A Tale of a Turkmen Stallion, Large Melons and a Dead Parrot
- Horse’s journey to U.K. documented in archives released Friday
- Bandits, post-Soviet bureaucracy held up passage to Britain
Turkmen horse day is celebrated in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Source: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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At this time of year, we remember that it’s better to give than to receive. And as files released by the British government reveal, that’s especially true if the gift is a Turkmen horse.
In 1993, Saparmurat Niyazov, President of Turkmenistan, which had just become independent from the Soviet Union, paid a visit to the British prime minister, John Major. Keen to thank his host, Niyazov presented Major with a framed picture of a horse. He explained that this wasn’t any horse. His name was Maksat, a pure-bred Akhal-Teke stallion, and it now belonged to Britain.