<P> Horses are also driven in harness racing, at horse shows and in other types of exhibition, historical reenactment or ceremony, often pulling carriages . In some parts of the world, they are still used for practical purposes such as farming . </P> <P> Horses continue to be used in public service: in traditional ceremonies (parades, funerals), police and volunteer mounted patrols and for mounted search and rescue . </P> <P> Riding halls enable the training of horse and rider in all weathers as well as indoor competition riding . </P> <P> Though there is controversy over the exact date horses were domesticated and when they were first ridden, the best estimate is that horses first were ridden approximately 3500 BC . Indirect evidence suggests that horses were ridden long before they were driven . There is some evidence that about 3,000 BC, near the Dnieper River and the Don River, people were using bits on horses, as a stallion that was buried there shows teeth wear consistent with using a bit . However, the most unequivocal early archaeological evidence of equines put to working use was of horses being driven . Chariot burials about 2500 BC present the most direct hard evidence of horses used as working animals . In ancient times chariot warfare was followed by the use of war horses as light and heavy cavalry . The horse played an important role throughout human history all over the world, both in warfare and in peaceful pursuits such as transportation, trade and agriculture . Horses lived in North America, but died out at the end of the Ice Age . Horses were brought back to North America by European explorers, beginning with the second voyage of Columbus in 1493 . </P>

Where is horseback riding most popular in the world