage: http://www.cheval-akhal-teke.com

It's a difficult question, isn't it? What have is in French : Les chevaux de Napoleon, from Philippe Osché => www.chevaux-de-napoleon.net, and on my website :http://www.cheval-akhal-teke.com/cheval-akhal-teke/chevaux-napoleon.htm, an other oe is Goldolphin from Eugène Sue, really beautyfull. Should be a translation in english. He wrote that Godolphin had quite a shiny hair... Tall horse as well.
The orient's horses are called in the registers as arab, barb, persan, turk or turkmen. Some looks really like arabs but others looks more like turkmen horses. The only evidence could be maybe that the golden horses from Nissa have allways been taller than the other oriental horses. All the studbooks we know come from the XIXth century but it should exist arabic studbook, much older, but the note only the mares! and we need a specialist in old arabic language...
For the name, akhal teke is very recent, arab, turk and turkmen not very old (probably from the Ottoman's period), the oldest is barb: come from Roma, means everything that is not from Roma!! not very helpfull...
That's a few things... Not enough!!

2. Jessica04/23/2007 11:39:36

Laurence, I sometimes find references to the Turkmen or common Turkmen to be a not so good animal that was inferior to the Nissean steed and the later the Turk horses that were imported to Europe, for example Ridgeway and the Swedish hippologist Wrangel make those claims. Their description of the common Turkmen horse is more resembling the not so flattering breed descriptions of Akhal-Tekes being found in western modern literature.
I like to think that the horses that were kept by the Turkmen tribe Tekes into the 19th century were the last remnants of the sought after Nissean later, during the Ottoman empire called Turk, horse.
But after the Russian campaign the horses deteriorated and the work is still ongoing to recreate the Nissean steed, or the famous Turk horses. One cannot forget that the fame of these ancient horses were not created only from a look, but from an outstanding performance ability. If we are not paying attention, the modern Akhal-Teke breed might turn into the direction into becoming a common Turkmen instead of the famous Nissean and later the sought after Turk.

3. laurence Bougault04/24/2007 09:54:07
Homepage: http://www.cheval-akhal-teke.com

Yes Jessica, I agree, but i think nobody care!! You know what i like with the horses? I saddle Abdoula, and i go in the forest, we gallop under the trees. We are alone, without anybody to say if we are right or wrong, we just go. That's freedom. He is not only a beautyful horse, he is a warrior. I don't want to do competition, i just want to be with my horse here or somewhere else, on the road. I don't even want to prouve have a Nissean, because i've got one. If there is something to jump we jump, if their is a river to cross we cross, if we need to wait, we wait. You will allways find people that say tis or this, but you believe what you want! Some people say that the Yomud horse isn't interesting, but i don't believe it. tekes have the power inTurkmenistan. Yomud horses will disappeared and nobody care! Let's just try to protect our horses from all those people that don't love horses but just pictures of horses and money. We won't go back to the Nissean horses. But we can try to keep horses as horses. Races and endurance are the both option for those that want to keep the breed as close as possible from origin and adapt to that special liberal world of today. For me, travel with a horses is the way to be close from the past, but it can't be an economical way! i'm just a dreamer...
I'm going to feed my babies...

4. Jessica04/24/2007 10:42:23

Laurence, my first Teke ever, Almaz, gave me all this you tell me about, he and I went out together on adventures and he really showed me what a real Turkmen horse is like when it comes to loyalty to the rider, courage and athletism, he was also the first horse that I had had were I felt that we looked after me. Since then I have been in love with this breed and consider myself very privileged to own a few of these steeds.
To see Almaz daughter last Saturday showing the same strong bond with Portia and seeing Peggy watch out for Portia in this new environment was amazing. These horses are really unique.
I do think people should care, and I do think that these horses deserve to get a better and more true image in the west than they have today.
They will never be a commodity but it would be great if more people could take this breed to their hearts for what they are.

5. laurence Bougault04/27/2007 13:43:02
Homepage: http://www.cheval-akhal-teke.com

Yes Jessica, I agree. I'm very upset at the moment to see what happen in France. One side, people that know how to ride focus only on Selles Français, Trakkener, and so on, other side, nice people but without any knowledge in horses buy tekes to do i don't know what (something they call breeding but how can you breed when you have no idea of what is a horse, and no more idea of what is a teke!! That's life! I hope Tekes will cross this new problem as they do with the other ones... More people but the right people...