Being a Horse Owner

"Stringhalt can be overcome."

Rising from his computer desk, Kitano made that declaration.

The next moment, he couldn't help but yawn.

After returning from New Life Ranch, he had spent the entire night reviewing materials related to Stringhalt.

And then he had reached the conclusion above.

Through comprehensive regulation of the "nervous system-muscles-environment," Stringhalt's impact on racehorses could be completely transformed from a "devastating injury" into a "controllable condition."

As early as 2023, eleven racehorses with Stringhalt in Kentucky, United States, had successfully completed full racing seasons after being managed under this comprehensive treatment plan.

With cutting-edge nerve repair technology, affected racehorses had a chance of recovering to 85% to 90% of their condition when healthy.

Of course, anything involving advanced technology became extremely expensive.

And during daily training, racehorses with Stringhalt required far more money and attention from the team than ordinary racehorses.

Therefore, for the overwhelming majority of racehorses, Stringhalt remained something akin to an "incurable disease."

Shutting down the computer, Kitano lay down on his bed.

He opened his social media and posted a notice that his clinic would be closed for a day.

Then he closed his eyes.

Make the decision while his mind was as clear as possible. That way, when regret came, he would have one less excuse to deceive himself with.

This was what Kitano had adhered to throughout the past twenty-six years—something that could, more or less, be called his philosophy of life.

Once the hormones faded, the exhaustion from staying up all night immediately flooded through his body like a tide.

When he opened his eyes again, the sky outside had already grown quite dim.

Unlocking his phone, he found no missed calls.

Only after letting out a sigh of relief did he slowly head into the bathroom.

After taking a cold shower, he immediately felt much more awake.

But he was a little hungry.

While heating food in the microwave, Kitano began to think.

What he thought about was not the decision before him, but a question that had always troubled him.

How did one become a qualified horse owner—

Or rather, what kind of horse owner did he want to be?

Today, he had vaguely found the answer to that question.

As a breeder, one should care for the foals and diligently complete their Training;

As a jockey, one should prepare conscientiously, ride with everything one had in every race, and strive to bring out as much of the racehorse's ability as possible;

As a trainer, one should keep timely track of the racehorse's condition, adjust its training and race schedule, and offer the owner advice based on professional judgment when necessary.

But as horse owners, with the money in their hands and ownership of the racehorses, they could easily interfere with training, alter race schedules, or even directly determine a racehorse's fate.

Under such circumstances, if they acted recklessly based on their own preferences, everyone in the stable would likely be placed in a very difficult position.

So—

Do what should be done, rather than what he wanted to do.

That was Kitano's answer.

As for the other question.

He had actually already made up his mind.

Whether it was for profit or out of sympathy—

If he was going to buy Resistance Queen, then no matter what, he had to fulfill his responsibilities as her owner.

Just then, the microwave chimed.

He took out Kimura's business card and entered the phone number listed on it.

"Hello, New Life Ranch. This is Kimura, the representative."

After several rings, a somewhat weary voice came through the line.

"Hello, this is Kitano."

"Mr. Kitano! You... have you made your decision?"

Kimura sounded excited at first, but quickly calmed himself and asked cautiously.

"Would it be possible for me to bring a friend to visit the ranch again tomorrow?"

"A visit? Of course, that's no problem."

Though somewhat disappointed, Kimura still forced himself to answer energetically.

"By the way, is 1.2 million the final price?"

Kitano suddenly asked.

"No... no, that's not right! If Mr. Kitano is truly interested in Resistance Queen, then a lower price can be discussed!"

Kimura instantly jumped up from the tatami. His wife and daughter, who were watching a variety show beside him, looked over in surprise.

"That won't be necessary. Let's stick with the original price."

Kitano smiled and shook his head.

"As for the contract, sorry for the trouble, but please prepare it on your end, Mr. Kimura."

Since the coin had not yet landed, he might as well trade with the same chip.

It was not yet time to decide the ending so easily.

He placed the slightly cooled pasta on the table. As he stirred the noodles with his fork, he took out his phone and opened LINE.

He sent a greeting sticker to the contact whose ID was [My Goal Is to Become the World's Best Trainer—Go A-Sheng!!!].

After some time passed, the message was still unread.

So Kitano put down his phone and focused on eating his pasta.

Overnight noodles not only had a much worse texture; even the flavor seemed to have become sourer.

As he concentrated on dealing with the few stragglers stuck around the edge of the plate, the phone on the table vibrated slightly.

[?]

A-Sheng had replied with a question mark.

[I bought a new horse. If you have time tomorrow, could you come help me take a look?]

Then he typed another line.

[Also, this horse may be sent to Nishiken Farm for boarding.]

He tapped send.

This time, the message was immediately marked as read.

[No problem (｡•̀ᴗ-)~]

[Leave it to me!]

[I'll talk to Dad about the boarding too!]

Right after that message, a smug little devil sticker popped up.

Though he found Ogawa Masaru's tone somewhat different from usual strange, Kitano did not pay much attention to it.

After all, he was part of the Shinsei Farm 2000 generation.

Maybe that was simply how young people chatted online these days.

Then he called Teacher Tanaka.

Putting down his half-eaten bowl of miso ramen, Tanaka curiously answered the call from horse owner Kitano.

Among the owners he worked with, Mr. Kitano was not the particularly proactive sort.

Of course, that might also have been because most of the pressure had been shifted to the breeding ranch.

Thinking that, Tanaka received the other party's request to enter the stable.

"A lame horse, huh—"

That was a somewhat troublesome situation.

If the horse entered the stable only now, it was already a little late in terms of timing.

Even so, he quickly gave an affirmative reply.

"Leave her to our stable!"

Though it might have sounded rather boastful, as a local trainer, there were not many honors left for him to pursue.

Even the two thousand wins he had long dreamed of in his early years would soon be achieved.

Using this opportunity to build a good relationship with Kitano, a horse owner who was also a veterinarian, was undoubtedly a worthwhile deal.

But—

Lame horses were not easy to manage.

"Will it be the same arrangement as with Mejiro Tenma? Of course, no problem!"

When he heard the proposal voluntarily offered by horse owner Kitano, his first reaction was relief.

After hesitating for a moment, he still couldn't help advising, "With lameness, she may not be able to achieve much. Mr. Kitano, would you like to reconsider a little?"

Though he could have remained silent, Teacher Tanaka gave a very reasonable suggestion.

Regardless of his motives, Kitano would not overlook that goodwill.

After sincerely thanking Teacher Tanaka once more, he finally ended the call.