Toddler Riding Lessons Columbia for ages 2.5 - 6 year olds

Benefits of Horseback riding for your child

Everyone sees horse riding as a fun outdoor sport, but it offers so much more intrinsic benefits for children as well:

If we look at it from the physical development side, horseback riding improves  your child's balance and motor coordination. Also hand-eye coordination, core strength and muscular development are benefits from riding horses. 

Horseback riding has been shown to improve cognitive abilities in some children. An improvement in brain-based skills in some cases may lead to enhanced learning, memory and problem solving. Worldwide studies show how taking part in an Equestrian sport can effect the improvement of children's learning abilities. The movement of the horses during riding may improve learning in children by activating the sympathetic nervous system.  

As children progress in their riding skills, they develop self-confidence and self-assurance.

Horseback riding offers children a great workout for both the mind and body and physically boosting the cardiovascular system. Children need healthy and relaxing down time in our today's society where they are exposed to so much external stimuli.    

Equally important to your child's physical benefits are the therapeutic and psychological benefits that horse riding offers. 

As a sport horseback riding helps in creating a disciplined child, because it teaches a lot of self-discipline and can increase your child's patience level as well as help define their focus and control. 

There is an emotional benefit too, because one of the first things that a rider (child) learns, is to act confidently in the face of fear and uncertainty. This is because if the rider appears scared of something, the horse senses this and will feel the fear as well. Horses are very sensitive to the emotions of their riders and will often mirror those emotions. 

Riding is also a brilliant way to bring shy children out of their shell. Children who are by nature timid, often open up to a pony. Think about it..... horses and ponies never judge or bully , instead they can seem especially in tune with a rider's troubles. 

Riding horses can have educational benefits too for your young child. They are encouraged to count the ears and legs of a pony, the pony's hoof-beats and their place in the ride. 

You see a lot of life skills are learned through horseback riding.