I was so lucky to be invited as a member of the IATHA (International Akhal-Teke Horse Association) to be invited to Turkmenistan to celebrate their 20th year of independence. The parade was amazing, a vivid display of colour and movement. The military parade was impressive and was a huge display as well. Akhal-Tekes are an important part of the Turkmen culture so their beautiful horses also played a big role in their parade.

Here are some photos from the parade and you can see the entire set on Flickr:

It was a super cold and wet day, but everyone had big smiles on their faces and were obviously quite proud to be involved in this special parade celebrating their independence. The poor children’s hands were frozen but still they stood patiently and did a great job marching and dancing. I was honoured to participate in their special day.

I have to mention the unfortunate fall of the horses that slipped. It was an accident and neither of them were hurt. What was quite amazing was that they were never scared and did not panic, they just got back up and tried to get back into formation. They are obviously very well trained and extremely sensible horses.