Horseback Riding Helps East Texas Kids with Autism and ADHD

It's been proven that horseback riding helps kids with Autism and ADHD improve strength and dexterity, but the benefits don't stop there. We've got the best horseback riding spots around East Texas so all of us can make the most of it.

If you don't have someone with autism or ADHD in your family, chances are your son or daughter knows someone at school that's challenged by it. One in six kids in East Texas has one of these neurodevelopmental disorders, and physical activity is usually something that helps them.

A new study shows the short- and long-term effects of a program combining horseback riding and cognitive training to boost strength and improve motor skills. The kids in the study took part in programs ranging from eight weeks to one year, and the programs included weekly introductory horseback riding sessions, and time with a speech therapist two to three times per week. After the program, parents and teachers said they noticed a difference in the kids' behavior and academic performance, and better social and communication skills.

I've got a friend that rides horses once a week purely for the love of it. Horses are majestic, interesting, and fun creatures! I used to ride my grandpa's horses growing up on a farm in Nebraska and loved everything about them right down to the snorts and stomps, and the smell of the oat pellets that they crunched after a ride. I felt like the horse understood me, and that was a big deal for a junior high kid dealing with junior high pressures. I would put my forehead on the horse's forehead (or fivehead...it was huge) and we'd have a moment, and I felt like the horse understood that school was tough and life was hard sometimes. All of us could probably use a little more horse therapy no matter what we're going through.

If you ride horses in East Texas, where do you go?

Yelp says these are the 10 Best Horseback Riding Spots around Tyler.

1. Texas Rose Horse Park - 14078 State Hwy 110 N

2. RH Equestrian - 17137 County Road 43

3. Pink Crown Farm - 5781 Fm 2879

4. MMC Ranch - 2892 N Live Oak Rd

5. Krider Confident Horsemanship- 6046 Fm 59

6. Piney Woods Training Center - 7309 Fm 858

7. Dynamite Dames - Springtown

8. A & F Ranch- Off F M Rd 2709

9. Chenco Farm - 1976 Vz County Rd 3507

10. Roselake Ranch - 3632 CR 271