While some people argue that intelligence is a genetic trait, others firmly believe that intelligence is something that can be learned, picked up, or developed over time through one’s environment. Some of the things are intuitive–habits we’ve learned to embrace and incorporate in our daily routines already, like listening to music, reading, problem solving, and eating certain foods. Some, however, are slightly less common or easy to see.
In a recent study published in Frontiers in Public Health, horseback riding was found to be an activity that led to increasing intelligence in children. Mistuaki Ohta, a professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture, explained that the study was inspired by the group’s desire to look into these effects since “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 horseback riding on children and the mechanisms underlying how riding affects humans.”
The behavioral exam was administered by way of a cognitive response assessment that tested children’s ability to respond in a certain situation, either by performing an action or simply demonstrating self-control. In addition, researchers asked the children to complete simple arithmetic problems–by children who had received a proper background in mathematics–as another testing mechanism.
And, for some reason, the studies showed that horseback riding greatly enhanced the children’s capabilities to finish such tasks, despite the rather uncanny correlation.
“One important characteristic of the horse steps is that they produce three-dimensional accelerations,” Ohta explained in an effort to demystify the increased response levels. “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.”
Thus, likely or not, it appears that the vibrations from the particular motion of horseback riding may actually activate regions of the sympathetic nervous system otherwise not seen–ultimately resulting in improved cognitive responses and assessments.
So, if you’re looking for smarter kids, and have the ability to give them some horseback riding lessons, it might be worth a shot. Your kids may thank you for it later.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.