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New Therapy Tool Hits the Ground Running: Saanichton's Horse-Riding Simulator
- On May 22, 2025, six-year-old Casey, who has cerebellar ataxia, became the first to try the MiraColt horse-riding simulator during an event held at the therapeutic riding center in Saanichton.
- The simulator was created through a 15-year collaboration between VTRA and the engineering team at the University of Victoria to increase opportunities for therapeutic riding despite limitations in horses, staff, and program availability.
- MiraColt combines a motion simulator with CanAssist's app-based software to replicate a horse's walking gait and synchronize video trails, offering physical and mental therapy benefits to riders unable to access live horses.
- Executive Director Liza Gagel explained that the device simulates a horse’s motion at a walking pace, which is considered the most effective gait for therapeutic benefits, while Casey’s mother highlighted how it supports improved balance and reflexes.
- The simulator allows muscle warm-up, strength improvement, and behavioral support, with community donors funding it and the association serving about 300 participants annually, suggesting broader future program reach.
4 Articles
4 Articles
Innovative horse simulator helps riders with disabilities get in the saddle – Energeticcity.ca
VICTORIA — “Do you want to go faster?” Jayne Imeson already knew the answer she was going to get from her six-year-old son, Casey, sitting astride his new steed in a park in Central Saanich, B.C. He nodded with a smile. “Always faster — this kid loves his speed,” Imeson said. Casey’s usual ride is a Fjord horse named Valla, but on Thursday, he became the first official user of the MiraColt horse-riding motion simulator developed for the Victoria…
Innovative horse simulator helps riders with disabilities get in the saddle
VICTORIA — “Do you want to go faster?” Jayne Imeson already knew the answer she was going to get from her six-year-old son, Casey, sitting astride his new steed in a park in Central Saanich, B.C. He nodded with a smile. “Always faster — this kid loves his speed,” Imeson said. Casey’s usual ride is a Fjord horse named Valla, but on Thursday, he became the first official user of the MiraColt horse-riding motion simulator developed for the Victoria…
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