Not these ladies, but they are quite cute!

Horses have been our companions for a long time. We have evidence that horses were domesticated about 6,000 years ago on the Asian steppe, but it’s hard to tell for sure. Some people think it’s a bit more recent. However, our strongest evidence is marks on teeth from bits. Bits were probably a fairly late development and modern steppe riders seldom use them.

Asses (donkeys) were actually domesticated earlier, about 5,000 BCE in Kenya. They spread as work animals.

I joke that the first person to ride a horse was probably also the first person to fall off a horse. The relationship probably needed a fair bit of work.

Modern horses are bred to be the perfect riding animal. (Yes, some breeds are work breeds designed to pull, but most horses are designed to ride).