Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 150 Bear Infestation

August 29, 6:09 am.

After all, it was Saturday morning, and it was rare for me to get up a little later than usual.

He lifted the quilt and a yawn came to his mouth but was forced back.

Slowly, I finally changed my clothes.

"call--"

When I opened the door, the breath of the night turned into a cool breeze that blew in my face.

At this moment, the remaining sleepiness was completely blown away.

Ahead of me, there was a newly paved road leading to the stables.

This is another investment that is no less than the renovation of the stables.

The stables, training and rehabilitation centers, grazing paths, and other areas where horses frequently pass by use a base road material that is compacted mixture of crushed stone, fine sand, and limestone powder.

To prevent horse hooves from slipping or being scratched by sharp objects, an additional layer of water-based epoxy resin was sprayed on the surface of the gravel layer, and even the hard part of the curb was wrapped with rounded rubber strips.

The semi-flexible hard shell formed by epoxy resin bonding the gravel layer can effectively absorb the impact of horse hooves hitting the ground, and its water permeability is not inferior to that of special permeable asphalt pavement.

Although the road paving cost of nearly one million yen per kilometer is definitely too luxurious for most ranches.

However, what Kitano studied at university was the relationship between the probability of hoof diseases in livestock and their living environment.

During my first two years as a veterinarian, I came across a lot of information about the potential harm that abnormal living surfaces can cause to livestock.

For him, this is a completely necessary investment.

Of course, the price is not cheap either.

"Good morning."

Having said this, he took three or two steps into the stable.

"Good morning, President Kitano!"

Rachel Ho's spirited voice came from a stable.

After a while, Lavid also returned to the stable with Aru-chan, who had been grazing at night.

He played the morning news on his cell phone, adjusted the volume, and placed it on the table outside the stable.

Then he opened the trap door of the stable.

Mu Tianma was lying on the bedding, yawning contentedly.

Today is the last IRAP injection.

As if he realized that he had accidentally messed up the situation, the injured Medaima became unexpectedly obedient.

The white guy who usually makes a big fuss whenever he arrives at the pasture or the stable, is so well behaved during the time he is kept in the box that it seems as if he was swapped with other grey-haired horses.

He either eats or sleeps every day, and only moves occasionally in the stable.

However, thanks to this change, the acute phase, which was originally expected to last at least four weeks, was shortened to less than three weeks.

Next comes the recuperation phase called the subacute phase, or early recovery phase.

While you need to continue to be vigilant about inflammation, you can start trying some physical therapy and progressive activities.

As he lowered his head to prepare the injection, the reed-haired horse pricked up its ears.

When Kitano turned around, Medo Hirama had already stood up and shrank into the corner against the wall.

It's almost like "I hate injections" is written on his face.

Finally, with the help of Rachel Ho, the injection was successfully completed.

Inevitably, I broke out in a sweat.

"correct--"

He picked up the phone while panting.

The screen is reporting on bear sightings in Hokkaido.

"Members from the landscaping company will be coming over soon. If possible, try to entertain them."

After putting the medicines in the basket back in place, Kitano said.

"Are we going to start decorating the ranch soon?"

Rachel Ho looked a little surprised.

"No, this time we're asking them to clear the brush and weeds near the pasture."

Kitano shook his head and explained. "Since last month, there have been more and more bear sightings by Shizunai and Mitsuishi."

Mejiro Ranch, backed by the Hidaka Mountains, is located within one of the "bear activity areas."

Although the ranch representatives in the town spend a large sum of money every year to hire a bear extermination team to go into the mountains to clear the area, according to Ogawa Jō, the results do not seem to be very ideal.

So, Kitano, who paid the employment fee without knowing what was going on, had to flip through the "Bear Control Manual" distributed by the neighborhood association.

Clearing an ecological barrier around the pasture was one of the methods he had learned from the manual.

Whether it works or not is another matter.

"Hey, is there a bear?"

The girl widened her eyes slightly.

"There are bear-proof safe houses in the stables and staff quarters. If you see one, just hide in one."

Kitano pointed to the small room in the corner of the stable.

Bears usually do not actively show aggression when there is still enough food.

Even if you occasionally stray into a pasture, the bigger concern is the possibility of spooking the racehorses.

"Didn't we remind them at last week's town meeting?"

On the other side, Lavid, who was changing his shoes, also joined the conversation.

"Hey, I don't understand—"

Rachel Ho scratched her head a little embarrassedly.

Her broken Japanese was of little use at the town meeting.

I can't understand the Hokkaido accent at all.

Lavid could only shrug his shoulders and show a helpless expression.

"Please be careful when you go to the town."

Before leaving the stable, Kitano gave the two of them instructions.

Last year, there were reports of bear sightings in Mino and Hashi.

"Okay!"

Rachel Ho waved the prevention and treatment manual that Kitano handed to her and replied loudly.

Lavid also nodded slightly.

This is the end of the morning's work.

Zep will replace Medaihira's hoof pads with normal ones later today.

After taking a shower, Kitano walked towards the parking lot with toast in his hand.

Although there are no additional ingredients, it can still be considered a proper breakfast after being perfunctorily cooked in the toaster.

He finished the slightly crispy toast in a few bites and started the car.

The target was the Sapporo Racecourse, approximately 170 kilometers away, and the estimated travel time was about three hours.

In the southern Hokkaido area, which is not covered by the JR line, transportation is so inconvenient.

"Perhaps the decline of the horse breeding industry in the Hidaka region is also related to transportation."

On the way, Kitano naturally had this thought.

I heard that in France and the UK, trainers and riders even use helicopters to commute between training bases and racing venues.

For Japan, this approach is still a little too early.

Moreover, the routes from Hokkaido to the major horse racing venues in Kanto and Kansai are not accessible by helicopter.

As for the trainers and riders who live in the two major training centers for a long time, there is basically no need to commute by helicopter.

Amidst the clichéd enka music, the random thoughts in my mind gradually began to dissipate.

In this way, we staggered to Sapporo, which was a three-hour drive away.

　Thanks to Silver Hair Yaksha for the 500 starting coins reward

　　Thank you for your support

　　Ciallo～(∠ω<)⌒★
　　Chapter Two Later

　　
　
(End of this chapter)