Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 162: Gnawing and Hoofing

The clouds faded away, and the window was filled with the unique blue of Hokkaido.

At the end of the field of vision, a streak of white stood quietly.

It should be Mount Tarumae—

As soon as the thought came to mind, the fuselage began to tilt.

The veins of the ridges spread out on the surface, leaving the mountains and lakes behind.

In an instant, colorful colors flooded into the field of vision.

After a turbulent period, the plane landed.

The exhaled breath turned into a clear white.

In Hokkaido, it will soon be winter.

Unlike everyone in the city who was eagerly looking forward to Christmas, Kitano felt a little heavy-hearted.

For the people of Dao, the severe cold and heavy snow in winter have never been romantic.

Mejiro Ranch is about to face the challenge of its first cold winter.

Despite adequate preparations for the renovation, similar concerns cannot be dispelled.

Land subsidence, frozen and cracked water pipes, difficulty in snow removal... these are all problems that Hokkaido ranches have to consider in winter.

With such uneasiness, I returned to Sanishi in Shin-Higashi.

On the other side of the railing, Tomakomai's engineering team is renovating the old double-row stables.

Of course, it did not follow the renovation plan of Mahanya's E-class stables.

It is a common practice in most ranches to connect two adjacent stables and transform them into a special stable for breeding mares.

In addition to the larger space for activities, air circulation also becomes smoother.

Six of the twelve stables underwent this renovation, while the others remained as they are.

For a thoroughbred horse, the larger the space the better.

On the contrary, a stable that is too spacious is more likely to increase their chances of injury.

——Especially for horses with lively temperament.

Having just put down his luggage, Kitano immediately headed towards the stables that were under renovation.

In order to avoid the renovation period, the horses in the side-by-side stables were all adjusted to graze during the day.

"Welcome back, President."

Asayama strode over, wearing the same hard hat as the engineering team.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Kitano nodded slightly, then asked, "What's going on?"

"The transformation should be completed before the herdsmen gather, but it may take some time to clean up."

Asayama took off his helmet and tucked it into his hand, straightening his back as he answered.

"It's okay to relax a little."

Kitano smiled and looked inside the stable.

The two-day renovation is coming to an end, and small carts are carrying garbage out of the stable.

He turned his attention away from the stable and continued walking.

The target was another stable at the end of the road.

Earlier, the dazzling action arrived at Mejiro Ranch first.

"You're back, Boss!"

Zep's echoing greeting floated from the work area.

While responding to the greeting, Kitano walked towards the depths of the stable.

Two heads, one black and one white, popped out in front of my sight.

He scratched the soft chin that Medaihiro Ma had leaned over to, then turned his gaze to the next room.

Starship was walking slowly towards the water bucket, holding a few pieces of grass in his mouth.

This unique way of eating has been going on for some time.

After discovering that it wasn't a problem with its teeth, everyone on the ranch just let it do that.

Turning to the last stable, the black hair flowed like silk under the soft light.

"You look very energetic."

Kitano stepped forward and said.

Dazzling moved his head up and down as if in agreement.

"She is indeed a beautiful girl."

Asayama beside him nodded first, then gave a wry smile.

"But in terms of temperament, it seems that he is a little too lively."

He said that Cool had just taken advantage of Lavid's unpreparedness and grabbed the Indian's shirt with one bite.

A significant portion of it was torn off. Not only that, the leash, fence, trough, water bucket—almost everything within sight was chewed up.

"So, please be as careful as possible."

Asayama sighed and reminded.

Kitano's outstretched hand stopped in mid-air.

Inside the fence, Dazzling tilted his head.

Then, she pursed her upper lip and moved it towards his fingertips.

"It's probably because I haven't adapted yet."

As he said this, Kitano's expression became a little stiff.

After completing the normal physical examination, we focused on checking the dazzling teeth.

Not so sharp as to cause compensatory gnawing.

Later that day, the entire ranch staff gathered together.

Because she was the ranch's first breeding mare, everyone paid close attention to the dazzling biting behavior.

"It shouldn't be a problem with your teeth or stomach."

Kitano, the ranch representative and resident veterinarian, spoke first.

According to Lavid and Asayama, no signs of parasitic infection were found in the feces.

Pathological causes were first ruled out.

"How about adding some hay to the feed and extending the grazing time a little?"

Even Kitano, who is a veterinarian, can only think of this response measure for the time being.

Besides common dental or gastrointestinal problems, psychological factors may also trigger manger chewing in thoroughbred horses.

Of course, it is also possible that the biting is just due to stress and anxiety after changing the living environment.

"How about bitters and salt bricks?"

Lavid, who had changed into new clothes, suggested.

In India, breeders use a special bitter spray to correct racehorses' bad habit of gnawing.

Salt bricks hung in the stables provide a distraction while also replenishing the minerals needed by thoroughbreds.

"Then let's try it."

Kitano nodded in agreement with his suggestion.

After everyone dispersed, Zep returned to the work area and prepared his tools.

Today is hoofing day for the starship.

After arranging the necessary tools neatly on the table, Asayama walked over with the star ship.

The deer-colored pony didn't seem to be afraid, and even turned its ears with curiosity.

"It will be fine soon."

Zep said in a gentle tone that contradicted his large frame.

Then the hoof trimmer squatted down and checked its hooves.

Starship cooperated by lifting its left front leg.

"It's very soft!"

Zep praised as he observed the hoof.

"I really inherited the good side of my father."

Asayama, who was holding the reins, also laughed.

Next, the German hoof trimmer pressed the red-hot iron against the sole of the hoof.

As if startled by the sudden burnt smell, the starship shook its ears uneasily.

However, when it came to the second hoof's turn, the deer-haired pony quickly regained its composure and even raised its legs to cooperate with Zep.

"Not only the hooves, but even the joints are very flexible."

Kitano, who was squatting on the side and observing, couldn't help but make a sound.

“Is that so—”

Asayama nodded in agreement, but his expression seemed a little subtle.

Even within the ranch itself, Kitano's assertion that starships were more suitable for short distances sparked considerable objection.

There are many questioning comments on social platforms.

However, Kitano always insisted on his original opinion.

“He’ll have a bigger future in the sprint events.”

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"We plan to have her try out for the Middle East next year."

Yue Boren discusses his perspective on happy times.

——World Pool
　Chapter 2: Late
　　
　
(End of this chapter)