Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 158: Kannazuki's Mejiro Ranch
It was early October, just after noon.

Outside the stable was a clear, blue sky.

The air is cool and the autumn breeze quietly seeps into the skin.

The sun is clearly high in the sky, yet it exudes a hint of coolness, making people yearn for a cup of hot drink.

Kitano dragged his feet into the stable, his eyelids half closed, and the tiredness was almost too strong to dispel.

"Good morning, President!"

On the way, a vigorous voice hit my eardrums.

"Ah, good morning."

He didn't even look up, but just waved his hand lazily in response.

The footsteps moving in slow motion finally stopped in front of the stable.

"I won't be going to the Suzuka Grand Prix next year. No, I won't be going to the Suzuka Grand Prix for the next three years."

After making up his mind, he took heavy steps and opened the door of the stable.

Mudaishima leaned against the window, half-closed his eyes and lazily basked in the warm sunshine.

Hearing the noise in front of the door, the reed-haired horse just shook its ears.

"Then it's your turn next."

After taking a few more glances at Medaru Kuroba who was in his self-awareness state, Kitano shook his head and left the stable.

If you approach him casually in this state, Medaihira will instantly become unhappy.

It bites and kicks people, and will not stop until it has given the person who disturbed it a good beating.

After closing the trap door again, he went to the stable next door.

Mejiro Sakuya stayed quietly in the corner of the stable. Her belly, which was as round as a brown sugar rice cake, seemed to be thinner than when she first arrived.

These past few days, I've been doing some exercise with the help of an underwater walker.

Combined with dietary restraint, I was able to manage my weight somewhat.

"Sakuya, come here."

After entering the stable, Kitano whispered the deer-haired horse's name.

As if she had just woken up, after a while, Mejiro Sakuya shook her furry ears and slowly approached him.

The black mane has a silky smooth texture under the light.

In the morning, Rachel Ho performed her daily hair care routine.

Although it is not clear whether it is due to temperament or skin sensitivity, many mares do not like to have their hair combed.

However, Mejiro Sakuya is the type who is good at combing hair, and she will even show a coquettish expression after combing.

"Come, left."

Standing in front of Kitano, the deer-haired horse raised its left front hoof very cooperatively.

Despite this, I still broke out in a sweat after the whole set of passive joint movements.

"Next is the muscle massage."

Kitano shook the fascia gun in his hand and said.

Although you can also use manual massage method.

However, this is too tiring, and the effect is no different from that of a fascia gun.

Because if you put more effort into it, it will naturally have a better effect.

Such a thing does not exist.

After activating the fascia gun, Mejiro Sakuya slowly lifted her hind legs, which were close to the massage area, and her lower lip opened slightly as if it had come unglued.

After completing the massage of its hind limbs, the deer-hair horse rubbed its head with a feeling of being unsatisfied.

After finishing the work here, I went to the stable next door again.

When the trap door was opened, the reed-haired horse raised its head slightly.

Then, it dug the padding under its feet with its front hooves, revealing an expression that said, "Come and play with me."

Kitano leaned over slightly and helped Mudaiheima do the flexion and extension exercises.

He couldn't relax his other hand either, pressing it against his head to block the reed-haired horse's lips from constantly probing at him.

However, Mu Baima still found the opportunity to snatch the baseball cap off his head.

"You can't eat the hat anymore." She said this while reaching out to try and take the hat back from the horse's mouth.

Mudanma seemed to be in a playful mood, shaking his head up and down with his baseball cap in his mouth.

At this time, rhythmic footsteps were heard.

It was Tanaka and Ochiai who had agreed to visit the ranch today.

"Isn't this a sign of recovery?"

Looking at the scene in front of him, the trainer's originally tense face relaxed slightly.

"In about two months, we should be able to return to the stables and resume formal training."

Kitano said this while patting the furry head of the reed horse.

During the follow-up imaging a few days ago, no signs of cartilage damage were detected.

The early osteoarthritis that I had always worried about never appeared.

After the first month of treatment, the synovitis was successfully controlled to a mild range.

At this point, Kitano, the on-site veterinarian, is able to give a good diagnosis.

However, in order to prevent recurrence or transformation into chronic synovitis, sufficient recovery window must be left before returning to the field.

"Two months—"

Tanaka nodded, his expression becoming heavy again.

Although it is not a serious problem, the recovery period required for synovitis is longer than many injuries.

"Rest well, Pegasus."

Stopping in front of the stable, Ochiai looked at the gray-white silhouette in front of him and spoke softly.

Mudaiba shook his head and pushed away the carrot sticks handed to him by the rider with a look of disdain.

"This guy is still as picky about food as before."

Picking up the wet baseball cap and putting it back on his head, Kitano looked a little helpless.

Even the high-quality forage delivered through the system is no different from ordinary feed in Pegasus's eyes.

No matter how much is fed, they will only eat a part of it. In terms of food intake, they tend to be a fixed type.

Even if we follow the method taught by Ogawa Katsu to squeeze apple juice and mix it into the feed, there doesn't seem to be any obvious improvement.

So even during the period of recuperation from injury, Mudai Hirano's weight did not seem to fluctuate much.

After finishing the topic related to the illness, the three of them talked about their expectations for the competition.

"Looking at it this way, I can only try competitions other than the Daoying Memorial."

Turning his gaze away from the stable, Tanaka held his chin and spoke.

This year's Menbetsu season, like previous years, officially ends at the Doying Memorial Day in early November.

However, if we just rest until February next year, it will be difficult to maintain the condition for the new season.

If recovery is good, try to end the season with a less competitive race.

This was the result of discussions between Kitano and Tanaka.

Although I was a little reluctant, I had to give up the year-end farewell reward Daoying commemoration.

------------

"【Pay attention to horse movements】

The famous general Tahara will go straight to the Emperor to enjoy the autumn after grazing in the summer.

The rider of Wufeng on the saddle is appointed."

——《n○tkeiba》

@tck_watanabe:

Mihuo will partner with rider Yujin Benkunshi to challenge the final Tokyo Grand Prix of his career.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mihuo for leading me to a broader stage, and I would also like to pay my highest respects to the owners of Xingjia Horse who have always firmly supported the stable's challenging goals.

Finally, a huge thank you to all the fans who have supported us all this time.

I hope it will be a race where everyone finishes without incident.]”

——Watanabe Kazuo (Oi horse trainer)
　Chapter Two will be later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)