战马是人类用于战斗的马。人类使用马匹战斗已有超过5000年的历史。骑马作战的最早证据可追溯至公元前4000年至前3000年的欧亚大陆。到了前1600年，经改进的马具及两轮无篷马车设计使得两轮无篷马车在古代近东地区常用于战事中。关于战马训练指南的最早文献可追溯至一份在约前1350年写成的训练两轮无篷马车马匹的指南。当骑兵取代战车后，新的训练方法也出现。

在21世纪仍有人使用马匹战斗，例如在达尔富尔冲突中袭撃平民的金戈威德武装分子。印度陆军现在仍有一个骑兵团。

The first use of horses in warfare occurred over 5,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of horses ridden in warfare dates from Eurasia between 4000 and 3000 BC. A Sumerian illustration of warfare from 2500 BC depicts some type of equine pulling wagons. By 1600 BC, improved harness and chariot designs made chariot warfare common throughout the Ancient Near East, and the earliest written training manual for war horses was a guide for training chariot horses written about 1350 BC. As formal cavalry tactics replaced the chariot, so did new training methods, and by 360 BC, the Greek cavalry officer Xenophon had written an extensive treatise on horsemanship. The effectiveness of horses in battle was also revolutionized by improvements in technology, including the invention of the saddle, the stirrup, and later, the horse collar.