An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/reiten
reiten, verb, ‘to ride,’ from Middle High German rîten, Old High German rîtan, ‘to move on, set out, drive, ride’; corresponding to Dutch rijden, ‘to ride, drive, skate,’ Anglo-Saxon rîdan, English to ride, Old Icelandic ríða, ‘to ride, travel; swing, hover.’ These words are based on the common Teutonic rîdan, with the general sense of continued motion. This, as well as the fact that in Teutonic there is no verb used exclusively for ‘to ride,’ makes it probable that the art of riding is comparatively recent. Besides, in the allied languages no single term expresses this idea. It is also known that the art among the Greeks appears after the time of Homer, and that it was still unknown to the Indians of the Rig-Veda. It is true that the Teutons are known to us as horsemen from their earliest appearance in history, but the evolution of the word reiten (compare Latin equo vehi) proves that the art is of recent origin. The Teutonic verbal stem rī̆d, for pre-Teutonic rī̆dh, reidh, corresponds to Old Irish ríad, ‘driving, riding’ (ríadaim, ‘I drive’), Old Gallic rêda, ‘waggon’ (compare Greek ἔ-ριθος, ‘messenger, servant’?). The general meaning is seen also in Anglo-Saxon râd, feminine, ‘journey, expedition,’ English road, as well as in the cognates under bereit.