Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 164 Towards a Winter Morning

On the Monday after the beginning of winter, under the gray sky, the cold wind that penetrated the collar was bone-chilling.

It was just after 6 o'clock in the morning, and although there was a faint light in the east, it was still a dark hour.

"Everyone—good morning!"

Rachel Ho's energetic voice resounded clearly throughout the lounge.

Before work officially begins, everyone on the ranch will gather together to discuss today's arrangements.

"Deer have been wandering into the pasture lately. It would be troublesome if they scared the starship."

Going beyond the initial topic of weather, Lavid mentioned his recent discovery.

"Starship is already a steady man!"

Rachel Ho waved her hands, looking like she was worrying too much.

"But, Ata-chan will be back soon too—"

Thinking of the fact that Atalanta was about to return to the pasture to recuperate, the girl's expression changed again.

The image of the chestnut horse running around scared by the deer naturally emerged in my mind.

Sure enough, we still need to take it seriously.

"If it snows, deer repellent will quickly become useless."

Kitano also showed a somewhat troubled expression.

Even before the snowy season arrives, chemical deer repellents are of limited effectiveness.

For Mejiro Ranch, which has limited manpower, frequent re-spraying of pesticides along the border line is also a considerable burden.

"How about some reflective ribbon?"

Asayama, whose face was a little red from the cold, suggested.

Loggers in Hidaka hang reflective ribbons around their camps to ward off intruding wild animals.

"Anyway, let's give it a try."

Kitano nodded slightly, then turned his attention back to the tablet in his hands.

Despite its limited area, the grazing land at Mejiro Ranch is divided into several different plots like other ranches.

Protected by the adjacent road and two grazing areas in the mountains, is an area that originally belonged exclusively to the starship.

"If we let them graze together, there shouldn't be any problem."

Although there is an option of alternating grazing, this strategy will not work if the temperature drops a little.

As for the relationship between the two horses, I'm not really worried about it.

When herding, Atalanta was unexpectedly a collectivist type.

Although Xingchuan is still young, he has become quite stable in temperament.

They should be able to get along.

but--

At times like this, I still miss that noisy white guy.

Tonight, Megumi Hirayama will be away from the closing day game.

Before the Daoying Memorial Day, there was a 1200-meter "Support Hokkaido Special Next Year" event.

Although the name is a bit subtle, it is a genuine A1 class race.

Regardless of the intensity and distance of the game, it is a good choice for Mudashi Hakuba who has just returned from injury.

After the morning meeting, everyone started their busy day.

After completing his daily inspection, Kitano walked at a slightly faster pace along the path he usually traversed with ease.

Clouds covered the sun, dimming the sunlight.

The temperature outside is obviously much lower than that inside.

Looking towards the grazing ground, Starship was staring at the crow standing on top of the fence with its ears perked up.

After a while, the crow flapped its wings and flew away with a "click".

The deer-haired pony then shook its ears and lowered its head leisurely.

As he chewed the grass, he looked like a winner.

On the other side of the grazing ground, Xuanmu yawned and then rolled around on the ground.

Soon, the originally smooth mane became messy.

Fortunately, the grass coverage rate is still considerable this season, so it doesn’t become too messy.

"At least I'm not chewing on random things anymore," Kitano could only console himself with this thought.

However, Lavid, who was in charge of cleaning, probably wasn't happy.

When they arrived at the training center, Rachel Ho was looking down at the monitoring device tied to Mejiro Sakuya's leg.

The deer-hair horse shook its furry ears and looked at the iron cage-like device in front of it with some curiosity.

"Would you like to turn on the fan, President?"

There was a hint of nervousness in Rachel Ho's voice.

Although I had learned about the treadmill operation through the instruction manual, this was my first time actually operating it.

"Well, open it."

Kitano smiled, then touched Mejiro Sakuya's neck helplessly.

"If you don't lose weight, you won't even be able to get on a treadmill."

The deer-haired horse rubbed against his palm as if it was acting coquettishly, and its belly still maintained a considerable outline.

On the other side, Rachel Ho had already put down the treadmill pedal.

After checking the conveyor belts and anti-slip mats one by one, the girl began to test the control system.

"We're ready, President!"

She made an "OK" gesture towards Kitano.

After guiding Mejiro Sakuya onto the treadmill, the girl fastened an elastic leash that was slightly shorter than usual.

Hanging the timer on the side wall of the treadmill, Kitano set the time for five minutes.

The gear is [slow walk] which is similar to walking, and the slope is that of flat ground.

When it was just started, Mejiro Sakuya shook her head a little uncomfortably.

"No limp, but the gait still seems a little unrefined. Don't rush to change the speed."

Kitano, who was in charge of the observation, said at the right time.

"no problem."

Rachel Ho nodded and looked down at the data on the instrument.

Next to the treadmill, Kitano was soothing the deer-haired horse while observing its gait.

It didn't take long for Mejiro Sakuya to get used to the operation of the treadmill.

But maybe it's because I haven't exercised for a long time, so I still feel a little unfamiliar when running.

"There are still two minutes left, just hold on a little longer."

Having said this, Kitano patted the deer-haired horse's head to encourage it.

The black mane trembled and soon a little moisture attached to it.

After the timer sounded, Rachel Ho gradually lowered the gear.

After the tracks and fans stopped working completely, the noise that filled my ears also disappeared.

Sticking out its tongue, the deer-haired horse rubbed Kitano with its slightly wet nose.

"thank you."

After opening the gate, he took Mejiro Sakuya's hand and walked off the treadmill.

Then, he pulled up the leash and circled around.

Mejiro Sakuya seemed a little uncomfortable after leaving the treadmill, and her steps were still jumping on the flat ground.

During the cooling-down walk, Rachel Ho on the other side also completed the data statistics.

"The stride length is normal, the breathing rate is within the normal range, and the heart rate seems to be a little low."

As the girl spoke, she used the tablet to upload the training records to the ranch system.

"My heart rate is low, but I'd better take it slow."

After some consideration, Kitano decided to proceed with training according to the original plan.

At this moment, Mejiro Sakuya pricked up her ears as if she had discovered something.

"There's really nothing I can do against you."

Kitano smiled and shook his head.

Then, under the gaze of Sanbaiyan, he took out the mint candy that Lumaoma had been longing for.

“This is the only one I have today.”

　Chapter Two Later
　　
　
(End of this chapter)