https://www.cnet.com/news/meet-the-hippotherapy-robot-horse-named-stewie-from-rice-university/

Nicknamed Stewie, the robot was designed and built by senior mechanical engineering students Kelsi Wicker, Sebastian Jia, Matthew O'Gorman, James Phillips, Wesley Yee and Jijie Zhou attending Rice University, located in Houston, Texas.

Stewie was created specifically to aid people undergoing hippotherapy -- the use of horseback riding as a rehabilitative treatment for patients seeking to improve their movement and balance capabilities. Hippotherapy is also used to help kids with speech problems.