The golden light of sunset is falling on 300 galloping Yilki horses; dust is rising, creating golden speckles glittering under low lights and the fast-running dogs surrounding and herding the Yilki horses. I am totally mesmerized by this opening scene of my YILKI HORSE photography trip in Hurmetci Koyu, Cappadocia. Then enters the hugely charismatic owner of these horses – Ali Dayi. His horse knows what to do to keep the herd together. Flanked by his five super intelligent dogs, Ali Dayi, is an impressive rider, full of energy. His horse changes his steps from gallop to rising with expert agility further adding to the magical scene. This whole thing is happening like a film shot in sepia colours in front of me. Wow!
One cannot imagine the amount of dust in the air – frequently, I am closing my eyes waiting for the cloud of these tiny speckles of fine earth to fall to the ground. Cursing myself for forgetting my lens cloth as my camera and long lens are now covered in thick dust, and I only have a face mask to wipe my delicate lens however, I am in love with the scene, all the same.
I am an equine photographer, and travel around the world photographing different breeds of these majestic creatures. I have just discovered the amazing Yilki Horses of Cappadocia, Turkey only recently. I am a Turk who has spent more than 30 years in the UK, and I was totally embarrassed to have overlooked this breed so far. I spent a week in the company of Nuri Corbacioglu and my experience will never be topped again.
The Yilki Horse is an ancient Anatolian horse breed. They are semi wild, semi stabled like those in the Camargue. For centuries farmers caught them in the wild, domesticated them and used them as working horses. When winter arrives, these horses would be released to their own means to fend for themselves. This is a tradition followed by Turkish ancestors such as the Mongolians. Winters in this region can be very harsh, cold, and deep snow may create hardship where the horses may get either eaten by wolves or give in to cold and hunger. When spring arrives, the stronger ones would survive, and the farmers would come back and re-claim their surviving horses. The Yilki Horse has a different gait called “Rahman” which is very similar to the Icelandic Horses which makes them pleasure to ride. Their unique walking style is comfortable not only to their riders but also to themselves. In Anatolia this breed is called the “Mercedes of Horses”. Later, Bulgarians crossed this horse with the British Hot-Blooded horses to create the “Bulgar Rahman” horse.
With the advance in agricultural technology and the arrival of tractors more and more of these horses were left in nature to their own means. Migration to urban areas just added to this problem. “Left” this is exactly what “Yilki” means.
Ali Dayi and Nuri Corbacioglu helped these horses from extinction. Ali Dayi has collected all the horses left by family and friends and villagers and looked after them. Provided food and medicine when needed. This not only saved the horses from extinction but also provided a good source of income for Cappadocia. Today these horses attract a lot of photographers to the region. Imagine 130 hot air balloons in the air as a background for these horses. No wonder there are so many weddings planned with these horses creating s spectacular backdrop. Cappadocia Photo Tours is organizing great tours and I was totally impressed by their professionalism and care.
For those who are interested in literature, this horse has been the subject of a sad novel by the famous author Abbas Sayar with the same name. It earned its author a prize – “Yilki Ati”.
Please visit www.nurtucker.com for more images of horses.
Thx!