Horses Were Tamed, Milked, and Probably Ridden 5,500 Years Ago

On the steppes of Central Asia, researchers have found evidence of the earliest "horse farm" dating from 5,500 years ago, pushing back the known domestication of horses by 1,000 years. Those first domesticated horses were probably kept primarily for meat and milk, researchers say, but soon enough new uses emerged, and horse riding revolutionized transport, communications, trade, and warfare. Says study coauthor Sandra Olsen: