Hokkaido Horse Racing Story.

Chapter 33 Multi-party Discussion Meeting

After a while, Ogawa Jō and Tanaka also arrived at the lounge.

Also coming was Mr. Shimura, the hoof trimmer.

Before the discussion officially began, Kitano distributed a series of copies including electromyography, MRI (partial hind limb) and X-ray examination results to everyone.

Once the acquisition is completed, ownership will be transferred along with a comprehensive neurological examination and imaging diagnostic report.

"It's a symptom of the stable phase. How is it when you run?"

After taking a quick look at the report in his hand, Tanaka first asked the question that concerned him the most.

"There was no noticeable compensatory limp during the run, and the flexion was not severe."

As Xuhe Zhang spoke, he opened his mobile phone and played a slow-motion video of the Resistance Queen running in a straight line.

At Kitano's request, he conducted a simple test of the Resistance Queen's running gait.

"The flexion angle should be fine. Is there anything unusual before and after the test?"

Nodding, Tanaka continued to ask.

"A horse may shiver slightly during warm-up, and after periods of intense exercise, the lameness may become more noticeable as the horse gaits."

Ogawa Jō replied.

Although he didn't hold much hope at the beginning, the performance of the Resistance Queen exceeded his expectations.

Even with the limp, he could clearly feel the power hidden in the horse's body.

"In this way, we can at least get a G2 to G3 rating."

Tanaka said with a smile.

According to the rules set by the Japan Racing Horse Association, lameness in lame horses is divided into five levels from G1 to G5 according to the severity.

A G1 lame horse will be normal throughout the race, with only minor muscle tremors after warming up.

In this case, it can even be allowed to compete in the G1 race in the central region normally after passing the veterinary examination.

The G2 grading standard is that the single flexion angle is less than 30° in the initial stage and there is no compensatory claudication throughout the whole process.

Although they are not allowed to run in G1 events, G2-rated lame horses can enter most major prizes and open races other than G1.

Buckling occurs at least once per 200-meter interval, but straight-line gait is not affected, resulting in a G3 rating.

G3 lame horses are prohibited from participating in any central high-stakes events, and even if they participate in open tournaments, they must undergo strict veterinary review.

However, for local horse racing, the G3 rating is enough to participate in all races except the exchange and big prize races.

As for horses with G4 lameness, they have usually reached the point where compensatory lameness persists.

If you want to continue participating in the competition, you can only consider switching to obstacle horse riding.

The lowest level, G5, is the level where one cannot even complete a 1000-meter training.

In this case, the lame horse will be prohibited from participating in any races.

Judging from her performance in the video, the Resistance Queen's limp while running is not as severe as when walking, and there is even a good chance that she can get a G1 rating.

However, since the distance shown is too short, Tanaka prefers to make a conservative estimate.

"If everything goes well, before his debut, in addition to three hydrotherapy sessions midweek, I plan to arrange two days of wildebeest training and one day of long rein walking to improve his hind limb coordination."

Putting away his phone, Ogawa Jō began to explain the training plan to everyone.

"No problem. Also, you can try combining ground pole exercises with your wildebeest training to improve the symmetry of your gait."

Tanaka affirmed the training plan customized by Ogawa Jō, and then added.

As a senior horse trainer, he has come into contact with many lame horses over the years and naturally has some experience in how to conduct targeted training.

The two looked at Kitano.

"After training, you must pay attention to stretching and applying heat to the hind limb flexor muscles to avoid excessive tension in the hind limb muscles."

"As for the specific content of the training, I'll leave it to Mr. Ogawa and Mr. Tanaka to arrange."

He nodded, indicating that he had no further questions. "Don't worry about it, Kitano-nii!"

Ogawa Sheng on the side patted his chest.

"Don't get complacent too soon. Taking care of a lame horse isn't as easy as you think."

Ogawa Jō smiled and patted his head.

"How about going to the stables and observing for yourself?"

After comparing the slow-motion video and the report several times, Shimura slowly suggested.

"No problem, everyone please follow me."

Xuhe Zhang stood up first and walked in front to lead the way.

After entering the stable, the Queen of Resistance was burying her head in the food bowl, chewing the grass slowly.

Regarding the few people who appeared before him, he just twitched his ears slightly, and then there was no other movement.

Entering the stable, Shimura squatted down to examine the affected hoof.

"The length of the hoof heel needs to be shortened a bit. Also, the pressure on the Achilles tendon might be a bit too much. How about trying to lower the angle of the hoof a little bit?"

Shimura said as he measured an angle in front of the resistance queen's hoof.

"Also, you could try replacing the front horseshoes with wide aluminum ones. Adding a silicone cushioning pad to the rear horseshoes would significantly reduce the recoil from the ground."

Kitano accepted all the suggestions from Shimura, the hoof trimmer.

Even so, there will be several additional fixed expenses.

"Her skeleton looks quite impressive, and her muscles are far beyond those of a two-year-old mare."

On the other side, Tanaka was also observing the resistance queen's horse body, preparing to use it as a reference to arrange the debut battle.

"She's also very stable. Even someone who can't ride a horse at all would be able to sit comfortably on her back."

He thought as he wrote something in his notebook.

"But besides his limp, his overly stable personality is also a bit worrying."

After hesitating for a while, I finally labeled the Queen of Resistors as [leaning towards dullness].

"It's the type that might need some external stimulation to exert strength."

Finally, at the end of the page, I wrote this concluding statement.

"Mr. Kitano, do you have any preference regarding this boy's main battle rider?"

Under normal circumstances, for a racehorse like this with a good body and a relatively loose body, Tanaka would consider letting the stable's top rider Shigefumi Hattori take over.

Hattori's whip skills are quite sophisticated and can have a good supervisory effect on this type of racehorse.

But before making a decision, you must first ask the horse owner's opinion.

Finding suitable riders for horse owners is also part of a trainer's responsibilities.

"How about Ochiai Rider?"

After a brief consideration, Kitano said a name.

For him, the options available are actually very limited.

So far, the only rider I have come into contact with is Genta Ochiai.

This rider, who was of similar age and had a serious personality, left a good impression on Kitano.

In addition, there was nothing wrong with Ochiai's riding in the first two games, so he soon found his candidate.

"Genta? I'll try to communicate with him."

Although a little surprised, Tanaka quickly agreed.

(End of this chapter)