This Country Dedicates a National Holiday to Horses

Horse monuments are located outside a large hippodrome in the area surrounding Ashgabat.
A horse gallops around a circus ring in Ashgabat. Training animals to perform tricks for entertainment has received widespread backlash from animal activists in recent years.
A showroom for a new housing complex outside Ashgabat is heavily decorated with horse paraphernalia.
A young man sits on an artificial horse outside a horse racing stadium.
International tourists take photos of a mechanical riding horse.
A group of jockeys who show off their trophies and prizes to the audience while community elders sit in the background.
Men and students watch a horse race during the annual Turkman Horse Day.
Students pose with horses at an Akhal Teke breeding facility in the outskirts of Ashgabat.
A young rider waits near the stables at the convention centre hours before his performance begins.
Young children play in a field in the countryside outside of Ashgabat.
One of many horse monuments in Turkmenistan towers over the roadside in the outskirts of Ashgabat.
A woman pets a framed, horse carpet at an Ashgabat convention centre during an exhibition of horse goods.
An international audience watches a group of trick riders during a performance in Ashgabat. Training animals to perform tricks for entertainment has received widespread backlash from animal activists in recent years.
A horse painting decorates a seating area on the fifth floor of Hotel Ashgabat.
A display showcases Turkmen food at the Ashgabat convention centre.
Horse-related goods are on display in Ashgabat during the Turkman Horse Day.
A photo Turkmenistan's president, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, hangs in a museum dedicated to Akhal Teke horses.
A large image of a rearing horses hangs in one of Turkmenistan's many hippodromes.
A Turkmen film crew interviews one rider before a jumping competition.
