Giddy-up, Horsebot

Those crazy Brits—always thinking up wacky new ways to amuse themselves. First there was “sploshing.” Then came Sienna Miller. Now there’s the robot horse. Just like a real horse, this one, made by a company called Racewood with Equitech software, responds to cues from the legs, seat and hands, and its back and neck move in a way that simulates what it feels like to ride at a walk, trot and canter. It looks like a mechanical bull, challenges the rider’s fitness like a cardio machine, and hooks up to a monitor videogame style, with a display of a dressage arena that tells you whether you’re making accurately shaped circles. “You can practice dressage tests endlessly without tiring your horse,” says a representative of the British Horse Society. Gee, what fun: a robot for OCD equestrians. Maybe these guys should team up with the engineers who made Big Dog to create a robosteed that actually travels over the ground. Me, I’m holding out for the one that tries to buck you off and shies at random shadows. —Megan Miller