Riding at the Akhal-Teke Horse Center—Donna Landry and Gerald (Mac) MacLean
The drumming of galloping hooves on the Asian steppe, the dust rising on the far horizon: how often this image conveys the rise of the Ottoman Empire to the western imagination. Riding in Turkey on brave, spirited, fast horses is not only a pleasure in itself; it is also an unequalled experience of history.
Travelling what Ercihan Dilari calls ‘the traditional routes’ of Anatolia in the Turkish fashion can function as a time machine. At the same time, the ranch and garden restaurant of the Akhal-Teke Horse Center in Avanos offer both horses and people all the modern conveniences and comforts they could possibly wish for. If you are seeking to discover how exciting horseback travel can be, then the Akhal-Teke Horse Center is a good place to begin.
We did some camping with the horses and Ercihan in Avanos in August 2008. In spite of the hot weather, the horses were generally willing and forward going. The horses at the ranch were in excellent condition – fit yet not too thin, ready for a long day or a short one, tough yet used to being gently handled in the stables.
Donna adds: The horse I was given, Titiz, is one of the best, most beautiful and athletic horses I have ever ridden. I can only think of her with longing and admiration. Her paces are elastic, her impulsion and suspension superb, she has a mouth of silk, and when she performs an extended trot you can see her putting her toe out with every stride. Needless to say, she also loves to gallop. If agitated, she will do a half-pass. But climbing mountains and crossing rivers, slithering down a slippery slope, riding along a grass verge with lorries thundering along honking their horns, she is eminently sensible. You could not ask for a better partner on an expedition.
After meeting and riding with Ercihan, we invited him to supply horses for the Evliya Çelebi Ride and Way project. In September 2009 seven horses from the Akhal-Teke ranch and six riders set off to ride circuitously between Hersek and Kütahya, a journey of nearly 1000 miles following the route taken in 1671 by the great Ottoman traveller Evliya Çelebi. The expedition was a major success. Visit our website at: www.kent.ac.uk/english/evliya/index.html
Mac adds: The horses I rode during the expedition, Ilos and Elis, were exceptionally clever, tough little horses. At six foot two, I am most comfortable riding sixteen-hand Thoroughbred hunters across country. Back home, riding the rugged terrain of Dartmoor from Rosemary Hooley’s Skaigh Stables (www.skaighstables.co.uk), I have become used to a certain sort of forward going horse. After the initial shock of the difference in pace and cadence of these small Arabian-Anatolian crosses, I couldn’t help but be impressed by their stamina, courage and intelligence. Ilos would still be pulling to go faster at the end of a long day, and Elis would always find the smoothest path over stony ground. They were eminently sensible about looking after themselves, whether crossing a river or climbing into the back of a lorry. They behaved impeccably in circumstances that would have driven most English horses wild, exhibiting real grace under pressure. Sometimes size matters less than you think!
Future rides along parts of the Evliya Çelebi or Great Anatolian Ride itinerary are being planned to supplement existing routes in Cappadocia. To read the 2009 expedition’s blog go to: www.hoofprinting.blogspot.com
A note on the riding offered: at the Akhal-Teke Horse Center, careful rides are provided for absolute beginners, including children on leading reins. These rides are, naturally, usually short ones, around and close to the ranch.
However, if you book a ride of several hours across country, saying you can ride, be prepared to be given a spirited horse full of go who will require some riding! These horses have sensitive mouths and are accustomed to being ridden freely across country. They bear no resemblance to stolid riding school or trekking horses in other parts of the world. They walk fast, could trot all day, and really love ‘running’, as Ercihan puts it, whenever the terrain permits. They are not accustomed to being ridden on the bit for any length of time. The rugged terrain of Cappadocia requires the free use of their hindquarters as well as their heads.
Talking in detail in English before you set out may require advance planning. With advance planning, specifically tailored rides can be arranged. If you have specific needs, it would be a good idea to visit the ranch ahead of time, planning to hang out for a bit until your language requirements can be properly dealt with. It is best never to be in too much of a hurry in Turkey anyway. You will miss out on much of the pleasure of being there.
If you are adventurous and love horses who love their work, the Akhal-Teke Horse Center is the place for you.
Professor Donna Landry, University of Kent (UK), author of Noble Brutes: How Eastern Horses Transformed English Culture (2008) D.E.Landry@kent.ac.uk
Professor Gerald MacLean, University of Exeter (UK), author of The Rise of Oriental Travel: English Visitors to the Ottoman Empire, 1580-1720 (2004) gmm203@exeter.ac.uk
"For 6 weeks in fall 2009 I had the great good fortune to participate in the first ever Great Anatolian Ride, the early stages of the route taken by the great 17th century traveller Evliya Çelebi in 1671. We began near Istanbul, zig-zagged in a general southerly direction, and finished at the historic city of Kütahya some 800 miles later. I am an amateur rider and, hand on heart, it was the very best experience of my life. We went through amazing countryside and varied landscapes of river and forest, mountain and plain—the Anatolian country is open, with no fences or walls, and unrivalled for riding. We met wonderfully welcoming villagers along the way, who were delighted to see us cross their orchards and fields, and offered us their produce. And the weather smiled on us.
Most of all, though, it was the horses and our guide, Ercihan Dilari, who made the trip so magical. We decided to ask Ercihan if he would lead us, because his horses were the best we had seen on earlier travels in Anatolia, and to our amazement he agreed. The horses were forward-going and fearless, setting out keenly every day and never flagging as we clocked up the miles. And Ercihan and his horse Anadolu (meaning 'Anatolia') just seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to finding the way to the next place—remember, no one had ridden this route before in modern times. Whether to turn left or right, whether to go up or down—this duo always made the right decision and took us where we intended to go. And they did this when given confusing advice by local people. If you have a chance to ride this Ride, go for it. You won't regret it!"
Dr Caroline Finkel [4], Ottoman historian and author of Osman’s Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire (2005); published in Turkish as Rüya’dan İmparatorluğa Osmanlı: Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun Öyküsü (2007)
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By a fine stroke of luck this September I was able to join the Evliya Çelebi Ride, following the hoofsteps of this famous Ottoman traveler. A Great Anatolian Ride! Under the experienced lead of internationally known Ercihan Dilari and with the sturdy, reliable horses from his stables at the Akhal-Teke Horse Riding Center, we rode out to discover magnificient Anatolia. And what a ride it was though the most spectacular country side. So varied that each day brought new horizons from the fording of rivers lush with vegetation to climbing to mountains tops that only a few hours ago seemed so far away. Then on to these immense forests, dense with majestic silence embracing each rider. The rural countryside offered a manicured view as if a painter had decided where the poplars should be bordering the multicolored cultivated terrain. We would stop in authentic farm villages that tourists never get a chance to see. The original architecture dating it would seem centuries, the colourful dresses of the women waving to us as we saluted them, the children streaming out of schools to welcome us...indeed a unique, heart warming adventure ! The Great Anatolian Ride!