First evidence for horseback riding dates back 5,000 years

Kyrgyz riders pray before a game during the Kok-Boru competition outside Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan on Feb 25. Kok-Boru is a traditional Central Asian game similar to polo, in which horsemen aim to drop the headless carcass of a goat or calf in their opponents' goal. Photo: Reuters

Archaeologists have found the earliest direct evidence for horseback riding - an innovation that would transform history - in 5,000 year old human skeletons in central Europe.

"When you get on a horse and ride it fast, it’s a thrill - I’m sure ancient humans felt the same way,” said David Anthony, a co-author of the study and Hartwick College archaeologist. "Horseback riding was the fastest a human could go before the railroads.”