Who has not heard of the legendary Nisaean horses, mentioned in the works by ancient Greek historians Herodotus and Strabo? These horses are justly regarded as the genetic ancestors of today’s Akhal Teke racehorses. This means that both the roots of Turkmen horse breeding and traditions of crafting equestrian equipment trace their origins back to the Parthian era.
We know from written sources that two thousand years ago in Parthia not every man had the right to ride a horse. This privilege belonged exclusively to the aristocracy – people of noble birth. Yet traditional Turkmen society, even as early as the nineteenth century, was entirely free of any caste divisions. Every healthy man, from early youth to old age, was simply obliged to be an excellent horseman and own a horse.
While the rider often dressed quite modestly, he spared no expense or imagination in adorning his beloved steed. For a Turkmen, the horse was a marker of prosperity and social status. Turkmen horsemen never removed the decorations from their horses, not only on festive occasions but even during military campaigns. European travellers repeatedly noted the simplicity of Turkmen warriors’ clothing, while their horses gleamed in silver, gold and costly saddlecloths. A Turkmen horseman might suffer hunger while his horse finished the last of his bread. In a waterless desert, the master could endure thirst while giving the final drops of water to his steed.
The Turkmen horse harness is the result of centuries of evolution, technical experimentation and painstaking craftsmanship. The bridle, called “uyon” in Turkmen, is functionally the most important element of equestrian equipment. Humans have used this device for about five thousand years. A riding bridle consists of the headstall, reins and bit. The leather components of the headstall are connected by distribution rings studded with large red carnelian stones. The entire surface of the straps is covered with small silver plaques and pendants. Particularly expensive Turkmen bridles featured an ornament attached to the crown strap; such bridles were known as “enseli uyon.” This decorative element is a medallion that serves as the focal point of the entire bridle set. It was made from a shaped silver plate and decorated with gilding, engraving, piercing, filigree and semi precious stones set in bezels. A large carnelian occupied the center, surrounded by a row of small turquoise stones or glass beads.
The eye screen (gozluk) was attached to the browband of the bridle. Its lower edge was cut into a fringe that shielded the horse’s eyes from bothersome flies without obstructing vision. The surface of the eye screen was adorned with silver plaques and semi precious stones. Reins were made of leather or woven silk and fastened to the bit rings. At the point where the reins joined the rings, they were reinforced with an additional layer of leather and decorated with plaques, sometimes with tassels. Where the two reins converged, a metal ring was installed or a decorative knot tied. Occasionally, one rein ended in a braided whip, which the rider used instead of a riding crop.
The bridle also carried sacral meaning among the Turkmens. For example, women were forbidden to hold the reins. If a woman needed to travel to a distant village in the absence of a man, a boy was seated on the horse to hold the reins, with the woman riding behind him. Parthian and Seljuk horsemen fitted their horses with special metal masks attached to the bridle to protect them from enemy arrows and spears. Such armoured masks were used until the XV century.
Before saddles came into use, riders relied on special saddlecloths and soft pads. Gradually, as they no longer met the demands of military cavalry, these were replaced by rigid saddles. The use of such saddles in the Parthian army is evidenced by graffiti from Old Nisa, depicting a horse with a saddle on its back.
The structure of the Turkmen saddle (eyer) derives from an ancient Turkic type. Turkmen horses are more slender and graceful than other breeds, and the saddles used for them were correspondingly lighter, more refined and elegant. Especially expensive saddles were decorated with silver and semi precious stones.
The appearance of stirrups marked a true revolution in the development of equestrian equipment, unlocking the full potential of the riding horse. With the invention of stirrups, the rider sat more securely in the saddle and was no longer constrained. By bracing his feet in the stirrups, the horseman gained greater freedom in wielding a sabre. The mounting loop – a special device that facilitated mounting – was the prototype of the stirrup. This leather loop was attached to the left side of the saddle. Since riders usually mounted from the left, there was only a single loop. After mounting, the rider freed his left foot and continued riding with his legs hanging freely.
The first true stirrups appeared in the IV century. Among the Turkmens, several types of stirrups were used, and each major region had its own masters. An experienced connoisseur could determine a rider’s place of origin simply by the appearance of the stirrups. The most common were cast from brass and decorated with engraved ornamentation. Another type was forged from iron using hot forging and forge welding. The most expensive stirrups were adorned with precious stones and noble metals.
