BEFORE coming to Heartshore Stables, near Minchinhampton, five-year-old Dylan Underhill, who has autism, never smiled.

But now he can be heard laughing with joy as he rides accompanied on horseback, shouting 'ready, steady, go'.

Dylan’s parents heard that the stables was using an unusual technique called the horse boy method, which involves getting children with autism to ride horses. The family live in London but use the centre on a regular basis.

"It was incredible seeing him ride for the first time," said Dylan’s mum Natasha.

"He was apprehensive at first, but now we have difficulty in getting him off the horse.

"It is amazing to see him so happy and smiling, something that he never did before.

"He loves to lean down over the horse’s neck to see its feet moving."

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person communicates with and relates to other people.

It also affects how they make sense of the world around them.

According to the horse boy method, the rhythm of the horse has a special and profound effect on the inside of a person and is hugely beneficial to those with neurological disorders. It is so named because its founder Rupert Isaacson experimented with the method to communicate with his autistic son.

The method also says the rocking motion of the pelvis and spine opens up the learning receptors in the brain and stimulates the further production of the hormone oxytocin, which decreases levels of stress and anxiety, improves memory and attention span.

The hormone is said to give greater confidence, self-esteem and improved social contact and awareness to the children with autism as they ride.

Heartshore Stables at in Crackstone near Minchinhampton was founded in 2003 by Dawn Oakley-Smith to create a place to facilitate the learning and development of both people and horses, fostering healthy relationships between the two.

Dawn invites families to come and camp on her land and use her horses, which have been specifically prepared to work with autistic children.

For more information visit www.heartshore-horses.com/Home