Date: June 2000
Q: I have heard that the Russian's want to prohibit AI because they are afraid that the usage of AI will prevent them to sell stallions.

A: We are a big and wide spread group of lovers and breeders of tekes in the world. In discussing important issues we must try to understand the
different situations in different countries. That is why we must try to look at the AI and ET from different apects. I find that some breeders, especially in the US believe that they are saving the breed from extinction by breeding it in the US. Nothing could be more
wrong, the breed is healthy and flourishing in Russia and Turkmenistan, all thanks to individuals that have devoted their lives to the breed. Many scientifical works on breeding and selection have been published by Russians, also the studbooks are a great help for those who believe in
the fact that good horses are not produced by coincidence, and that a small breed with a closed studbook is not saved by random outcrossings, on the opposite it will in the end be destroyed.
With the generous help from the Russians and Turkmens we also do produce
good Tekes in the west and maybe also different from what they prefer, and that is ok as long as we do not loose the characteristics of the main type. I encourage everyone that feel that they a mission to work with the breed to go there and really meet with the breed and the community of breeders.
I also understand and support that AI is a very good thing to avoid long
trips for mares or stallions in the US and Europe as we do not exchange
stallions like they do in Russia/Turkmenistan.
But again, the most important thing is the combination of the breeding
couples, and the knowledge of the good faults and the bad faults when
selecting breeding animals.