Kitano-Style Lameness Management

"In terms of feeding, high-sugar feed should be restricted. Low-sugar forage such as timothy grass should be the mainstay, avoiding sudden energy spikes that could cause agitation."

"TENS electrical stimulation therapy should be administered two to three times a week to relieve muscle tension in the lame leg. If necessary, cold laser therapy may be considered to prevent further deterioration of blood circulation and the nervous system."

"Intake of magnesium supplements such as flaxseed and alfalfa must be maintained to support the muscles and nervous system..."

"The use of vitamin E and selenium must be strictly based on body weight..."

"Vitamin B injections..."

"Regular hydrotherapy..."

After pressing Enter for the last time, Kitano closed the research papers he had been using as references on his computer screen, one by one.

"Thank you very much, seniors."

He murmured silently to himself.

Drawing on the paths explored by those before him had allowed him to avoid many detours from the very beginning.

The management plan he had devised for Resistance Queen's Stringhalt was finally completed today.

Just before her official arrival at the stable.

Although the comprehensive management plan from the United States was already quite mature, after drawing on parts of it, he had chosen to create a different plan of his own.

It was not because Kitano stubbornly wanted to prove his achievements in veterinary medicine, nor because Resistance Queen's condition was more unusual than that of other horses.

The reason was actually easy to understand.

The original comprehensive management plan was simply far too expensive.

The plan Kitano had designed had successfully reduced the cost to forty percent of the original.

As for its effectiveness...

That remained to be seen.

The cost of this plan was mainly concentrated on modifying the affected horse's living environment in the early stages.

To reduce the risk of a lame horse slipping, the stall where it lived would need an additional layer of rubber anti-slip mats.

Based on the specifications of Nishiken Stable, the area requiring coverage was around twenty square meters.

The cost would be two hundred thousand yen.

In addition, to minimize the irritation caused by temperature changes to the affected leg, an underfloor heating system would need to be installed in the stall.

This portion would cost five hundred thousand yen.

After avoiding expensive surgical intervention with uncertain risks, the remaining parts became much simpler.

As a member of the Hokkaido Owners' Association, Kitano only had to pay five thousand yen per use for local hydrotherapy facilities in Hidaka when treating horses under his ownership.

More importantly, during treatment—especially the electrical stimulation therapy—the equipment and labor costs that made up most of the expense could both be eliminated.

Kitano's clinic had a Dynatronics electrical stimulation unit capable of highly precise adjustments.

Furthermore, he himself was a practicing veterinarian proficient in electrical stimulation therapy.

After repeatedly checking the management plan a few more times out of lingering concern, Kitano finally rose from his desk.

However, before Resistance Queen officially entered the stable, they still needed to hold an interdisciplinary discussion regarding her future training and race projections.

When Kitano drove to Nishiken Farm, he caught the scent of herbal medicine from afar.

He knocked on the lounge door. When he pushed it open, he found the white-haired boy brewing some sort of medicinal decoction.

On the sofa nearby, Ogawa Kanna, wearing black-framed glasses, was lowering her head and writing something.

"Good morning, Mr. Kitano."

The girl raised her head and softly greeted Kitano.

"Good morning, Miss Ogawa."

After returning her greeting, Kitano tilted his head slightly and asked, "A-Sheng, is your cold not better yet?"

"No, this is a Japanese-Chinese herbal prescription I found online. They say it can help ease muscle spasms in racehorses."

Ogawa Masaru turned around, scratched his head, and answered.

Ogawa Kanna pursed her lips but did not say anything.

"But I'm not sure whether it'll work either. I should've asked you first, Brother Kitano."

"Licorice and peony root, right?"

Kitano identified the ingredients of the decoction with just one glance into the pot.

"The ingredients are right, but you added too little water. This isn't enough for a single dose."

"Oh, oh! So that's how it is—"

Ogawa Masaru nodded repeatedly, while Kitano gently patted the boy on the shoulder.

"You prepared this for Resistance Queen, didn't you?"

Other than Resistance Queen, he had not heard of any other horse at Nishiken Farm suffering from muscle spasms.

Otherwise, Ogawa Joe would have called the clinic long ago.

"That's right! When Omega-chan arrived at the farm yesterday, I saw how pitiful she looked when she walked, so..."

"I wanted to see if there was anything I could do for her."

The boy lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly.

"You did very well, A-Sheng."

Kitano's tone softened.

As a treatment method with distinctly Japanese characteristics, Japanese-Chinese herbal formulas could indeed have a certain conservative therapeutic effect on the symptoms of Stringhalt in racehorses.

Although that effect was quite limited.

Still, when budgets were tight, this kind of treatment was what most Japanese racehorses with Stringhalt could afford.

"Leave the rest to me!"

He patted Ogawa Masaru's shoulder again as he spoke.

"Huh?"

The boy looked up in confusion.

Was it some secret formula passed down among veterinarians, or perhaps something like the Sasa Needle Technique?

Ogawa Masaru followed eagerly behind Kitano, impatient to witness the methods of a professional veterinarian.

However, they were not headed toward the stable.

"May I sit here?"

Kitano asked the girl.

"Of course. Please sit, Mr. Kitano."

After briefly tidying the scattered papers on the sofa, Ogawa Kanna nodded in reply.

She removed her glasses and watched his profile with curiosity.

After sitting down on the sofa, Kitano opened the briefcase he had brought with him.

Then, he took out a laptop.

Opening the document he had just edited, Kitano explained, "This is the management plan I prepared for Resistance Queen's affected leg."

"However, part of it will need to be supplemented after I discuss it with Mr. Ogawa and Teacher Tanaka."

"Huh?"

Ogawa Masaru looked surprised, but he was soon drawn in by the words on the screen and began reading with focused attention.

"Seventy... seven hundred thousand yen—"

Just seeing the projected budget for the initial site modifications was enough to leave the boy deeply shaken.

As for the long string of specialized katakana terms that followed, he could barely understand any of them.

"Is it worth it, Mr. Kitano?"

Ogawa Kanna suddenly asked.

"Just the cost for the first year will probably exceed one million yen, won't it?"

The girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Whether it's worth doing is something I can't really judge either."

In truth, even Kitano did not have much confidence in the plan he had designed.

"However, since I'm her owner—"

"At the very least, shouldn't I try to do something within my means?"

That was also what he had decided before becoming Resistance Queen's owner.