This story originally appeared in the July 2024 edition of Town&Gown magazine.
Two mares and a new foal—each of them representing one of the world’s rarest and most ancient breeds of domesticated equines—have found a home in a pasture at Tudek Park.
Just past the dog park, grasses and clovers grow in a pasture next to a red barn. A short path leads to a white house. On this idyllic spot, Jean Sanders, her dogs, two mares, and the young filly have made a perfect life for themselves. In addition, this arrangement offers the community the chance to see a breed of horse that most people don’t have the opportunity to experience.
The Akhal-Teke, originally bred in what is now Turkmenistan, numbers only about 500 in the U.S., according to Sanders, who raises these unusual horses. Known for their stunning appearance and athleticism, the breed has a history filled with adventure, danger, and resilience.
“Tribes in Central Asia bred Akhal-Tekes as an integral part of nomadic life,” Sanders says, “They had to have the stamina to be ridden through high deserts and over rough terrain.”
First bred about 3,000 years ago, the Akhal-Teke remains rare due to the tumultuous history of its place of origin. According to the Akhal-Teke Association of America, historic figures including Chinese emperors, Alexander the Great, Russian generals, and Marco Polo owned and rode this breed. Later, the Russian Revolution had a catastrophic effect on the breed’s numbers, with thousands of them perishing. As the twentieth century continued, interest in the breed once again increased, with careful breed restoration methods implemented.
Ultimately, in 1979, a Virginia breeder named Phil Case and his wife, Margot, a passionate horse lover, imported the first Akhal-Tekes into the United States. The pair established a stud farm and eventually created the Akhal-Teke Association of America. Thus began the American awareness of this unique breed.
Sanders, an art professor at Penn State, acquired her first Akhal-Teke in 2009.
“Sufi was a brood mare,” she says. “She had two foals before I got her. One is a stallion providing stud services in Australia and the other is a mare living in North Carolina.”
Sanders tried to breed Sufi, but without success. As herd animals, horses need companions. So Sanders introduced Sufi to Magic, a retired brood mare with lineage of the Gypsy Vanner breed. Magic, who previously lived at Buffalo Run Farms in Bellefonte, had the color splashes, long mane, flowing tail, and feathering desired in the breed.
“Magic was a favorite of visitors at Tudek,” Sanders recalls, “She passed away in February 2024.”
In 2021, Sanders purchased a second Akhal-Teke, Chapuys, a yearling filly from Seattle.
“She rode across the country in a huge box stall,” Sanders says. “This huge truck pulled in, and a little yearling walked off the truck.”
Then, in May of last year, Sanders had the chance to breed Chapuys.
“The sire is a stallion living in Denmark,” she explains, “His name is Mudaris. He was a racehorse in Turkmenistan before he relocated to Denmark.”
The New Arrival
Chapuys gave birth to the filly this past April. Mares typically foal under cover of darkness, between nightfall and sunrise. Sanders had hoped to witness the foaling, but the mare and her baby had other plans.
“I had a stall all ready,” she recalls, “and I stayed up all night, waiting.”
The next day at work Sanders received a phone call. A couple walking by saw the mare as she lay in the meadow, giving birth. They didn’t know Sanders and didn’t know how to reach her.
“Another woman walking by did know me and had my phone number,” Sanders says. “And I managed to get there while the umbilical cord was still attached and the foal hadn’t stood up yet.”
She named the newest member of the herd Nanushka. Although Sanders missed the birth, the passing couple took photos and video, so she does have a record of Nanushka’s entrance into the world. And, of course, the new golden bay filly attracts a lot of attention from park visitors.
“People are always at the fence taking pictures of her,” Sanders says, “and Chapuys is a fantastic mom. Plus, she had Sufi as a midwife when Nanushka was born. So Nanushka has two moms!”
The little filly thrives on the attention of admirers. She trots around stretching and flexing her elegantly long limbs, her coat showing the characteristics seen only in this breed.
The appearance of the Akhal-Teke differs from most other breeds in several significant ways.
“They have a long back, long necks, and long legs,” Sanders explains, “and some look like they’re made of gold.”
