What Kids Learn from Horses

When people think of teachers they rarely think of horses when, in fact, horses are first-rate educators who can teach young children and teens a variety of useful skills that promote lifelong learning, success, and fulfillment. In 2017, a study conducted by the Tokyo University of Agriculture reported that children had positive physical and mental effects from horseback riding. The report stated that “the act of horse-riding could improve cognitive abilities in children. These are brain-based skills of which an improvement can lead to enhanced learning, memory, and problem-solving.” Many studies of children involved in horse programs show that they generally get better grades because riding increases their ability to focus and ignore distractions. This directly translates to learning, studying, and concentrating on a task. By interacting with horses, children can learn and subsequently apply these important skills to a variety of situations throughout their lives. Although Chris Brown’s son started riding a pony at 6 years old, he didn’t show much interest in horses. He rarely rode until his late teen years when he appeared to have an amazing “natural” ability to train horses. When Chris started receiving cancer treatments, his son took over, riding the horses on their ranch. Chris thinks his son’s riding helped him develop responsibility, independence, and confidence. His son is now in his 20’s and manages a cattle and horse ranch in Nevada of over one thousand acres. Horses teach kids perseverance and courage. One of the first lessons youths learn when working with horses is the importance of safety for themselves, horses, and others. This is critical because horses typically outweigh young riders by a factor of ten. Being conscious of safety procedures around horses teaches youths awareness of their actions and reactions, horses’ behaviors, consideration of others, and awareness of the […]

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