Gayaz legacy

              In Spring 1994 I was visiting Alexander Klimuk, the head selective breeder of Stavropol Stud no 170. We were looking at old photographs of Akhal-Teke horses. I particularly noted the photo of Glazok (Gundogar-Kaska), born at Lugovskoy Stud and renowned for his success in show-jumping. Glazok was a prize winner and participant of many Russian championships and jumped at the top level. 

                                                                                                                                                                                   Glazok

Despite his dodgy joints and sway back, this stallion attracted me by his height, strong type, harmonious proportions, strong engine and ample bone. Stavropol Stud had two of his daughters at that time: Pampa out of Pariza (Sere – Pazilla) and Greza. 

The next day we went to see the herd and I spotted a colt running at foot with Pampa, who really reminded me of Glazok on the photo we were looking at the day before, only he was small and perlino.

I realized there and then that this colt has to be mine, and not just anyhow, but as a sire of the stud farm which Sharip Galimov and I had just founded. The management of Stavropol Stud considered our requested and kindly allowed us to purchase Gayaz at weaning. 

                                                                                                                                                                                   Pampa

                                                                                                                                                                                   Gayaz

Gayaz (http://shael-teke.ru/en/archive/Gayaz/) was born after the first breeding season of the Turkmen-born stallion Gaigysyz (Karaman – Syiagul’). Gaigysyz later proved himself as an outstanding sire, was stood at many studs and, besides Gayaz, produced exceptional off-spring. However, for us it was the maternal line of Gayaz that interested us the most. Pampa possessed exceptional movements while her dam Pariza came from a family of race winners. It should be noted that the dam family Pel to which Gayaz belongs, is one of the most illustrious and prolific within the Akhal-Teke breed. One should only mention Penteli, grey Posman and many other horses who showed outstanding results in racing and sport. 

Similarly to Glazok, Gayaz possessed certain flaws, though to a lesser degree than his grandsire: his joints were not the best and he showed a tendency towards sway back. Unfortunately, he did not make the height (being only 158cm tall), the influence of his small sire. However, he had ample bone and proportions, deep girth, had noble appearance and excellent dressage movements.

Behind his perlino coat, in addition to the crème gene, Gayaz carried a grey gene, inherited from his dam, and therefore, half of his off-spring were grey and the other half – buckskin, and occasionally black. 

Gayaz did not race, which was probably no great loss as he did not give an appearance of a potential successful racer. In 1997, he was put in dressage training with Vitaly Andrukhovich and began to master the basics. He had considerable potential for the discipline, was flexible and harmonious, and reached the level of Prix StGeorge in training. However, his joints were not strong enough and he was injured, returning to stud at the age of six. 

In his very first breeding season, Gayaz started to produce exceptionally typical, striking-looking foals with excellent conformation and superb movements. Curiously, his buckskin off-spring resembled Gaigysyz whereas his grey ones looked more like Pampa and Glazok. 

The off-spring of Gayaz were in demand and his children are scattered around the world, from Canada to China. However, we want to focus here on his breeding legacy. 

                                                                                                                                                                                   Shaar

In 2001 we had two colts of exceptional type: Shaar and Birinch. From the beginning, we had a persistent client who wanted to tempt us to sell one of them. Sharip Galimov and I had a difficult choice but decided to keep Shaar. Shaar was inbred on Sere 4-4-4. He was first-born of his mother Aida (Yakyr-Aykhanum) and was very weak as a foal. We put a lot of effort to raise him and he paid us back. For many years, Shaar was a “business card” of our Stud, he stunned visitors with his strong type and beautiful appearance. Shaar was small – only 154cm, he had upright pasterns which, fortunately, he never passed to his off-spring, but he was broad in his build and had a better topline than his sire though equally long. Unfortunately, his movements were mediocre which, considering the focus of the Stud on producing horses with dressage potential, made his use as a sire limited and led to his eventual sale to China. However, we kept two of his daughters for breeding: Ezize out of Tas'ykuli (Karar – Demirkhanum) and Lilit out of Akhbeli (Jasman – Aykhanum). Both mares proved excellent as broodmares, producing typical off-spring who can move. None of Shaar’s sons were kept for breeding. 

