Comments by "TheEvertw" (@TheEvertw) on "The First Horse Riders | Horse Domestication on the Eurasian Steppe" video.

  1. Your video's are always food for thought! Thanks!
    2
  2. The lack of bit-wear does not indicated those horses were not ridden. It is well possible to ride horses without a bit. The development of a bit will have come AFTER the development of riding. Also, the development of mounted warfare will have come AFTER riding in general, either for sport or for transportation, as it requires a higher degree of control than those other modes of riding. I find the argument that old horses are too small for warfare unconvincing. The size of the horses was determined by selective breeding, so there must have been a motive to breed larger horses. Ease of riding might have been that motive, but only if people were riding them already. No-one will breed tens of generations of horses for size because great-grandpa thought they could be ridden when large enough.
    1
  3. In general, correlation does not equal causation. Technology like the bit and stirrups is a great enabler for mounted warfare, but such technology does not suddenly come to be. Technological development always come AFTER a NEED for said technology is felt. And it may take a long time before people discover they have a need. So, the bit will have only been developed after people felt the need to better control horses in chaotic situations, i.e. after they started charging at either prey or enemies.
    1