How horse riding can benefit children’s development

Have your kids been looking for a new sport or hobby? Katie Allen-Clarke from Horse & Country reveals how horse riding can not only benefit your child’s physical health but also aid their learning and development.  

It’s important for everyone to have hobbies and sports that they’re passionate about, but even more so for children, as they are still developing their interpersonal skills and physical abilities. One sport that has shown great promise in these areas is horse riding, which many families have found to benefit both their mental and physical health.

While children and young people are often fascinated by horses, for parents, the thought of introducing them to an outdoor pursuit with a large animal can sometimes be a scary prospect. However, when familiarised safely, horses can in fact make wonderful companions and have a profoundly positive impact on children. Below, I share just four of the ways your child could benefit from getting into the saddle. 

4 Benefits of horse riding for children

Staying physically active

Firstly, riding a horse is a great way for your child to get plenty of exercise throughout the week. There is often the misconception that riding isn’t as physically demanding as other sports, but in actual fact, staying upright in the saddle and controlling the horse works major muscle groups across the whole body and can be a good source of cardiovascular movement. 

For instance, core strength is needed to maintain proper balance in the saddle, while the legs put in hard work via the stirrups to steer the horse and ask them to change speed or gait (to a trot or canter, for example). Combine this with time spent in the sunshine and fresh air (away from screens such as the TV or video games) and scheduling weekly riding lessons can be an excellent source of physical activity for your child. And, as we know now more than ever before, getting enough exercise is instrumental to their mental health too. 

Boosting their confidence

One of the key skills to learn during childhood is how to overcome our fears and get out of our comfort zone, and riding horses is a great way to do both of these things. As they are large, strong animals by nature, children should always be introduced to horses in a controlled environment with trained professionals, so that they never feel overwhelmed or that their safety is at risk. Once they are within this safe environment, they can then feel more confident in approaching their horse, learning to ride, and getting to grips with this unfamiliar yet exciting experience. A great way to make sure you’re investing in insured lessons with qualified instructors is to check out the range of riding centres approved by the British Horse Society.

There is nothing more rewarding than the feeling of accomplishing something new, and as any parent knows, witnessing your child get excited about their achievements is a wonderful thing. However, during this process, they will also experience failure or setbacks such as difficult new skills or even falling off the saddle. Remember that these setbacks are equally as valuable as their successful moments, as they can teach your child how to build emotional resilience and understand valuable attributes such as perseverance and practice. 

Learning about responsibility 

Taking care of a horse is a great lesson in responsibility: as well as keeping them fed and watered, they also require grooming and mucking out, and their tack needs regular cleaning. Responsibility is something that is best learnt in practice, so make sure your child gets as involved as possible with caring for the horses before and after their riding lessons. 

This can teach them how to look after others (both animals and humans), which is instrumental not just for learning about hard work but also for developing their sense of empathy and compassion. Most riding schools encourage the children to get involved with this stage of horse care (within safety and limits, of course), as it is a major part of the horse-owning experience. 

Developing social skills

Horses are very tuned into the emotional and verbal cues provided by the people looking after them, which means they can offer children a great source of non-verbal connection. This can be incredibly valuable if your child often struggles with communication. However, as well as the therapeutic effect of the horses themselves, the social aspect of riding lessons also means your child has the opportunity to develop their interpersonal skills if they wish, and perhaps even form lasting friendships with fellow riders. 

Despite therapeutic riding already having anecdotal success for many individuals and organisations over recent years, an academic study conducted in 2015 shone a much-needed light on how horse riding could positively impact children on the autism spectrum (SPARK). The study found that children and teens who rode horses showed improvements in everything from speech and social skills to hyperactivity and irritability, compared with similar youths who didn’t ride (PubMed). This was particularly significant in the field because there are few evidence-based treatments for autism that parents, teachers, or guardians can turn to. 

In fact, recently, horse therapy has also been recommended for adults struggling with issues such as PTSD. This is based on their widely recognised calm disposition and the need to stay present and focused while riding and taking care of the horses, which can encourage more mindfulness and foster a sense of purpose or discipline during therapy sessions. 

If your child has shown an interest in horses, these expert insights should enlighten you about the many physical and mental benefits riding can have on young people. For more top tips and advice like this, be sure to check out the health section here on The Parenting Daily blog.