Horses transformed human history, and horse control technologies evolved over centuries, as demonstrated by bone bit-shanks, or cheekpieces, which enabled control before the invention of metal bits. Dating to ca. 2100–1600 BCE, these artifacts overlap with the early period of horse use. This project seeks to refine the chronology of early horse use through radiocarbon dating of 15 cheekpieces and to test whether chariot use preceded horseback riding and how long the transition took.