Archaeologists have found out when people began to ride horses

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New discovery regarding the 5,000-year-old Yamnaya skeletal remains may have documented the earliest signs of horseback riding. In a study published in the journal Science Advances, Friday, highlights that equipment first used by riders was rarely kept.

The study notes the changes in bone morphology associated with horseback riding, and says that long-term riding was a heavy burden on the human body. These skeletons have been found at archaeological sites in Bulgaria, Romania, and Hungary.

Researchers examined evidence from 24 sets of skeletal remains excavated at sites in these countries and looked at differences in femurs, vertebrae, and pelvic bones .

Of the 24 skeletal remains, most were of Pit-pit origin, and nine of them showed signs of equestrianism.

Taken together, the study says, these results provide a strong argument that horseback riding was already a common activity for some Yamnaya residents as early as 5,000 years ago.

The findings also point to a gap between the first evidence of human domestication of horses 5,500 years ago and the use of horse-drawn chariots 1,500 years later.

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