Horseback riding changes human skeletons, especially the hips

Ever been on horseback, feeling the power of the creature below you and the wind in your hair? Of course, it’s a bit hard on the body. But did you ever consider that horseback riding might have the power to change the shape of your skeleton?

It’s a complex topic, but researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder are diving in headfirst. Their new study draws from a rich evidence – from modern medical studies of horse riders to records of human remains spanning millennia.

What they’ve found is that, yes, horseback riding can indeed leave traces on our skeletons, subtly changing the shape of our hip joints. But that doesn’t mean you can point to a skeleton and definitively say, “Ah, a horse rider!”

We sit for long periods, we engage in various physical activities – all of which can also transform our bones.

Impact of horseback riding

This bone-altering revelation comes from Lauren Hosek, an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder, and the lead author of the study.

“In archaeology, there are vanishingly few instances in which we can tie a particular activity unequivocally to skeletal changes,” said Professor Hosek.

So, what relevance does this hold? Well, for one, these findings might have major implications for those studying the origins of domesticated horses.

In addition, the research is casting some serious doubt on an archaeology theory that’s been standing tall for quite a while – the Kurgan hypothesis.

Relationships between humans and horses

According to study co-author William Taylor, curator of archaeology at the CU Museum of Natural History, this research is smack dab in the middle of one of archaeology’s oldest debates.

The earliest undeniable evidence of humans using horses for transport comes from the region around Russia’s Ural Mountains, where scientists have found horses, bridles, and chariots dating back to around 4,000 years ago.

But here comes the Kurgan hypothesis, saying, “Hold your horses!” This theory, originating in the early 20th century, posits that the close relationship between humans and horses started much earlier.

It suggests that around the fourth millennium B.C., the Yamnaya people living near the Black Sea were the first to gallop on horses across Eurasia.

Cultural impacts of horseback riding

A popular belief is that these early horse riders may have spread early versions of languages that eventually evolved into English, French, and other languages.

“For decades, there’s been this idea that the distribution of Indo-European languages is, in some way, related to the domestication of the horse,” said Taylor.

It has also been suggested that human remains from the Yamnaya culture, dating back to about 3500 B.C., show evidence of wear and tear from horse riding – which supports the Kurgan hypothesis.

But Hosek and Taylor are here to reign in the speculation. They argue that it’s not so straightforward.

Complexity of skeletal changes

Professor Hosek has spent countless hours scrutinizing human bones to glean lessons about the past. She explains that the skeleton isn’t fixed in place, but can change shape throughout an individual’s lifetime.

Think about it: you pull a muscle, and where that muscle attaches to the bone, a reaction can occur, making the bone more porous or forming raised ridges. But interpreting these clues is a murky business at best.

For instance, let’s talk about the hip joint. When you flex your legs at the hip for long periods – like during an extended horse ride – the hip joint’s ball and socket may rub together along one edge.

Over time, this rubbing can cause the hip bone’s socket to become more oval. But numerous other activities can result in the same elongation.

Alternatives to horseback riding

As it happens, humans used cattle, donkeys, and even wild asses for transport in certain areas of western Asia centuries before horse taming began.

These ancient people likely attached these animals to carts or even smaller two-wheeled vehicles much like a chariot.

“This repetitive, intense pressure from that kind of jostling in a flexed position could cause skeletal changes,” said Professor Hosek. She has seen similar changes in the skeletons of 20th-century Catholic nuns, who despite never riding horses, took long carriage rides across the American West.

Limitations of current evidence

In the end, Hosek and Taylor believe that human remains alone can’t provide an exact date for when people started horseback riding – not with the current scientific tools anyway.

“Human skeletons alone are not going to be enough evidence,” said Hosek. “We need to couple that data with evidence coming out of genetics and archaeology and by looking at horse remains, too.”

As for the Kurgan hypothesis, Taylor claims that from their research, “none of these lines of evidence suggest that the Yamnaya people had domestic horses.”

So, next time you go for a horse ride, remember: you’re participating in an activity that’s been shaping human history – and our very bones – for millennia. And who knows what scholars will uncover next in this fascinating field?

The study is published in the journal Science Advances.

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