The Akhal-Teke was bred for endurance and is not happy unless and until that natural tendency is being properly utilized. Their natural, slender grace fools many into thinking that the breed would make a perfect racehorse, when in fact they are better built for endurance or jumping activities. Used by nomadic tribes in Turkmenistan and the surrounding areas, the horses developed the ability to go long distances with little in the way of nourishing food or water. This is because their musculoskeletal system is composed at a ratio of more tendon than muscle. These days, the Akhal-Teke exhibits its natural drive in everything from endurance events to dressage shows.
Those who take on this breed often do so specifically because of the Akhal-Teke's own proclivity for athleticism. Though there is some training that comes with having such a breed, it is considered easier with an animal that has a natural zeal for what it is doing. The first thing a handler must do when training the Akhal-Teke for endurance is build a strong bond. The intelligent Akhal-Teke is a hot blooded breed, a category of horse that is quite well known for insisting on absolute loyalty on both sides of the relationship. They will not tolerate mistreatment in any way; meaning the horse and handler must be on the same page at all times. Handlers out of sync with their rides always eventually find themselves in precarious situations.
The actual endurance training of the Akhal-Teke starts out as a long and rather unhurried process. It requires consistent long distance riding at a very slow pace with plenty of rests in between. Though this may seem a tad dull for the horse and rider, walking out over flat terrain is how a horse develops stronger leg muscles. Many handlers stagger training sessions at one to two hours at a time. At around three to four weeks, a handler then introduces trotting into the long walks but only for ten minutes at a time. Combining the walking and the running is how handlers begin to build endurance in the Akhal-Teke.
In the fifth and sixth week of training, a handler increases the trotting time to twenty minutes per one hour session. As the majority of endurance events include hilly terrains, it is at this time that a handler introduces the Akhal-Teke to such landscapes. The horse should be allowed to walk up and down hills until he or she attains the proper equilibrium. Once the handler and horse are sufficiently confident, running up the easier hills is the next step. Trotting down hills should be saved until the horse's legs are sufficiently strong enough. Over the next month, handlers will take on steeper hills and increase the training sessions to half run, half walk.
Most handlers start doing practice runs two weeks before an event. This gives time to notice any issues that may need smoothing out. A good handler also incorporates other aspects into the Akhal-Teke's training, such as standard practices found in the vetting ring of endurance events. This can be anything from picking up hooves to having the mouth and rear examined.
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