Public Can Try Police Horse-Riding Simulator at Depok Facility

Depok — The horse-riding simulator available at the Directorate of Animal Police (Ditpolsatwa) of the Indonesian National Police in Kelapa Dua, Depok, can be used by members of the general public.

“Many members of the general public come here and we accept them; they can also still ride horses. There is no issue with this and it is non-exclusive,” said Kombes Gatot Aris Purbaya, Deputy Director of Mounted Unit Section at Ditpolsatwa Polri, when met at the location on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.

The horse-riding simulation facility located in the Transfer Knowledge Center Animal Police building has been opened to the public as it features a museum introducing the K-9 police dog unit and mounted cavalry unit in support of police operations.

According to records received, several early childhood education and kindergarten schools involving dozens of students visited and tried the horse simulator between November 2025 and February 2026.

However, the primary function of the simulator is mandatory training for members of the mounted unit detachment at Ditpolsatwa before they practise with live animals.

The four simulator units help minimise risk for personnel, making them more familiar and adept when riding actual horses.

“This is urgent because the simulator certainly minimises the risks involved. Regardless of how docile or spirited the animal is, their wild instincts can be dangerous,” said Gatot.

In a separate statement, Indah, a member of the mounted unit detachment at Ditpolsatwa Polri, estimated that training personnel takes approximately 1-2 weeks until they are proficient with the horse simulator.

“In my personal assessment, the accuracy level of using the simulator compared to an actual horse is around 9 out of 10. So it is indeed highly accurate,” said Indah on Wednesday.

Previously, a video about the police horse-riding simulator went viral on social media. In one circulated video, several male and female police personnel were seen trying the equipment under the guidance of instructors.

In response, Irjen Johnny Eddizon Isir, Head of the Police Public Relations Division, stated that the horse simulator is part of training facilities procured using budget allocation from 2016.

“The cost per unit is 1 billion rupiah,” said Isir to journalists on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.