Humans were riding horses 1,000 years earlier than previously thought, new study finds

May 18, 2026 · 4:14 AM UTC ·5 min read · 0 reactions · 0 comments · 33 views

TL;DR · WeSearch summary

A new study suggests that humans began riding horses 1,300 years earlier than previously believed. Researchers from the University of Helsinki found evidence that horse taming and domestication occurred around 3500 to 3000 BCE. This discovery may reshape our understanding of human migration and ancestry in Eurasia.

Key facts

▪The previous belief was that horses were first domesticated around 4,000 years ago.
▪The research utilized DNA, archaeological, and bone records to trace horse use by humans.
▪The findings indicate that horse taming occurred independently across various regions.

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The Independent (UK) publishes from United Kingdom and files mainly under news. We currently carry 922 of its stories.

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Record

Original publisher	The Independent
Canonical URL	https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/horse-riding-taming-domestication-history-b2978368.html
Publication time	Mon, 18 May 2026 04:14:13 GMT
Retrieval time	2026-05-18T04:24:54.380Z
Last seen	2026-05-18T04:24:54.380Z
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Publisher visit	Yes — open original
Substitutes article?	No — link-out required for full text

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Indexing	May the item be indexed (stored, ranked, made findable)?	Allowed
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Basis: Derived from the published RSS/Atom feed. Contact: [email protected]. Reviewed: 2026-07-24.

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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand

NewsUKHome NewsHumans were riding horses 1,000 years earlier than previously thought, new study findsMass migration of people across Eurasia around 5,000 years ago could have been driven by advent of horsemanship, researchers sayHarry Cockburn Monday 18 May 2026 05:14 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"CF1:2976545To1","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/horse-riding-taming-domestication-history-b2978368.html","title":"Humans were riding horses 1,000 years earlier than previously thought"}}Icelandic distinctive…

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