Police Horse Simulator Used Since 2016 to Reduce Risk of Animal Injuries
Depok — The Directorate of Animal Police (Ditpolsatwa) of the Indonesian National Police possesses four horse simulator units used as training facilities for mounted police personnel at the Ditpolsatwa headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java.
The facility has been in operation since 2016 to support the training process and reduce the risk of accidents when riding actual horses.
Deputy Director of Horsemanship at Ditpolsatwa, Senior Commissioner Gatot Aris, stated that the simulator serves as an initial stage in personnel training before they practise with real horses.
According to Gatot, the acquisition of horse simulators is part of providing training facilities and infrastructure for police officers tasked with managing horses. Therefore, simulator use is a mandatory stage before personnel train with actual animals.
“We have specific times where we use the simulator as a warm-up, then we move on to the actual animal,” Gatot explained.
“We teach through the simulator with specific equipment, for example jumping equipment,” he added.
In addition to personnel training, the horse simulator facility can also be tried by members of the general public. However, visitors must first submit a request letter and determine a visit schedule.
The horse simulation room is located in the Transfer Knowledge Centre Animal Police building, which also includes a museum. At this venue, the public can learn more about the role of the K-9 tracking dog unit and mounted units in supporting police operations.
Previously, a video regarding the police’s horse simulator circulated widely on social media, showing male and female police officers testing the equipment under instructor supervision.
The horse simulator room is located at the Animal Police Directorate headquarters in Kelapa Dua, Depok, West Java.
Responding to this, the Head of the Police Public Relations Division, Inspector General Johnny Eddizon Isir, explained that the horse simulator is part of a training facility acquired using the 2016 budget allocation.
“The price per unit is 1 billion rupiah,” Isir told reporters on Tuesday (10 March 2026).
Isir added that the simulator is used as a basic training tool for personnel assigned to mounted units.
There are four simulator units with different functions in the horse-riding training process.
The first simulator is used to learn basic riding techniques, ranging from walking and running to galloping, or rhythmic horse movement.
The second simulator is used for jumping or obstacle course training with a simulation display showing various obstacle terrain. Meanwhile, the third and fourth simulators are used for racing or speed training.