{"id":40037,"date":"2019-11-23T12:22:43","date_gmt":"2019-11-23T12:22:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/?p=40037"},"modified":"2026-01-27T14:31:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T14:31:19","slug":"turkman-horses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/turkman-horses\/","title":{"rendered":"Turkoman Horse"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>For Turkmens of Iran, a horse is everything. Their cultural traditions and inherited identity are tied to these beautiful animals and you can find this strong bond in every aspect of Turkmen life. There are proverbs that show the importance of horse in Turkmen culture, they believe \u201cKeeping horse blesses the house\u201d, \u201cHorse is the life of the earth\u201d, \u201cThe one who rides a horse never gets old\u201d and \u201cHorse is the wish of a young man\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-iranian-turkmen-and-his-horse\">Iranian Turkmen and His Horse<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Turkmens of Iran mainly live in <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/golestan-the-gem-of-iran\/\" title=\"Golestan Province: The Magnificent Hidden Gem of Iran\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"83346\">Golestan<\/a> and Khorasan Shomali in northeast of Iran, near the border of Iran and Turkmenistan. They speak Turkish and Persian and have strong cultural representations. Throughout history Turkmens were breeding famous Turkmen horses, two of which, Yomud and Goklan, are specific breed in Iran only. The other breed, Akhal Teke is world known horse of Central Asia. These horses are among the most purebred variations you can find in the world, especially for the fact that these Turkmen horses are brought up for racing reasons only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone wp-image-40043 size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses2.jpg\" alt=\"Turkman Horses\" class=\"wp-image-40043\" title=\"Turkman Horses\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses2.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses2-780x328.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses2-768x323.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses2-1024x430.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses2-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses2-705x296.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses2-450x189.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Horse racing in gonbad kavous. Photo: yjc. Ir<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-thrilling-races-passionate-fans\">Thrilling Races, Passionate Fans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Horse race is an essential activity in Turkmen culture. From national and religious holidays to tribe events such as wedding parties, horse racing is performed by swift horses and agile young horseback riders. Official horse races are taking place since 1974 in three main cities of Gonbad Kavous, Agh Qala and Bandar Turkaman. Horse breeders and horseback riders train all year to participate in spring and fall season competitions. The race is intense and the cash prize for the winner is pretty large. Each race attracts about 3000 to 6000 spectators who create excitement around the track. Booklets with information on the horses\u2019 pedigree, breeder and the rider are distributed between people and betting is a certain activity in these events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignnone wp-image-40060 size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"630\" src=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses3-3.jpg\" alt=\"Turkman Horses\" class=\"wp-image-40060\" title=\"Turkman Horses\" srcset=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses3-3.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses3-3-780x328.jpg 780w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses3-3-768x323.jpg 768w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses3-3-1024x430.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses3-3-300x126.jpg 300w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses3-3-705x296.jpg 705w, https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Turkman-Horses3-3-450x189.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The horse beauty contest. Photo: irna. Ir<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-horse-beauty-contest\">The Horse Beauty Contest!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This competition is really serious among horse breeders of the country and takes place annually in Kolaleh in <a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/exploring-the-amazing-golestan-national-park-with-surfiran-safari-tour\/\">Golestan<\/a> province and \u200cBojnourd in Khorasan Shomali province. The most beautiful horses are compared in categories of different age and gender. Even newborn foal enters the competition while walking beside its mother. The pedigree of the horses is the most important factor, and with that comes the family of breeders who generally kept the genes of their horses pure and sound through generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Horses are judged based on their appearance and beauty, their style of walking, by international experts and the prize is used as financial assistance for breeders and trainers to keep the purebred and prepare for international competitions. Also an auction takes place for any horse that is on sale on the day before the beauty contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:64px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-text-color has-small-font-size\" style=\"color:#1e0e7c;line-height:.9\"><strong>APPLY ONLINE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h6 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-color\" id=\"schedule-a-visit\" style=\"color:#1e0e7c;font-size:35px;font-style:normal;font-weight:700;line-height:1.15\">Iran Tourist visa<\/h6>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-499968f5 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button has-custom-width wp-block-button__width-50\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link has-text-color has-background wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/iran-tourist-visa\/\" style=\"border-radius:50px;color:#ffffff;background-color:#f94931\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\">Apply Now<\/mark><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:64px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-related-links\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/us-canadian-returning-iran-40-years\/\">The story of a U.S.-Canadian returning to Iran after 40 years<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/travelers-voice-opinions-surfiran-experience\/\">SURFIRAN Reviews: Real Traveler Tales &amp; Testimonials<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/taste-of-grapes-in-urmia\/\">Urmia&#8217;s Vineyards: Savoring the Region&#8217;s Finest Grapes<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/national-rafting-competition-iran\/\">National Rafting Competition in Northern Iran<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/irans-most-beautiful-places-national-geographic\/\">Exploring Iran&#8217;s Wilderness with National Geographic<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For Turkmens of Iran, a horse is everything. Their cultural traditions and inherited identity are tied to these beautiful animals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":40056,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,306,308,849],"tags":[16047,15987,16046],"class_list":["post-40037","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tourism-iran","category-culture","category-destinations","category-food","tag-horses","tag-iran","tag-turkman"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40037","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40037"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40037\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40037"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40037"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/surfiran.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40037"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}