The long limbs and back give the breed a gait she describes as “smooth” and “elastic.”
Continuing, Sanders describes their coats as “metallic.” This particular feature makes the breed exceptional.
“They have very fine skin and hair,” she says, “and a clear coating around each hair reflects light. You can see this especially in the lighter colored horses.”
Chapuys’s dark bay coat and Sufi’s buckskin coat shimmer with copper, bronze, and onyx tones in the late afternoon light as they graze on clover and grass. This gleam, combined with their unusual conformation, makes the unique nature of these equines obvious.
“Such a long back might not be desirable in other breeds,” according to Sanders, “but with the Akhal-Teke, it allows them to excel at disciplines like dressage and endurance.”
Dressage, a sort of equine ballet, requires horses and their riders to execute a series of choreographed steps set to music. Dressage horses need agility, flexibility, balance, and strength. And the breed’s unusual characteristics make it well-suited to perform the required elements.
In fact, a Soviet-bred Akhal-Teke named Absent participated in dressage events in four separate Olympic games in 1960 through 1968, winning gold, silver, and bronze medals.
From Appaloosa to Akhal-Teke
Sanders says she didn’t grow up with horses. She grew up in Naperville, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Horse crazy as a child, she collected horse figurines and artwork. She took riding lessons, but it became apparent that horse ownership wouldn’t happen at that time.
“The suburban area where I lived wasn’t really right for horse ownership,” she recalls.
Later, as a professor of visual arts at Penn State, she met a grad student who owned a horse.
“That horse was an Appaloosa,” she recalls. “I share-boarded. But within six months I knew I needed to have a horse of my own.”
Sanders spent plenty of time online researching various breeds and came across Akhal-Tekes. Fascinated by their rich history, extraordinary appearance, and overall appeal, she began searching for the right animal who would become her very first horse. She share-boarded Sufi until 2017. That’s when, after a Craig’s List search, the educator discovered the white farmhouse, pastures, and barn in a pastoral spot in Ferguson Township’s Tudek Park. She finds the situation ideal for herself as a tenured professor with no kids.
“The land is in trust with Ferguson Township,” she explains, “and in order to live here, the occupant has to have horses living on the site. So it’s perfect for everyone.”
Sanders finds delight in the way the horses attract visitors.
“One couple even had wedding pictures taken here,” she says.
The visiting dogs also like coming to see the horses. Since Sanders has her own dogs, she says the horses don’t have problems with their canine admirers.
“Even the little one is fine when a leashed dog and owner come up to the fence,” she adds.
Nanushka will take breaks from scampering and grazing to pose for photographs, and Sanders cautions that the filly does like to nibble at people.
“This is a very energetic breed,” Sanders stresses. “They pick up things quickly and are very willful. This is not a beginner type of horse.”
Given Sanders’ background in art, it seems appropriate that she should have a fascination with a breed that exudes such a strong aesthetic appeal.
“I go all out when I like something,” she says. “I want to promote this breed. They’re so talented and gifted!”
In December, Nanushka will become a weanling, freeing up Chapuys to begin training.
“She will be saddle broke when she leaves for training and to wean Nanushka,” according to Sanders.
She plans for the mare to learn the basics of dressage with her.
“But mainly I want her to be a good trail horse,” she adds.
Sanders says she typically rides English, so dressage should suit both of them. And the Akhal-Teke’s temperament, bravery, and intelligence will help with trail horse training.
In the meantime, Nanushka, Sufi, and Chupuys will spend the summer and fall enjoying each other’s company, posing for photographs, nibbling grass, and shimmering in the sun.
Visiting the Horses at Tudek
Although the Akhal-Teke horses at Tudek Park enjoy visitors, keep a few things in mind if you stop by:
- Please don’t feed them.
- Please don’t allow children (or anyone else) to climb the fence or try to enter the pasture.
- Please keep dogs on leashes when approaching the horses.
- Remember to bring a camera. Always photogenic, Akhal-Tekes love having their pictures taken.
- Don’t miss the butterfly garden, uphill from the pasture.
T&G
Anne Dyer Walker is a Bellefonte freelance writer.
