Date: March 1997
Q: I'm doing some research about Akhal-Tekes as circus horses.
Well, not really research, but I'm trying to find if any AT circus horses >are still around. I talked to Phil Case today. I guess they found another
one of Ringling Bros. Akhal-Tekes, without a name, papers...
A case for Tatyana when she gets there! Any of you ever seen
ATs used in the circus big top?

A: There is a U.S. Teke person, Donna Haselow, who has been in contact with at least one of the members of one of the touring circuses that comes to the U.S. I don't know if she's talked to him lately, but he had a half-bred horse. There was an article in a U.S. magazine (no idea which one - I have a fax of the article) called "Calvin and the Cossack" by Jack Lewis, that talks about the Boulibekov riders with the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus. The articles says that the horses are "all stallions of the Akhal Tickinet, Russian Risak, and Donchak breeds." There are a few photos, but they didn't come through on the fax very well. If anyone is interested, I can probably trace down which magazine it was and give out an address for reprints.
Cathy Leddy