In 2002, Gayaz produced a grey colt Kaytag out of exceptional broodmare Almagul (Omar – Aykhanum). 

                                                                                                                                                                                   Kaytag

Similarly to other grey children of Gayaz, Kaytag did not impress immediately but improved as a weanling. Once a yearling, he convinced us of his breeding potential. Kaitag is inbred on Sere 3-3. His life turned out to be a challenge, causing him to go through some difficult times. Nevertheless, Kaitag was successfully trained for eventing and showed excellent potential in both dressage and jumping, which, unfortunately, due to the vagaries of fate, did not translate into a consistent performance record. 

Kaytag is a powerfull stallion, 163cm, with ample bone, well-built with somewhat long back, beautiful swan neck and an impressive pedigree. In many respects, Kaitag is a carbon copy of his grandsire Glazok. Particularly valuable is his maternal line without a single black spot in it. 

In 2014, two of his sons were born – grey Kahab out of Akhbeli (Jasman – Aykhanum), inbred on Aykhanum 2-3, and bay Kahir out of Hagada (Gazyr – Aida), inbred on Aykhanum 3-3, on Omar 4-3 and on Oktava 4-4. Both colts are impressive and promising, especially Kahir. He is typical, with long lines, ample bone, correct and has exceptionally straight, free movements.

We are planning wide use of Kaytag during the 2015 breeding season. 

                                                                                                                                                                                     Makka                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Another son of Gayaz with a realised potential is Makka, born in 2004 out of the top race horse Melana (Omar – Mushmula). Makka is built with harmonious proportions, fairly compact, with ample bone and depth, 163cm tall. It’s hard to find faults with him, perhaps, one would wish him to have a stronger type, but the type he does have is sufficient to make an impression. He has excellent movements in all gaits and is today the only Akhal-Teke horse competing in dressage at Grand Prix level with a good development potential. He is ridden by Vitaly Andrukhovich and is training in Europe. 

Makka was used in breeding twice – in 2009 and 2014. From the 2009 breeding season, we kept the mare Heleney out of Heva (Gazyr – Ajay), inbred on Omar 4-3 and Oktava 4-4. She is a tall, fairly typical, correct mare with ample bone. Heleney is now in foal to Sayvan and we are expecting an impressive result from this selection. 

Another 2009 off-spring of Makka is Tsair out of Aygian (Jasman – Ayran). Tsair is 162cm tall, inbred on Omar 3-3. He has text-book conformation, is proportionately built and has exceptional, perfect movements. In essence, Tsair is an epitomy of a perfect riding horse. The only fault one could ascribe him is his complicated temperament. We used him at stud in 2014. 

                                                                                                                                                                                      Tsair

Gayaz also left us a number of valuable broodmares.

We have kept the grey Sharida out of Dargansara (Polot – Damgia), inbred on Gundogar 4-4. Sharida is compact, typical and fault-free. Her particular asset are her movements which she consistently passes to her off-spring. Her sons Shumer and Shet are showing good potential for dressage whereas Shandi (born in 2013) is destined, in my view, for a remarkable future. 

Naib Idris Stud has another significant daughter of Gayaz, Ummay out of Damgia (Garem – Djakhan). Ummay is very typical and is in the style of Gaigysyz, and she passes this style to her off-spring. 

Another daughter of Gayaz who is making a mark at Stavropol Stud no 170, is Hanna out of Aykhanum (Derbent – Feya II). Hanna is a replica of her great dam. 

 There is a strong likelihood that Gayaz may establish his own line, via his sons Kaitag and Makka, and some of his grandchildren, all of whom show propensity for sport and good movements, characteristic of his grandsire Glazok. 

Gayaz died in 2007, at the age of 14, due to melanomas.

                                                                                                                                                                             Sharida              

                                                                                                                                                                               Ummay                                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                       Hanna