inventors were already obsessed with the idea of letting machines do the
work of exercise. In the late 1800s, that obsession produced one of the
strangest contraptions of the era: the mechanical horse, a device that
promised the health benefits of riding without needing an actual animal.
In Short
- One of the earliest mechanical horses was patented in 1867 by American inventor William Farr Goodwin.
- Swedish physician Gustav Zander later created full-scale mechanical horse exercise machines as part of his therapy gyms.
- These devices were marketed as serious health technology, even though they now look like something from a steampunk comedy sketch.
William Farr Goodwin’s Mechanical Horse Toy
In 1867, inventor William Farr Goodwin filed a US patent for a
“mechanical horse” that could walk using an internal mechanism. His early
designs focused on toys: clockwork horses that moved with a walking motion,
reflecting a broader Victorian fascination with automata and lifelike
mechanical figures.
Goodwin later patented a walking doll and other animated toys, but the
mechanical horse stands out as an early example of a machine specifically
built to imitate the motion of an animal rather than just roll on wheels.
Gustav Zander and the First Mechanical Gyms
While Goodwin was creating toy horses, Swedish physician
Gustav Zander was taking the idea much more seriously. In the
1860s, Zander developed an entire system of mechanical exercise machines
designed to provide therapeutic workouts through controlled resistance.
His Stockholm “Zander Institute,” opened in 1865, is often described as one
of the first modern gyms.
Among his devices was a full-size mechanical horse, used as part
of what he called “mechanotherapy.” The idea was that patients could
simulate the movement and posture of horseback riding without needing a real
horse, supposedly improving balance, circulation, and muscle tone.
From Steam-Powered Therapy to Bowflex Ancestor
Zander’s machines used weights, levers, and sometimes steam engines to
provide adjustable resistance. Historical photos show patients in formal
clothing perched on wooden saddles, gripping metal handles while the
machine moved beneath them. It looks more like a Victorian carnival ride
than a medical device, but at the time it was serious science.
Over time, Zander’s equipment spread around the world, and his ideas about
targeted, machine-assisted exercise helped lay the groundwork for modern gym
machines. A century later, companies would market electronic home gyms and
vibrating belts, but the basic concept of “let the machine guide your
workout” was already there in Zander’s horse.
Mechanical Horses Today
Mechanical horses have not completely disappeared. Modern versions show up
as riding simulators, training tools for equestrians, and, of course,
coin-operated kiddie rides in front of grocery stores. There are even
exercise devices advertised as “horse-riding simulators” meant to work your
core muscles through gentle oscillation.
Compared to a 19th-century steam-powered horse, though, today’s machines
seem tame. The Victorian era truly specialized in making health and fitness
look like a cross between a science experiment and a carnival attraction.
Sources
- CyberneticZoo – 1867 Mechanical Horse (pat.) – W. Farr Goodwin
- Wikipedia – Mechanical horse
- Cabinet / Bunk History – The Origins of Cybex Space
- Amusing Planet – Dr. Gustav Zander’s Victorian-era exercise machines
- The Public Domain Review – Gustaf Zander and the 19th-century gym
- Smithsonian Magazine – Gustav Zander’s Victorian-era exercise machines