A felt saddle pad (derlik) was placed beneath the saddle to soften the rider’s pressure on the horse and absorb sweat. These pads were made from white sheep’s wool. Their surface was decorated with geometric ornamentation running along the perimeter, executed in a combined technique of embroidery and applique with coloured fabric pieces. Some wealthy owners used double layer pads: a felt lower layer and an upper layer made in pile weaving technique, entirely covered with traditional carpet patterns.
Additionally, a special saddle pad cover (yona) was placed between the saddle and the pad. It had a complex shape, consisting of two rectangular flaps extending from a semicircular panel. The visible surface was embroidered, and the edge was trimmed with two-coloured fringe.
Finally, a small textile, felt or carpet saddle cover (eyerlik) was laid over the saddle. It was usually rectangular, with the rear corners cut away. A cut out in the front accommodated the saddle pommel, and the edges were trimmed with fabric. The entire surface was decorated with traditional carpet motifs, while the lower and side edges were finished with two-coloured fringe.
A soft saddle cushion (gupjek) was placed on top of the carpet padding. The saddle ensemble was completed by a leather girth (ceki), sometimes two or even three, which encircled the horse’s body and secured the saddle. The full set of saddle equipment used by a Turkmen horseman is called “eyer esbab”.
The most luxurious element of the entire Turkmen horse harness ensemble is the breast strap (chest band). It has several names in Turkmen, one of which is “gowus bent”. Its purpose is to prevent the saddle from sliding backward when riding uphill. The gowus bent consists of a central phalera, two wide leather straps and one narrow strap passing beneath the belly. The phalera has been used since antiquity. In the Parthian period, it served not only to distribute the straps but also as decoration. Among the Turkmens, the phalera had a hemispherical shape, with its surface divided into an even number of segments and decorated with engraved gilding. Carnelian and turquoise were also used.
Rectangular plates were sewn onto the wide straps, while the remaining surface was covered with stamped silver plaques with gilding. The plates were likewise decorated with large carnelian stones framed by a single row of small turquoise. Their surfaces bore gilded ornamentation traditional to Turkmen jewellery. A single row of pendants called “shelpe” ran along the lower edge of the straps. These crescent shaped pendants resembled the claws of leopards and wolves, animals whose claws were believed by the Turkmens to possess magical, protective power.
The neck strap (boyunlyk) is another element of horse equipment. It appears in old book miniatures and in certain archaeological finds. One or two – and often three – neck ornaments were hung around a horse’s neck. All elements of the equipment were executed in a unified stylistic manner.
Turkmens never left their faithful horses without a magical talisman. For this purpose, a thin protective cord (dogabag) was traditionally placed around the horse’s neck, bearing a small triangular fabric amulet containing a slip of paper bearing a prayer. An owl’s feather – considered sacred – was woven into the horse’s mane, or a turquoise bead braided into its tail. In the Seljuk army, warriors who distinguished themselves in battle were awarded tassels that were hung around the horse’s neck. These decorative tufts were made from the tail of the high mountain yak-kutas, mounted in gold. The word “gotaz” survived in modern Turkmen with the same meaning.
The State Museum of Turkmenistan houses the largest collection of horse harness specimens, most of which are genuine works of applied art. The museum carries out continuous work on the preservation, restoration, study and popularization of the material culture of horse breeding. It also preserves several fragments of armoured horse equipment used by Parthian cataphracts.
Cataphract cavalry consisted of heavily armoured horsemen employing special formations to deliver more effective strikes against enemy infantry. Nowadays, museum specialists are conducting a scholarly reconstruction of Parthian horse equipment based on archaeological finds from Old Nisa. Two life size mounted figures will be recreated: one is heavily armed warrior on an armoured horse, and the other is lightly armed. Once these mannequins appear in the exhibition, visitors will be able to clearly observe the profound continuity between the Nisaean cataphracts and the horse equipment of Turkmens from the XIX–XX centuries.
A decision was made at the October 2023 session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, held in Kasane, Republic of Botswana, to inscribe Akhal Teke horse breeding art and the tradition of horse adornment on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This event became yet another compelling confirmation that Turkmen racehorses in their splendid ceremonial attire constitute an essential component of the national cultural canon.