Does Horse Riding Make You Smarter?

Sitting on the saddle activates the part of the brain responsible for learning, a study has claimed.

13:37 06 March 2017

Japanese researchers have found that horse riding can have the same effect as hiring a private tutor to boost your child’s studies. They said that sitting on the saddle produces vibrations that trigger the sympathetic nervous system, the part of the brain responsible for learning, memory and problem solving, something that might help analysing horses when looking at new customers offers to evaluate form

 

Researchers from Tokyo University of Agriculture have examined the effects of horseback riding on the performance of children who were asked to complete simple response and mathematical tests before and after taking part in the activity. Researchers found that horseback riding greatly improved the children’s ability to perform behavioural tasks.

 

Study author Professor Mitsuaki Ohta said: 'One important characteristic of the horse steps is that they produce three-dimensional accelerations.

 

'The movement of the horse's pelvis may provide motor and sensory inputs to the human body and in this study.

 

'I believe some of the differences among the rider's performances might be due to these accelerations.'