Tested by experienced riders, the robotic horse produced an accurate simulation of a horse’s movement during different gait patterns – walking, trotting and both a collected and extended canterįunding for the work ran from 2019 to 2021, but like much research, progress was interrupted by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The owner of the stables noted “I could tell that my horse was in a lazy mood when I was riding on the simulator.” Another rider commented that when she briefly closed her eyes, she could forget that she wasn’t sitting on a real horse. Tested by experienced riders, the robotic horse produced an accurate simulation of a horse’s movement during different gait patterns – walking, trotting and both a collected and extended canter. Identical movements were then programmed into the simulator.

Sensors were placed in the back of the saddle and in a backpack worn by the rider. The team recorded and analysed the movements of horses kept for dressage and showjumping competitions at a local livery yard. Meanwhile, marketing experts from the nearby LAB University of Applied Science were recruited to assess the potential demand for a device that could accurately simulate equine motion. The Horzim projectįor the two-year project funded by the national government agency Business Finland, Heikki assembled a multidisciplinary team of mechanical and electrical engineers, experts in both human and equine anatomy, and researchers with other biomedical specialisms such as physiotherapists. He believes the technology has a wide range of potential applications in the equine world, including hippotherapy for children with physical or mental disabilities, helping dressage riders to learn new sequences and in the entertainment industry to allow people to experience the thrill of racing.įrom fairground carousels onwards, attempts to use technology to replicate the actions of a horse are nothing new, but according to equine experts no machine has yet come close to matching the range and subtlety of movements seen in the live animal. Heikki Handroos, professor of mechanical engineering at Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, described the Horzim project at an online meeting of the Saddle Research Trust on 15 December 2021. Photo credit: Heikki Handroos and Lappeenranta-Lahti University

Riding simulator horse