Domestication of the horse

The domestication of the horse was a big moment in human history. Wild horses appeared in Paleolithic cave art a long time ago, around 30,000 BCE. But these horses were hunted for food, not kept as pets or helpers.

The first clues that people were using horses came from teeth with wear from bits. These were found in burials in Botai Kazakhstan around 3700–3500 BC. Later, around 2000 BCE, chariot burials showed that horses were used for transportation.

Scientists discuss when and where horses were first fully domesticated. Some think it happened around 3000 BCE in what is now Ukraine and Western Kazakhstan. Others think it was closer to 2000 BCE. Genetic evidence points to the Volga–Don region in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Europe around 2200 BCE as an important area.

From there, domesticated horses spread across Eurasia. They were used for travel, farming, and in warfare. Changes like stronger backs and being easier to handle may have helped horses become better friends and workers for people. The domestication of horses changed how humans lived and traveled forever.

Background

We do not know exactly when or where humans first tamed horses. Scientists study old bones, tools, art, and how people lived to learn more. We know that people used horses for food and milk before they were used for work.

Horses were used for travel, farming, and fighting across Eurasia. Early harnesses could not use all of the horse's strength, but better designs like the padded horse collar were made later.

Predecessors to the domestic horse

Main articles: Evolution of the horse and wild horse

A study looked at the mitochondrial DNA of many kinds of horses, old and new. It found that all horses come from one big family with a single ancestor. This family has three types: the South American Hippidion, the North American New World stilt-legged horse, and Equus, which is the true horse. The true horse includes ancient horses, Przewalski's horse, and all modern horse breeds. These true horses moved from the Americas to Eurasia through Beringia and spread to many lands.

Horses from the Ice Age were sometimes hunted by humans for food. Many kinds of these old horses disappeared because of big changes in the weather, especially in North America, where horses vanished completely. Two wild horse kinds lived on until more recent times: Przewalski's horse and the Tarpan. The Tarpan died out in the late 1800s, and Przewalski's horse was brought back to some places in Mongolia in the 1990s.

Genetic evidence

See also: History of horse domestication theories

A study looked at DNA from old horse bones and modern horses. It found 125 genes linked to domestication. Some genes affect a horse's muscles, limbs, heart, and balance. Others help with learning, fear, and social behavior, making horses easier to tame.

Studies of DNA suggest there may have been many domestication events for female horses, called mares. Male horses, called stallions, show less genetic diversity today, possibly because only a few were first domesticated. Modern domestic horses likely began in the Volga-Don region of the Pontic–Caspian steppe grasslands of Western Eurasia. These horses spread quickly across Eurasia around 2000 BCE, possibly because they were good for riding and had stronger backs and calmer temperaments.

Archaeological evidence

Archaeological evidence shows that horses were domesticated by looking at changes in their skeletons and teeth. We also find clues from places where people lived long ago. These clues include horses buried with humans, changes in the ages and types of horses humans used, and the discovery of things like horse tack made for horses.

The best evidence that people used horses for travel comes from chariot burials around 2000 BCE. We can tell a horse was ridden by looking at wear on horse teeth. The oldest evidence of this was found in Kazakhstan and dates to 3700–3500 BCE.

Interesting evidence of early domestication comes from the Botai culture in northern Kazakhstan. The Botai people rode horses to hunt wild horses in the area between 3700 and 3500 BCE. We know they rode horses because their teeth show wear from bits. Botai sites did not have cattle or sheep bones; besides horses, their only domesticated animals were dogs.

When horse bones start appearing in places where they were not found before, it shows that horses were being domesticated. Around 3500–3000 BCE, horse bones became more common in archaeological sites outside their usual home in the Eurasian steppes.

Methods of domestication

Horses may have survived in Eurasia because humans kept them nearby, perhaps to eat them. This help may have saved them from disappearing, unlike horses in the Western Hemisphere, which vanished at the end of the last glacial period.

One idea is that people first kept young horses, called foals, as pets. Foals are small and easy to care for, and they naturally look for friends, which humans could give them. Over time, these friendly foals may have been raised to help with riding and work. However, people disagree about what it really means for a horse to be "domesticated," with some saying it needs special changes from being raised in captivity.

Horses in historic warfare

Main article: Horses in warfare

Horses were very important in old battles, especially when they pulled chariots around the year 2000 BCE. These chariots were key in early fights. During the Bronze Age, horses were smaller than today’s horses, so some people thought they were only used for pulling chariots and not for riding. But horses stayed small even into the Middle Ages.

In the Iron Age, people started riding horses as soldiers, using them for fast attacks. Nomads like the Parthians were very skilled at this. Over time, chariots were replaced by riders on horses. Even small horses could carry adult soldiers and were used in battles for many years. Groups like the Scythians, Huns, Turks, Mongols, Arabs, and Native Americans all used horses well in warfare.