Here's what we know:
* Early evidence: Archaeological evidence suggests that horses were domesticated in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region (modern-day Ukraine and Russia) around 4000 BCE.
* Early riding: The earliest known depictions of people riding horses are from the Botai culture in Kazakhstan, dating back to 3500 BCE.
* Spread of riding: Riding horses spread throughout Eurasia, and eventually to other parts of the world.
The bottom line is: We don't know the exact first person to ride a horse. However, the evidence suggests it happened sometime between 4000 and 3500 BCE in the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region.