Study: Riding a Horse More Complex Than Riding Simulators

Researchers found that the simulator is less demanding and less complex, but can be stressful for riders.
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One doesn’t necessarily need a horse to practice their riding skills: Riding simulators to train the riders are becoming more readily available. And recently, scientists of the Vetmeduni Vienna in Austria investigated possible differences between riding a horse and training with a simulator. They determined that the simulator is less demanding and less complex than the horse, although simulator training can be initially stressful for riders.

Flight simulators are used frequently and successfully to train pilots, but do riding simulators have the same effects? The first equestrian simulator was used at the French National Equestrian School in Saumur in the 1980s, but riding simulators for dressage, show jumping, polo, and racing have become available recently. These simulators look like horses and respond to the aids of the rider via sensors which measure the force exerted by the reins and the rider’s legs. On a screen in front of the simulator, the rider immerses himself into a virtual equestrian world.

Riders and jockeys use simulators to repeat movement sequences, improve their position in the saddle, or simulate the finish of a race, but some also train on these machines to avoid injuries when falling off a horse, and jockeys often use riding simulators to regain their physical fitness after injuries.

“A riding simulator always responds in the same way and, thus, allows standardized training programs” said lead researcher Natascha Ille, MagMedVet, from the Vetmeduni Vienna

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