Pony mad? Your little horse lover may actually be more intelligent

Do you have a pony-mad son or daughter at home?

If so, there's good news... It turns out that all those mucky boots, weekends spent at stables, and financial investments in riding lessons could mean that your pony-mad child is more intelligent. Professor Mitsuaki Ohta, of Tokyo University's agriculture department, recently published research showing that the effects of vibrations produced by horses during horse riding lead to the activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which improves learning in children. Ohta and his team examined the effects of riding on the performance of children by having them complete simple tests, while measuring their heart rate in response to their horse's movements. The youngsters' behavioural reactions were tested using a 'go/no-go' test, which assesses brain responses and self-control using fast computerised questions. They were also asked to do so basic maths problems to test their cognitive performance. Professor Ohta says there has not been much research into this area to date:

"We wanted to look into these effects because previous studies have demonstrated the benefits of horseback riding with respect to enhancing physical health and the mental effects, but few studies have addressed the effects of horse riding on children and the mechanisms underlying how riding affects humans."

The findings, published in Frontiers in Public Health, mean that horse riding may improve children's cognitive abilities leading to improved learning, memory and problem-solving:

"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."

Although this research looked specifically at child-equine interactions, Ohta says the findings could apply to wider human-animal interactions:

"There are many possible effects of human-animal interactions on child development. For instance, the ability to make considered decisions or come to sensible conclusions, which we described in this study, and the ability to appreciate and respond to complex emotional influences and non-verbal communication, which requires further research to be understood."