Pants worn by horse riders 3,000 years ago

[Still Waters]

Two men whose remains were recently excavated from tombs in western China put their pants on one leg at a time, just like the rest of us. But these nomadic herders did so between 3,300 and 3,000 years ago, making their trousers the oldest known examples of this innovative apparel, a new study finds.

https://www.sciencen...-3000-years-ago

[scorpiosonic]

Without (the proper) trousers, alot of riding will burn the skin right off your ****.

Amazing the trousers have survived at all, and look to be in fairly good condition.

Edited June 1, 2014 by scorpiosonic

[PersonFromPorlock]

Horse riding’s origins are uncertain and could date to at least 4,000 years ago, comments archaeologist Margarita Gleba of University College London.

Considering that American Plains Indians (stone-age culture, at the time) became accomplished horsemen almost as soon as horses became available to them, there doesn't seem to be any reason to suppose that horse riding in Eurasia couldn't have started any time after stone-age people there discovered horses were useful as well as tasty.

[freetoroam]

Between 3,300 and 3,000 years old and now you would be lucky if the tat from China lasts 3 weeks...how times have changed.

[Peter B]

Considering that American Plains Indians (stone-age culture, at the time) became accomplished horsemen almost as soon as horses became available to them, there doesn't seem to be any reason to suppose that horse riding in Eurasia couldn't have started any time after stone-age people there discovered horses were useful as well as tasty.

A couple of issues come to mind, though. Firstly, the Plains Indians would have known, either by hearsay or direct observation, that horses can be ridden; by contrast the Eurasians would have first had to come up with the idea out of nothing ("You want me to put my backside where?"). Secondly, the horses available to the Eurasians would have been a lot smaller than those domesticated by the Plains Indians, which would have made riding trickier ("Why would I want to sit on this animal when it can barely support my weight, and anyway my feet are dragging on the ground?")

I suspect the earliest use of horses would have been with pulling wagons and then chariots rather than riding, which would necessitate coming up with all the bits and pieces which go with attaching the animal to the wagon.

However I admit I'm not an expert in the field, so I'm happy to be corrected.

[PersonFromPorlock]

Very good points, Peter B. On the other hand, Eurasians had a long time to discover riding, and while "You want me to put my backside where?" is very believable, so is "Hold muh beer and watch this!" And early Eurasians may have been smaller than later people.

[Peter B]

"Hold muh beer and watch this!"

Yep. Very true.

[ReddHeadsRantings]

In 81 my dad showed me a pix of a very uncomfortable "saddle" it was from asia-china i think-very old designs simular to terra cotta worriors-but it was a saddle pad with (excuse this but its the only common thing i can think of most would know) with one half of a playtex tampon -fat end- where horns are now - a strip of leather with metal rings on each end. One horn-the other for the big toes ONLY (how misrable) .

The bridles were pretty smart - middle of a long rope at the pol (behind ears) each side through mouth & back over pol- down to mouth - knotted over the tongue - then over nose (like todays nosebands) tied off then tied at ends and thrown over head just like modern reins

At that time...it was suppose to have been the oldest know saddle.

I dont know-just repeting what daddy told & showed me.

[ReddHeadsRantings]

I think the "cinch/garth" was a long leather again each end with a ring - one side might have had several rings-it was off the horn in a figuer 8 over the saddle pad & horse back up to the horn-or may have been on the "next gen" saddles

[ReddHeadsRantings]

I would think the oldest known uses for horses would be as follows

Dinner

Hair as thread

Skin blankets/clothes

Bladders for water bags

Traveses / packanimal

But who knows

[SaraT]

Then how do they explain Lady Godiva?

[+Hammerclaw]

Horses were first domesticate on the Eurasian Steppe, the only place where horses survived in large numbers after the last Ice Age. They were ridden before they were harnessed to chariots or wagons, as riding horses requires little technical innovation. http://discovermagazine.com/2002/mar/featride

[toyomotor]

Horses were first domesticate on the Eurasian Steppe, the only place where horses survived in large numbers after the last Ice Age. They were ridden before they were harnessed to chariots or wagons, as riding horses requires little technical innovation. http://discovermagaz...02/mar/featride

Peter B wrote: ("Why would I want to sit on this animal when it can barely support my weight, and anyway my feet are dragging on the ground?")

The fact is that the Steppe Ponies were smaller than what we see in Europe etc today. But then so were the Steppe people who rode them.

One of the most notable groups were the Mongols, whose average height was only slightly over 5feet tall, so the ponies suited them.