Hybrids gone crazy!?

No, you're not looking at the latest hybrid Lexus (horse/petrol) but a new equine trainer developed by Roush Technologies.

The trainer, built for Turkish-based Kurt Systems (a world leader in racehorse and camel training equipment - so it says here), is designed to monitor animals at speeds of up to 38mph.

Powered by a Volvo 2.4-litre, five-cylinder diesel engine and fitted with a conventional automatic gearbox, the trainer has Ford F150 truck suspension and a number of features you're unlikely to find on any other options list... such as the forward 'stall' area with padded and pneumatically controlled arms.

The four tonne trainer has a centrally mounted driver's seat (take that, McLaren F1!), plus chairs for a trainer and a vet.

There's also a 12-volt and 240-volt electrical supply, a silicone saddle to simulate a jockey and independent hydraulic steering with electronically controlled reins.

"The Kurt equine trainer programme is an unusual but powerful example of the diverse engineering capability which exists within our company," said a Roush spokesman.

Diverse? He has a point. As well as building advanced horsey trainers, Roush developed the mental 720bhp Avro Ford GT Mirage, worked with subsidiary Mountune on the recently tweaked Fiesta ST, and built various buggies and ATVs for the British military.