Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 366 No Longer Alone

Chapter 366 No Longer Alone
The first day of August was filled with the incessant chirping of cicadas from early morning, which was incredibly noisy.

I always get inexplicably busy as the auction season approaches, and this year is no exception, even though I announced early on that I would not be holding the auction.

No matter how kind-hearted they are, at this time of year, relatives and neighbors will gradually become entangled in various matters and unable to extricate themselves.

With only the limited manpower available on their own ranch, the expansion of North Shelter has visibly slowed down.

However, thanks to the initial goal of "building as much area as possible first", the grazing area for young horses is almost ready.

Although it will be some time before it is officially put into use, the pasture within the grazing area was quickly planted with the help of agricultural machinery.

—Although, as a trade-off, the food at the North Dormitory hasn't been very good these past few days.

After finishing the patrol and crossing the road back to the south side of the house, I subconsciously quickened my pace.

After the sun came out, the temperature began to rise.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and took a soft breath.

On the day I returned from Sapporo, I talked with Ms. McGiwen and Mr. Oppenheimer about the proposal to register the Golden Horn Breeders' Cup stallions.

"The Breeders' Cup? Are you serious?!"

Unsurprisingly, we soon received a reply from Ms. McGiwen stating that it was "impossible to fund such a project."

Mr. Oppenheimer's side, while stating that "this may be slightly more difficult than building a dam on the Thames with a teaspoon," quickly sponsored the £1,000 registration fee in his personal capacity.

When I first opened the official website of the Breeders' Cup as a breeder and was about to log in from the beginning, I discovered that Golden Horn already had a record of registering for the Breeders' Cup.

—As of 2022.

When logging in, Zep, who was in charge of the operation, laughed so hard he almost rolled around on the tatami mat.

In any case, we resolved the matter in less time than we had expected.

Forcibly cutting off the chaotic thoughts in his mind, he bent down to observe the hooves of several reserve mothers as he passed by their grazing grounds.

Hoof care is crucial for pregnant mares that are breeding.

As the fetus in a mare's womb grows larger and her weight increases, the pressure on her hooves also increases.

Even when manpower is insufficient, care tasks such as cleaning accumulated dirt on the hooves or properly correcting the hoof shape at various stages of pregnancy should be continued.

"It looks like it will be a healthy child, Anna."

He stroked the black deer-haired horse that was walking towards the edge of the fence, and the moon shadow on the other side also twitched its ears and brought its head closer.

"This side is cute too—"

After letting go, the fingertips retained a softer, furry texture than Anna's.

It is said that at the Gumoa Ranch, when the weather turns cold, the staff will shave the mare's entire winter coat and put on a special winter coat to prevent the mare from developing skin diseases due to reduced exercise.

Although it was still early, I was quietly tucking these matters into a corner of my mind.

"The system's shop seems to sell winter horse coats too—"

While thinking this, I shifted my gaze from the two expectant mothers to the grazing area on the other side of the fence.

The little pony with the green deer fur perked up its ears and stomped its foot as if saying, "Touch me too!"

As the lanugo gradually fades, the part that could barely be described as a long, thin white shooting star shrinks inward a little.

—It looks more like the work of a seagull that flew over the pasture one day.

“You look so lonely, I’m sorry, Moonbeam.” Besides her mother’s dazzling actions, Moonbeam was herding in the same group as Dober, who was getting older and whose herding time was slightly shorter, and Atalanta, who was preparing to return to the stable.

—There were no foals of the same age.

Typically, after foals come into the world, the weaning season often marks the first small turning point in their lives—being introduced into a foal community composed of peers.

In fact, although foals that are three months old are still grazing leisurely in the same pasture as their mothers, they have already quietly developed an independent nature and will hop around and play with other foals.

Besides the tendency to resemble their mother, foals also have awakened aspects in their personality—this is once again strongly confirmed in Gekiro.

However, true communal living only begins after weaning.

Just as a subtle atmosphere naturally forms in a human classroom, an unspoken hierarchical order exists within a herd of horses.

This year, Mejiro Ranch will likely begin full-day grazing from mid-November.

Logically, during the 24-hour grazing period, foals of the same age would have plenty of time to spend together in the group and gradually figure out the rules for coexisting with other members.

During this period, the farm staff's contact with the foals was almost entirely limited to feeding time, and the farm's role began to change from a "maternity or pediatric ward" to a more lively foal pen.

At Mejiro Ranch, where only one foal was born that year, it would probably look much the same as before.

"Should we try finding this child a friend?"

As he watched the back of the blue deer-haired horse slip under its mother and suckle at her breast, this thought came to mind.

Like most creatures, foals gradually reveal their individual personality differences within a group.

Even before weaning, each foal's personality begins to take shape—the mare's temperament and attitude toward humans and herds will have a profound impact on the child, but each foal will eventually live out its own unique life.

Back in the lounge, as soon as I sat down at the low table to eat breakfast, I voiced my thoughts during a break from the other members' casual conversation.

"I hope that the child can grow up healthily in the group, both physically and mentally."

Kikuchi immediately mirrored Rachel Ho's gesture of hugging her head.

"It's going to start again, President!"

Even Zep chuckled to himself, saying things like, "As expected, the BOSS still dotes on that kid the most."

"How about letting her herd livestock with Yuehuang after the traveler returns in a few days?"

With his furrowed brows relaxing slightly, Ravid made the above suggestion.

"That camel will definitely fight with Yuehuang, won't it?"

Before he could even speak, Zep shook his head and cast his vote against it.

"but."

At the urging of the other members, the German changed his tune with an awkward smile.

"This is also impossible."

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