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New Study Challenges Conventional Timeline for Horse Domestication and Riding
A new review published in Science Advances argues that horse domestication and horseback riding began centuries earlier than some recent genetic studies have suggested. Drawing on archaeological, genetic, osteological, and biomolecular evidence, the researchers contend that humans were already managing, milking, and riding horses long before the widespread expansion of the DOM2 horse lineage around 2200–2100 BC.
The study revisits growing debate surrounding the origins of horse domestication. Recent genetic research had linked the effective domestication of horses to the appearance of specific mutations associated with calmer behaviour and greater endurance in the DOM2 lineage, which later became the ancestor of most modern domestic horses. Some researchers argued that widespread horseback riding only developed after these genetic traits emerged.
However, the new review argues that domestication should not be defined solely by these later genetic developments. According to the authors, evidence from Eurasian archaeological sites indicates that several horse populations — identified as DOM1, DOM2, and a proposed European lineage termed DOM3 — were already being exploited and managed during the fourth millennium BC.
Particular attention is given to the Yamnaya culture of the Pontic-Caspian steppes, dated roughly between 3200 and 2600 BC. The researchers point to evidence suggesting that Yamnaya communities consumed horse meat and milk, deposited horse remains in funerary contexts, and may have practiced habitual horseback riding. The study also notes that Yamnaya horses belonged to the DOM2 lineage and contributed most of the ancestry of later domestic horses.
The review further discusses the Botai culture of Kazakhstan, long considered one of the earliest horse-management societies. Archaeological evidence from Botai includes large concentrations of horse bones, possible corrals, traces of horse milking, and tooth wear interpreted as evidence for the use of rope bits.
Researchers additionally highlight evidence for horse management in Central and Southeast Europe before 3000 BC. Among the discoveries discussed is a horse from Salzmünde in Germany carrying the tobiano spotting gene, a coat pattern associated with domesticated horses.
The authors conclude that horse domestication was not a single event but a long and regionally diverse process involving different human communities and horse populations across Eurasia. They argue that horseback riding and horse-based mobility may already have played an important role in long-distance migrations and social transformations during the fourth millennium BC.
Published on: 14-05-2026
Edited by: Abdulmnam Samakie
Source: Science Advances
