NOVA’s First Horse Warriors Explores the Early Relationship Between Humans and Horses

The human species wouldn’t be what it is today without the horse. While selective breeding of horses by humans has created the breeds we know and use today, horses helped change the populations of early human civilizations, too. The effects are still seen today. That is why NOVA is premiering an episode titled First Horse Warriors.

That’s one of the findings in an episode of NOVA titled First Horse Warriors. The episode premieres on Wednesday, May 15, 2019 at 9:00 p.m. on most PBS stations. Consult broadcast listings for your local information.

In this episode, NOVA visits Kazakhstan where it is believed horses were first domesticated thousands of years ago. Today, the area is still home to nomadic herders and populations of wild horses.

Through a study of archaeology and genetics, researchers offer findings about the very first humans to use horses, and how horseback warriors who swept through Europe generations ago left a mark on the population as it exists today.

Earlier this year, the PBS series Nature aired a two-part documentary titled Equus: Story of the Horse, which examined different types of horses and their interactions with humans in historical and modern-day communities.

For more information, check out NOVA.