WORLD AKHAL-TEKE ORGANISATION - WATO FOUNDED
Breeders and Associations World Wide Join Forces to Improve and Promote the Heavenly Horse
On July 9, 2009 the World Akhal-Teke Organisation was founded in Bern, Switzerland. A group of prominent breeders and presidents of national breed associations from Uzbekistan, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, France, Czech Republic, Italy and the USA has been able to overcome language barriers as well as geographical distances in their effort to create a global organisation for the oldest race horse breed in the world.
The Akhal-Teke breed originates from Central Asia and is known for its regal appearance, speed, stamina and golden colors. The horse in the logotype is from a cave paining found in Uzbekistan dated to 1000 BC and bears a striking resemblance to modern Akhal-Tekes.
The breed, known for its unique appearance and intriguing history has been controlled by the Russian state since 1923, the closed studbook is managed by The All-Russian Horse Breeding Institute. Since the Perestroika in 1989 the Akhal-Tekes have increased in numbers outside Russia and the CIS countries, the breed is established in many European countries and in the USA. Small numbers of Akhal-Tekes have also been imported to Australia and China.
The rare breed faces many challenges, the All-Russian Horse Breeding Institute, VNIIK, has done a tremendous amount of work, with very small resources, to maintain a registry not only for the Russian born Akhal-Tekes but also from horses born in other countries.
The World Akhal-Teke Organisation has been founded to take on the challenges of the internationalisation of this ancient breed. The main goals for WATO are:
To preserve and maintain the purity of the horses of the Akhal-Teke breed. To promote public interest and to provide education in the science of the breeding of AT horses.
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