Dogs and horses in the 5 Stans, Central Asia

Whilst travelling through the 5 Stans, I saw some dog species that were new to me. The 5 Stans are Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. 

I noticed in all the towns and cities we visited there were very few dogs to be seen. Maybe because the people are mostly Muslim and maybe the idea of dogs as pets hasn't reached Central Asia.

The first dogs of interest were in Kyrgyzstan near Karakol and belonged to an eagle hunter. That is a man who hunts with eagles, he doesn't hunt for them! We saw a demonstration of how the eagles catch their prey when one man on a horse galloped off dragging a fox skin, then the eagle was released and chased the horse and caught the 'fox'. In the next demo, the second man rode away with the eagle, which was then released as the first man was calling it, and the eagle flew back to its owner. The man was sitting on the horse and as the eagle landed on the man's arm the horse didn't bat an eyelid. Then the men brought their dogs from their vehicle. The dogs are Taipan breed and are similar to Afghans. They were lovely animals, lean and elegant. We watched the dogs chasing the fox skin being dragged by the galloping horse. After we took it in turns to hold the eagle, but didn't have a chance to pet the dogs.

Falconry is inscribed on UNESCO Intangible Heritage list, "Falconry, a living human heritage" and related to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Wikipedia page on Hunting with eagles

At a fuel station at the south end of Issyk-Kul lake, this statue represents the falconer, his horse and dog. And across the road was a large statue of an eagle. 

The next dog I saw was also a Taipan. We were at the 7 Bulls viewpoint at Jeti-Oguz gorge, near Karakol. The dog was loitering outside the cafe, presumably hoping for titbits and was happy to be petted.

After this I didn't really see horses or dogs until we got to Turkmenistan. We spent a night in yurts at the Darvaza gas crater and a very large dog lived there. It looked like it had no ears. I don't have any photos of the dog. But the next day when we stopped at a petrol station in the Karakum desert, there was another dog of the same breed. This was a friendly old boy, with very stiff back legs. Poor thing could hardly walk. A Google search told me is is an Alabai, a Central Asian shepherd dog. 

From Wikipedia , "The Central Asian Shepherd Dog, also known as the Alabay, Alabai, Tobet, and Turkmen Wolfhound, is a livestock guardian dog breed. Traditionally, the breed was used for guarding sheep and goat herds, as well as to protect and for guard duty." It also says the ears are cropped and the tails usually docked. Wikipedia has a lot of info on the Alabai. 

In Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan horse meat is widely eaten and horse meat is exported to neighbouring countries. We saw lots of horses in fields. But horses are also used as transport, often I saw a man sitting on a horse whilst watching his flocks of cows or sheep and goats, and in the evenings he'd ride round on the horse rounding up the animals. 

Horse meat in the Green Bazaar in Almaty, Kazakhstan -

Chuchuk, a traditional Kyrgyz horse meat sausage, in Kyrgyzstan -

In Kazakhstan I tried fermented camel's milk and also mare's milk. It was very sour.

As mentioned above, horse meat is commonly eaten in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan and a lot is exported, though we weren't served it. It is never eaten in Turkmenistan. And Turkmenistan reveres one particular horse breed. This is the Ahal Teke. As soon as we arrived at the capital Ashgabat, we went straight to Owadan Altynay stables -

And the heading of this notice board says it all - 

They are known as heavenly horses in Chinese records, prized for their speed, agility, endurance and elegance. 

The Ahal Teke are not allowed to be exported, they can only be given away as a gift by the president. And in 1956 a palomino was given to Queen Elizabeth II.

We had lunch - beef, chicken and lamb - before going to see the horses. As mentioned above horses are not eaten in Turkmenistan, and in 1935 a white stallion and 30 other horses were walked to Moscow to communicate the horses shouldn't be slaughtered for meat. 

The horses are really beautiful. Amazing coats, gorgeous colours with a metallic sheen.

See the Wikipedia page on the Akhal-Teke .