The story
National Holiday of the Turkmen Horse in Ashgabat
The National Holiday of the Turkmen Horse, held the last Sunday of April at Ashgabat's Equestrian Sports Complex, celebrates the Akhal-Teke breed with races, an international beauty contest, and ceremonies presided over by the president, reflecting the horse's central place in Turkmen national identity since the holiday's creation shortly after 1991 independence.
The National Holiday of the Turkmen Horse traces to the earliest years of Turkmenistan's independence, when founding president Saparmurat Niyazov declared it a national holiday in 1991, reportedly stating that Turkmen horses were the decoration of any festivities and the wings of the Turkmen people, language that set the tone for the horse's elevated role in the country's post-Soviet national identity.