A life sized model horse assembly includes a body section with a moveable neck section and a moveable head section. The legs of the body section are mounted to a base member for maintaining the model horse assembly in an upright orientation. The model horse assembly is fitted with a conventional saddle so the rider can practice mounting and dismounting from the full sized model horse assembly without the horse moving. The realistically featured neck section and head section are hinged so that the neck section can move up and down, relative to the body section. Likewise, the head section is hinged to the neck section so the head section can move side to side, relative to the neck section and body section. There are flexible coverings at the junction between the body section and the neck section and the neck section and the head section to cover and protect the hinge mechanisms. A counterweight mechanism, interior the artificial horse counter balances the head and neck sections, allowing the rider to move the head section and neck section side to side and up and down by applying suitable pressure via the reins and bridle.