Ride, Ride, Ride, Let It Ride: Pathological Lesions in Horse Skeletons Related to Riding.

Abstract

The last 30 years have seen researchers working towards determining the earliest date of domestication for the horse (E. caballus), using osteological and pathological changes to a horse’s skeleton to infer evidence for riding—a key signature of domestication. This article provides an investigation and evaluation of the methods used, testing them on the skeletal remains of 12 horses of unknown provenience and history from Alberta, Canada. These methods include studies on the skull (cranium and mandible), the dentition (teeth), the spine, and the metapodials (lower leg bones). Overall, three of the horses exhibit osteological changes consistent with riding, three have ambiguous results, and the remaining six do not show sufficient changes. The limitations of the methods, the collections, and those of the researcher, are discussed in relation to the findings.