This could be the closest to the real thing! The ‘racehorse simulator,’ a fibre-glass replica of man’s tried and tested transporter, takes a jockey through a virtual race and the wide-eyed bystander on a great equine escape.
Made to order by Racewood in Cheshire, United Kingdom, the Hyderabad Race Club (HRC) imported it for Rs. 60 lakh. The first of its kind in the country, the machine does almost everything that the majestic animal it’s modelled on would, except maybe throw a tantrum !
Initially a control console makes the rider the monarch of all he surveys. Pampered with choice, he decides the distance, lane, course, gradient, wind and underfoot conditions. He even opts for the mount, whose traits are known and the kind of opposition he’s up against. Once astride, hardened horsemen also realise it’s no cakewalk.
Sensors located on the bit, reins (left and right), neck, saddle and haunches help the device respond to the rider’s cues, exactly as a horse would. Progressive nudges up the neck or a crack of the whip on the hindquarters pump up the pace, just as it would send a steed speeding.
Even if little can be heard from the horse’s mouth, an LED monitor tracks the goings-on, serving as spokesman shortly after an outing. Barriers between beast and master blur, with a role swap not ruled out.
Bar graph Verdicts on a harsh whip hand may be tough to swallow—too hard, too frequent. A bar graph can be a telling comment on the equestrian’s efforts, a detailed appraisal analysing the display threadbare regarding instructions compliance, timing per furlong, errors, energy of man and animal.
“Focus on the course from between the ears,” Dr. Kaja Veere’ndra urges a trainee from the club’s Apprentice Jockeys Training (AJT) School. “This apparatus gives one a better understanding of racing’s principles,” explains the Principal, who’s also Senior Stipendiary Steward and Handicapper.
“It’s good to develop balance, stamina and patience. Minute errors, even in the best of jockeys, can be corrected,” added Kaja’s deputy and Vice Principal Bajrang Singh Jodha.
