Outram and his colleagues believe the Botai horses were milked during the summer months, and probably ridden at times. The findings confirm that at least some of the horses at Botai were domesticated – providing evidence of the earliest domestication event on record so far.
The researchers think it’s significant that the horses were domesticated well away from the agricultural “Fertile Crescent,” suggesting “the evolution of strategies for exploiting animals for their milk was not contingent on the adoption of the conventional ‘agricultural package,’” they wrote.
Outram and his team studied the bones in the feet of ancient Botai horses — especially characteristics that come from carrying weight — and found they resembled those of domestic horses rather than those of wild horses from the same region.
As the lead photo indicates, several of the skulls of ancient Botai horses also revealed specific grooves and wear patterns on the animals’ teeth indicating that the horses were bridled.
Finally, the researchers found chemical signatures of horse fat in Botai pottery fragments once used to store horse milk and, presumably, to cook horse meat.