Want a smart child? Well forget private tutors because new research suggests that horse riding may help improve memory, learning and problem solving in youngsters.

Scientists from the Toyko University of Agriculture have found that the vibrations produced by horses while being ridden activates the part of the brain known as the sympathetic nervous system.

This means that while on the saddle, your child’s cognitive ability could be greatly improved.

Researchers examined the effects of horseback riding by asking children to complete simple response and mathematical tests before and after taking part in the activity.

The study, published in Frontiers in Public Health, found that riding horses greatly improved the ability of children to perform behavioural tasks.

But, the results were less significant when solving mathematical problems.

Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Show all 13 1 /13 Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Wild horses on the Mexican-US border An inmate training a wild horse as part of the Wild Horse Florence State prison programme in Florence, Arizona Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border The view shows Wah Wah Valley in Milford, Utah Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border The trap corral is seen in the Wah Wah Valley where wild horses were herded during a Land Management round-up outside Milford, Utah Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Making a break for it: Mustangs are herded into corrals by a helicopter during a BLM round-up outside Milford, in Utah Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Time out: Border Patrol horses Hollywood (left) and Apache roll around the dirt at their patrol station in Boulevard, California Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Program manager Randy Helm looks over the names of horses being trained as part of the the Wild Horse Inmate Program (WHIP) at Florence State Prison in Florence, Arizona Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border A wild mustang named Boss chews on the latch of a government transport trailer before going out with Border Patrol agents on patrol along the Mexico border near San Diego, California Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border People in Mexico wave at Border Patrol agents on horseback patrolling the US-Mexico border fence near San Diego, California Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Inmates tending horses as part of the Inmate Program (WHIP) at Florence State Prison in Florence, Arizona Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Border Patrol agents on horseback head out on patrol along the border fence near Jacumba, California, U.S Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Pictures of horses hang on a wall at the border patrol station in Boulevard, California Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Border Patrol agents from Boulevard Station look out over a ridge after sunset near Jacumba, California Reuters Wild horses on the Mexican-US border Border Patrol supervisor Bobby Stine frisks a man a few hundred metres from the Mexico border fence near Jacumba, California Reuters

According to the experts, these results mean that horse riding could actually improve cognitive ability leading to better memory, learning and problem solving.

Study author Professor Mitsuaki Ohta said, “One important characteristic of the horse steps is that they produce three-dimensional accelerations.

“The movement of the horse's pelvis may provide motor and sensory inputs to the human body and in this study.