Events in the administrative center of the Dashoguz Velayat became a celebration of the upcoming National Holiday of the Turkmen Horse, annually celebrated in our country on the last Sunday of April.

The festive events included traditional horse races, held in turn in different velayats of the Homeland. This year, this honor was awarded to the northern region.

Breathtaking competitions, demonstrating the strength, stamina and speed of the Akhalteke horses, took place at the Dashoguz equestrian complex, which appeared today in an updated shape after a large-scale reconstruction carried out.

The Turkmen people are sincerely proud of their true national treasure, the world-famous excellent thoroughbred horses, which are rightfully considered to be among the most beautiful and graceful horses on the planet.

At present, we are witnessing a new rise in the glory of the legendary Akhalteke horses, which were and remain the subject of inspiration, the “wings of the soul” of the Turkmens.

“Waking up early in the morning, first see your father, then your horse”, says a Turkmen proverb that vividly characterizes the reverent attitude of our people towards fast horses, which have been inseparable friends and faithful companions of horsemen for thousands of years.

Passing on the secrets of breeding this unique breed from generation to generation, hard-working horse breeders have created a true standard of beauty and perfection, and now continue their work to improve the exterior of the “heavenly” horses, increase their purebred livestock.

A great service in the revival of the world glory of the Akhalteke horses has been performed by National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, thanks to whose efforts and support the horse breeding sector has been given an impetus to further successful development in our country. The historical experience of the people, their diligence, creative activity and inspiration has a positive role in this process.

In recent years, much attention has been paid to the training of athletes in order to give additional dynamics to the development of this industry, for their successful performance at races and tournaments in various equestrian sports, in particular show jumping. This event, thanks to the initiative of the Hero Arkadag, was first included in the competition program of the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, which were triumphantly held in Ashgabat in September 2017.

Today, work in this area is in progress successfully under the leadership of President Serdar Berdimuhamedov. Significant financial resources are allocated for the systematic improvement of the industry, the construction of new equestrian centers designed to host international tournaments, as well as for improving the social and living conditions of horse breeders.

Magnificent modern complexes have been built in the capital and in all velayats, allowing dynamically developing national riding traditions, improving the work of trainers, jockeys and horse breeders.

These include the equestrian sports complex built in the Dashoguz Velayat with a total area of over 50 hectares, designed for 3 thousand spectator seats.

In essence, this is a whole town of 38 facilities for various purposes, where all conditions have been created for keeping horses and holding equestrian competitions and races. Four stables for 50 horses each, an arena, a training ground, a swimming pool for bathing horses, a quarantine department for providing them with the necessary veterinary care and other facilities have been built here.

At the same time, all conditions have been created for the service personnel and spectators. The complex has a hall for celebrations with 500 seats, parking, children’s and sports grounds. Six white marble pavilions stylized as Turkmen yurts, a summer amphitheater for 800 spectators, and a conference hall became popular venues for various festive events and exhibitions.

The race track has been almost completely rebuilt. It is compacted with several layers of crushed stone and washed sand, covered with high-tech and practical geotextiles and a new coating of quartz sand brought from the Akhal Velayat. The combination of the latter gives the soil good cushioning, helping to mitigate the impact of the hooves and reduce the load on the animal’s joints.

Among the advantages of such a coating is its increased service life due to the high density and hardness of the material, a large surface tension force, which makes it possible to ensure the stable position of the horse’s hooves on a wet field, as well as environmental friendliness.

As part of the reconstruction, the barrier posts were updated, the plastic seats in the spectator stands were replaced, the entrance arch of the complex and the horse sculptures on the pedestal were restored, the decorative coating of the walls in the VIP-stands, windows and doors and the flooring in the buildings were updated, and a monitor with LED screen was installed next to the race track.

In addition, the entire area of the complex has been landscaped, and many different flowers, young trees and shrubs have been planted. A green lawn has been laid in the field, framed by a race track.

Today’s celebration has acquired the character of a large and colorful Turkmen holiday. Many guests at the holiday were met by art figures of the velayat, including famous pop artists, bakhshi, dance and folklore groups, who prepared their song and music performances for this wonderful event.

Turkmen yurts were also set, and thematic exhibitions of fine and decorative arts were organized within the equestrian complex.

The wonderful horses were able to fully demonstrate their unique beauty, strength and speed during the races, which brought together both professional horse breeders and numerous fans of this sport traditional for our people.

The competition program, which has opened the next season of horse races, included 8 heats among junior and adult jockeys, and jockey-mentors from all velayats and the city of Ashgabat.

Young riders from all regions of the country were the first to compete in the 1000-meter events on three-year-old horses.

The winner among junior jockeys was B. Chashemov on Ayjahan horse.

The distance of the next six races was 1800 meters. In them, professional riders of the country alternately competed on horses aged four years and older.

The first to come to the finish was the Kopetdag horse (master-rider Y. Saparov) among the horses of the Akhal Velayat, Shohratly (master-rider B. Agamyradov) among the horses of the Balkan Velayat, Dorhan (master - rider G. Begliev) among the horses of the Dashoguz Velayat, Guvanjym (master-rider T. Taylyev) among the horses of the Lebap Velayat, Dorbegler (master-rider S. Soyenjov) among the horses of the Mary Velayat, and Gerchek (master-rider N. Azadov) among the horses of Ashgabat city.

The final race brought together jockey-mentors from the velayats and the capital, who chose a horse by lot to participate in this competition.

In the 1000 meter-distance event, rider B. Rozyev from the Mary Velayat was the first to reach the finish line on the horse Edepli.

The winners of the festive races were solemnly awarded valuable prizes and monetary gifts.

The main prize of the President of Turkmenistan, a car “Toyota Land Cruiser”, was awarded to the winner of the final race among jockey-mentors, rider B. Rozyev.

The races’ winners and participants expressed sincere gratitude to President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for paying the increased attention to the development of the horse breeding industry and carrying on the best traditions of the ancestors, having assured that they would continue to serve the noble cause of increasing the glory of the wonderful Akhalteke horses.

Celebrations on the occasion of the National Holiday of the Turkmen Horse are in progress.