We don’t know when humans first domesticated horses. We do know that horses first evolved in North America and then migrated across the Bering Land Bridge into Asia. About 8,000 years ago, the horse became extinct in North America.
The domestication of the horse was certainly a cultural revolution which changed peoples’ lives. In her entry on the domestication of the horse in The Oxford Companion to Archaeology, Marsha Levine writes:
“The impact of the earliest domestication of the horse on human society must have been as profound as that of the invention of the steam engine, and yet we know very little about when, where, or how it happened.”
During the past twenty-five years, archeology has been uncovering more clues about the domestication of the horse and its impact on culture. At present, the archaeological record suggests that the horse was first domesticated in Asia for food and milk. Later, people began using horses to pull carts and chariots and eventually for riding. At present, the archaeological record suggests that horses were domesticated between 4500 BCE and 3400 BCE.
Some of the earliest evidence of horses being ridden comes from the mounds at the Novoilinovsky-2 cemetery in Kazakhstan where archaeologists uncovered two horses in a burial which were carbon-dated to between 1640 and 1530 BCE. In an article in Current World Archaeology, Christopher Catling writes:
“The mare and stallion were 18 and 20 years old respectively at the age of death—much older than they would have been if they had been slaughtered for food—and the remains of ancient bridles were found in the same grave.”
In other words, this is evidence of people riding horses at this time.
When people first began riding horses, saddles were probably not used. In an article in Archaeology, Eric Powell writes:
“When the people in what is now Mongolia began to ride horses, the first pieces of equipment they used to control them were reins and bridles. The bits the horses wore in their mouths were often made from bone and antler, which could cause the animals great discomfort.”
To ease the pain caused by the bit, by 1200 BCE people were practicing veterinary dentistry by grinding down some of the horse’s teeth. By 800 BCE, some horse nomads were extracting some of the horse’s teeth to prevent damage from metal bits.
The early equestrians rode bareback, maintaining stability by using their thighs to grip the horse. Eric Powell reports:
“This was not just hard on the horse; prolonged bareback riding was also hazardous to an equestrian’s health.”
Human skeletons from this era show trauma in the spinal column and lower extremities due to riding bareback.
During the first centuries of the current era, the saddle and stirrups were developed which revolutionized the use of horses in warfare. Eric Powell reports:
“A terracotta horseman dating to A.D. 322 found in the city of Nanjing may be the earliest depiction of dual stirrups, which eventually joined the composite frame saddle as essential cavalry equipment. This saddle would not just have afforded even more stability in the rider but would have safeguarded the horse’s health as well by distributing the rider’s weight more efficiently.”
Eric Powell also writes:
“Stirrups, for their part, make the equestrian’s task of not falling off a horse much easier, allowing riders to brace themselves, engage in heavy combat, or shoot arrows from the saddle.”
One of the earliest examples of a saddle was found in the Altai region of Mongolia. At Urd Ulaan Uneer, archaeologists found a burial which included a horse that had been buried with the man—a ritual practice known as “head and hoof” which has been typical of the people in this region for thousands of years. In addition, the site contained a birch saddle, iron bit with antler cheekpieces, and archery equipment. Regarding the saddle, Eric Powell reports:
“It is composed of a frame carved from a single piece of wood—called a saddletree—a pommel, and a cantle, or backrest. Both pommel and cantle consist of two halves joined by wooden nails and attached to the saddletree with strips of leather.”
Spanish colonists brought horses back to North America where horses, and the Spanish style of riding, became an important part of the cattle industry in the American west. Horses are an important part of western history and thus saddles are also an important part of the West. Shown below are some museum displays of saddles.
Wasco County Historical Museum, The Dalles, Oregon
According to the Museum display:
“Heavy Spanish War Saddles, with high back cantles and high front swells, were adapted in the New World from colonial and military saddles to stock saddles designed as a tool for working cowboys.”
Shown above is a Lawrence Saddle which features a hand-stamped design with basket weave ground. This saddle sold for $90 in 1915.
Shown above is a Garth Bonney Saddle made about 1950.
Shown above is a Victor Marden Saddle made about 1900.
Presby House Museum, Goldendale, Washington
Shown above is a roping saddle made about 1870 by a saddle maker in The Dalles, Oregon.
Shown above is a stock saddle.
The saddle shown above was made in Texas in 1886 or 1887. It cost $24.36.
In addition to carrying people, horses were also used for carrying goods and supplies. Shown above is a pack saddle.
Fort Dalles Museum, The Dalles, Oregon
Shown above is a Whitman Cavalry Saddle, often called an “officer’s saddle.” First made about 1875, these saddles have pommel pockets or map pockets. Most frequently, the Cavalry Saddle was made without a horn.
Museum of the Upper Missouri, Fort Benton, Montana
Fort Steele Heritage Village, British Columbia
History Museum at Fort Missoula, Missoula, Montana
Nevada City Living History Museum, Nevada City, Montana
Sherman County Museum, Moro, Oregon
Tillamook County Pioneer Museum, Tillamook, Oregon
Shown above are a western saddle (on right) and a cavalry saddle (on left).
Swan Valley Historical Museum, Condon, Montana
High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon
Shown above is an American Indian saddle.
Hagerman Valley Historical Museum, Hagerman, Idaho
Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California
Veterans Memorial Museum, Chehalis, Washington
Shown above is a cavalry saddle.
Baldwin Coach Barn, Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden
Museums 201
Museums 201 compares similar exhibits from several museums. More from this series:
Museums 201: Women's sidesaddles (photo diary)
Museums 201: Carriages and Wagons (photo diary)
Museums 201: The blacksmith shop (photo diary)
Museums 201: Antique farming equipment (photo diary)
Museums 201: Bicycles (photo diary)
Museums 201: Schools (photo diary)
Museums 201: Swords, knives, and other sharp things (photo diary)
Museums 201: Medicines (photo diary)