When did humans first start riding horses?

Scientists say the earliest relatives of the modern day horse can from North America

Have you ever wondered when human first started riding horses?

Well, news research suggests scientists think domesticated horses - horse that work with humans - first started spreading around the world around 4,200 years ago.

There was something different about this particular type of horse.

Its back was a different shape to other horses, making it easier to ride.

Researchers say this type of horse quickly replaces other types around the world, starting in Eurasia (Europe and Asia).

Have you ever ridden a horse, maybe its even one of your hobbies? Let us know in the comments below.

Archaeologists involved in the study say some of the earliest relatives of the modern-day horse can be found from North America.

They studied DNA from ancient samples from archaeological sites dating back as far as 50,000 years ago.

It shows there were lots of different types, or lineages, of horses.

But one in particular lineage quickly spread across Eurasia and replaced other lineages within three hundred years.

Researchers think this happened because horses were domesticated (trained to live and work with humans) by the Sintashta, a group of people who existed in the Bronze Age.

They add it wouldn't have been just one single event like this to domesticate the horses though, it would've been a process spanning years.

This was hugely important for the human race, allowing our ancestors to speed up communication and trade networks.