To progress in horse riding, adopt this perfectly trained robot horse

2023-12-21 06:30:00

Was your horse injured? Don’t panic, RoboCob is taking over! The rural university of Scotland unveiled this robot on December 15 capable of simulating three equestrian disciplines: dressage, show jumping and cross-country, an event consisting of overcoming fixed obstacles on natural terrain. With him, no more manure smells, no more time spent grooming and harnessing your horse, or even falling head first into the sand! The perfectly trained steed can reproduce the piaffe, a sort of trot that the horse performs on the spot in the dressage discipline, and even jumps up to 1m20 high! But you don’t need to be an experienced rider to test the device, it adapts to all levels.

Improve rider performance and safety

RoboCob works with three screens placed in front of it which immerse the user in a real-time situation. Thanks to its sensors, its cameras and the biomechanical jacket worn by the rider, it takes into account each of the rider’s movements and reacts accordingly. “It’s very realistic, but probably a lot more forgiving. It doesn’t move if you don’t have good balance, which helps improve your precision,” explains equestrian studies student Eilidh Simmons, quoted in a press release. “The simulator will improve the performance and safety of riders and will thus contribute to increasing the well-being of horses,” adds Louise Bulmer, program director.

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The only downside, and not the least, is the cost of the mechanical animal. The university estimates it at 100,000 pounds sterling, or a little over 115,000 euros… At this price, you might as well pay for a high-level horse!