Is Horseback Riding Good For ADHD?

Horseback riding is good for so many things – it is calming, helps with health and fitness, and it can be really fun! But, is horseback riding good for ADHD?

Let’s have a look into the various reasons why horse riding can really benefit people, whether neurodiverse or not.

Is Horseback Riding Good For ADHD?

Horse riding is an incredible thing for so many reasons, and yes, it is very good for ADHD too.

Whether it is a dedicated equine therapy center, or plodding around a field on a friend’s pony, horse riding is very effective for managing ADHD.

Horses, unlike predatory animals, are incapable of hiding their feelings. So if someone approaches them in an aggressive way, they are likely to react in a negative way.

If a horse is approached calmly and quietly, they are far more likely to respond in a calm, gentle manner, which can be good for helping people to manage their emotions.

Let’s face it, we all want animals to like us, right? So, learning to interact with an animal in a way that makes them react calmly is going to be beneficial.

Horse riding also needs a great deal of focus and organization, which can help people whose minds are a little scattered, to focus.

Horse riding is often approached with a lot of non-verbal cues, which can really help people who are not used to using their words to make themselves heard.

Even the rhythmic stride of the horse, in walk, trot or canter, can be very relaxing and can help focus the mind.

This informative article will tell you how, and why, horse riding is good for people with ADHD.

Is Horse Riding Good For Mental Health?

In a word, yes. Horse riding is good for a lot of things, both physical and mental, and with so much focus on mental health these days, we should pretty much all be riding!

The British Horse Society has published the results of a research study which shows that horse riding is incredibly good for us.

It can stimulate a good deal of positive psychological feelings, and can reduce depression by up to 30%!

Simply being around horses is good for us – their hearts beat at a frequency that helps to slow our own heart rates, and can help regulate blood pressure.

Horses are also great at helping to remove stressful feelings, and people often report feeling calmer just by being around them.

Why Are People With ADHD So Athletic?

OK, this is a bit of a generalization – not everyone with ADHD is athletic! However, the need to physically move one’s body and difficulty sitting still can be a characteristic of this condition.

A great way to channel the excess energy is by putting it into some sort of sport, which is why many people with ADHD are considered athletic.

Moving our bodies and getting good exercise is well documented as being good for us, isn’t it?

If someone finds it hard to be still, one of the best things to do is to get into a sport – whether it’s tennis, jujitsu, or horse riding.

Anyone with ADHD will tell you that getting the body moving can help to still the mind… So is it surprising that people with an ADHD diagnosis get into sports and physical activities?

Horse riding for people with ADHD is more than just the physical effects on the body – the horses have a calming aura that can also help to calm the mind.

Is Horseback Riding Hard On Your Body?

Well, like any form of exercise, horseback riding can be hard on your body – especially if you are new to it and using parts of your body you didn’t even know existed!

Horse riding can burn up to 400 calories an hour, which is great news if you are looking to lose weight and get healthier.

However, it can also be really hard on your muscles and joints – and that’s without even thinking about the risk of injury from falling off.

Riding horses can build up your muscle tone without bulking you up and making you look like a body builder, which is another bonus.

Even riding a horse at a walk can help to stimulate the internal organs and will help liver function and digestion.

All these benefits aside, horse riding can be hard work, especially if you haven’t done it for a while or ever.

The legs, the stomach and the shoulder muscles will very likely protest the day after you have had a good ride.

The plus side is that these aches and pains will subside the more often you go riding, as your body and muscles get used to the unfamiliar exercise.

This little video will show you exactly which parts of your body are used mostly while horse riding:

Can Horseback Riding Help With Anxiety?

If you are struggling with anxiety, horseback riding can be the pharmaceutical-free remedy that you have been looking for – let’s find out why.

• Being around horses, even without riding, can reduce stress and help you to feel more calm.
• Having someone else to look after, whether human or otherwise, can really help to take you mind off your own struggles.
• It can often be hard to get out of bed or think about anything other than anxiety – having to get up for a date with a horse can give you something to work towards.
• Horses are very cue-driven, and they can pick up our moods without even trying. A horse will pick up signs of fear from you and react, forcing you to calm your mind in order to connect with them.

Being around horses, whether or not you are actually riding them, can help enormously with the signs and symptoms of anxiety.

If you, or your children, or friend or family member has ADHD and are looking for a very beneficial sport, horseback riding should be right at the top of the list!

Horses are known to have a very calming influence on people, and as such they can really help people who suffer with ADHD. Give it a try, you may well be surprised.