Near the southern foothill valley of the capital along Kopetdag Avenue in the framework of the program of events on the occasion of the Turkmen Horse Festival was a traditional equestrian marathon 60 kilometers long and competitions in show -jumping was held in the open arena of the equestrian center of Ashgabat. The current horse marathon, organized by the State Association ""Turkmen Atlary"", gathered numerous domestic and foreign fans of ""paradise"" horses. Among them - participants of the VIII meeting of the International Association of Akhal-Teke Horse Breeding, as well as the International Fair and the X International Scientific Conference ""Turkmen Horse and World Art of Horsemanship Breeding"". Early in the morning athletes and spectators gathered in the picturesque place near the international equestrian center in the south-western part of the Turkmen capital. In addition to Turkmen horse breeders, foreign experts joined the judiciary board. The route of the marathon consisted of two stages of 30 kilometers and was laid along a rough terrain along Kopetdag Avenue. About 30 Akhal-Teke horses aged from 4 to 14 took part in the competition. Among them are the nurslings of the Akhal-Teke equestrian complex of the President of Turkmenistan, the National Equestrian Center and velayat stables of the State Association ""Turkmen Atlary"", as well as the horses from the stables of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense of Turkmenistan and private horse breeders. ""Winged"" horses had to show not only high-speed qualities, but also athletic endurance: during racing, horses passed two times a medical examination (checking temperature, pulse and breathing), the indicators of which must comply with established international norms. The competitions made it possible to see the excellent physical fitness and endurance of the Akhal-Teke, demonstrated the ability of the riders correctly to consider the physical capabilities of the horse over long distances, clearly demonstrated the achievements of domestic breeders and stablemen. Awarding of the winners of the equestrian marathon on behalf of the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov will take place during the upcoming festivities on the occasion of the Turkmen Horse's Day. In the afternoon, numerous residents and guests of the capital gathered in the open arena of the equestrian center of Ashgabat, where competitions were held on show- jumping (overcoming obstacles) - one of the most spectacular Olympic sports. Traditional horse racing has been popular with Turkmens since time immemorial. But the Turkmen horsemen, being by nature unsurpassed dzhigits, show good results in a relatively young form of competitions - show- jumping. About two dozen ""heavenly"" horses from the Akhal-Teke Horse Complex, the International Akhal-Teke Equestrian Center, the National Equestrian Center and the Ministry of Defense took part in the competition. One of the favorites of the competition was Nikolai Beglaryan, who rode on the horse Toychi, who previously unerringly overcame all obstacles, won a gold medal at the 5th Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts, with the great success held in last September in Ashgabat. According to the rules of today's competitions, held in two stages, a rider with a horse must overcome the route with 12 obstacles, the maximum height of which at the first stage was 1 meter 10 centimeters, and in the second stage - 1 meter 20 centimeters. The winner is the one who will receive the least amount of penalty points and show a high speed in the second stage. The competitions demonstrated the high skill of the riders in the art of controlling horses and they, in turn, once again confirmed that the Akhal-Teke horse has by nature not only perfect general physical preparation, but also the ability to keep balance when overcoming obstacles. Today was held the final stage of the contest, announced among artists, sculptors, carpet-makers, jewelers, photographers, publishers, designers, cameramen on the artistic embodiment of the beauty of Akhal-Teke horses in works of fine and decorative art, printed products, photographs and TV channels. Winners of the contest and competitions in show- jumping will be announced during the forthcoming celebrations on the occasion of the Turkmen Horse's Day.