Date: April 2000
Q: According to a recently published web site in Australia, the Teke breed is being destroyed in Europe.

A: I think we can all learn more about the Tekes in discussing what we think the Teke type is.
In 1938 the first breeding plan for the Teke was written by Mrs Jerschowa, the first and most important criteria in her breeding plan was to keep the breed pure, and to only use animals with the characterisitc Akhal-Teke type for breeding. If you ask the current stud book manager what is most important when breeding tekes she will give you the same priorities,
purity, type.
So what is then the Akhal-Teke type?
I think many of us breeders have a certain type in mind when we select our breeding couples, we also know that we have a limited gene pool to work with and that it is impossible for us to work with the hybrid vigour that the sport horse breeders can.
Every individual that we consider to use for breeding must be analyzed
regarding pedigree, type, conformation, performance records and so forth.
This is how the breed has always been kept and I think most breeders do an excellent job in preserving and improving the Akhal-Teke in Russia as well as in Europe.
In the US and in Australia the breed is still young and many breeders there can more easily collect information about the breed than the pioneers in Europe could thirty years ago could.
As long as we work within the same stud book and use the same methods for evaluating breeding stock, which we now actually do! I think that the breed has a very good future outside its original habitat, because the Akhal-Teke always belongs to his master, not his land.