When you think you’ve seen it all, Mother Nature springs yet another surprise with the Akhal Teke, one of the most beautiful horse breeds in the world!
Originally from Turkmenistan, these beautiful animals are known for their shining, almost metallic coats. And just so you know, the one that looks almost golden with white mane and tail is called a palomino horse.
Scientists claim that due to the horses’ genetics, their amazing coats reflect and refract light, just as metal would. This is basically because the hairs of these beautiful horses are hollow, which creates a sort of a prism for light to travel through. And though it looks the most stunning on lighter horse colors, this breed comes in all variations possible.
If this wasn’t enough, the Akhal Teke is an incredibly athletic breed, making it good for sports and especially long endurance rides. The most accomplished Akhal Teke was undoubtedly the jet black stallion Absent - the winner of dressage discipline competition in the Olympic Games in 1960.
With less than 5.000 of these most beautiful horses in existence, it’s little wonder that the Chinese refer to them as “horses from heaven.” And if you wanted to purchase one straight from their homeland of Turkmenistan, we have some sad news for you - exporting Akhal Teke horses out of the country might grant you a death penalty.
(h/t: honesttopaws)
Meet Akhal Teke, one of the most beautiful horse breeds in the world!
Image credits: Pascal Mouawad
Originally from Turkmenistan, these majestic creatures are known for their shining coats
Image credits: Pascal Mouawad
Scientists claim that due to the horses’ genetics, their amazing coats reflect and retract light
Image credits: Wikipedia
If this wasn’t enough, the Akhal Teke is an incredibly athletic breed, making it good for sports
Image credits: Unknown
There are only 1,250 of these horses in existence
Image credits: Palana
So it’s little wonder that the Chinese refer to them as “horses from heaven”
Image credits: Burak CALISKAN