I admit I am not a particularly cool horseman. But what is a horseman? It seems to me that a person who is able not only to ride a horse but also understand what the horse is trying to tell him is a good horseman.
It's impossible for me to escape my physical handicaps through riding a horse, and it is impossible to ride a horse well enough to be able to avoid the mountains that stand in my way. But I do know that horseback riding is fun and uplifting.
When people think of horses, it is usually horse racing that first comes to mind. I was no different. The image I had of horses was essentially one of thoroughbreds, riding clubs, and the pastime of the well-to-do. But on a trip to the U.S., I found new ways to enjoy myself, namely through kayaking and horse trails. (This would actually be ten years ago by now.) In having finally arrived at the point where I am today, I think my journey is now complete.
I have a slight handicap in my lower body as well as a loss of functioning in my excretory systems. That means I can't run. I can walk but I fall down a lot. I can't control my bladder or my bowels. Not long after I started kayaking, I ran into some handicapped kayakers at the Gouno River where I often go for fun. Through that, I participated in the Paramount Challenge Canoe event, which is held annually in Nara, sponsored by the Shogaisha Canoe Kyokai (that is, the Handicapped Canoers Association). Until that time, I had never had any friends who were handicapped. There, I met a guy who lived in Tokyo and enjoyed going kayaking. At the time, we parted ways with me asking him to invite me if he planned on going kayaking on any rivers near Tokyo, but when he actually called me, it was about horseback riding for the handicapped. As I had just come into contact with horses for the first time at another place the summer of that same year, I jumped at the chance to go, and so off we went.
Where he took me was a place about a 15-minute drive from the Kawaguchi Lake Interchange in Yamanashi Prefecture called Koyodai Kiso-Horse Ranch. Just one look would tell you that this was not one of those high-society horse ranches. I felt relief at that. Poor (and stingy) me felt quite glad for this place, where I sensed from the atmosphere that you could ride quite cheaply. I only had eyes for the horses that day. Already I had a feeling of excitement inside me for what was to come.
My first impression of the horses was that they were small, with long bodies and stubby legs, and certainly not as impressive-looking as thoroughbreds. But now I can look back and tell you that this kind of horse, this thoroughly Japanese horse, bred for generations in this Japanese setting, was the kind of horse most suited for my purposes.
Actually when I talk about washu-ba (pronounced "WAH-shoo-bah," which is what we call Japanese breeds of horses), I like to compare them to thoroughbreds to explain them. Thoroughbreds are bred specifically to be fast on the racetrack, which in automobile terms would be the equivalent of an F-1 race car. Washu-ba are more like a 4-wheel-drive jeep, just right for taking on mountain roads. When the horse, upon coming up on a steep downward slope on an snowy mountain path, rests its rump on the ground and then proceeds to slide down the slope with its front legs out to brace itself, I feel both surprise and excitement as I ride. I don't think there's any other feeling quite like it.
And so there was I, who had never ridden or interacted with horses before, thinking that I wanted to set out on a trip by horseback. Although I do at times load all my gear onto my motorcycle and travel by myself, after 15 years of that, you get a little bored with it. Although stories like this often end at the dream stage, through having come to the Koyodai Kiso-Horse Ranch, I am able to tell you today that I actually went and fulfilled that dream.
The horses at
the Koyodai Kiso-Horse Ranch are really something. The reason for
this is because of the horse trainer, Sachio Kikuchi, who has both
high ideals and a strong will. As the owner of the Ranch he is quite
important, but he never shows it. He is a very admirable guy.
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In all likelihood, had I not come to Koyodai Kiso-Horse Ranch, I would never have ridden a washu-ba nor have used a Japanese saddle. And yet here I found myself through sheer happenstance. But now it seems to me that that if I was going to ride a horse along the highway, however many things I tried out, I would have eventually arrived at this ranch and at using washu-ba.
Koyodai Kiso-Horse Ranch is a ranch for tourists. Visitors saddle up on the horses and head off to ride. There are no lessons or other training as such. Once seated in the saddle, riders learn how to get the horse to move, how to stop, and how to turn. That's about all. The horses are trained such that even a complete beginner can control them, so just that is enough.
A number of times I was taken to ride outside the ranch as part of a group. There is only one thoroughbred at the ranch, and a man called Yotchan from the staff rode him out as the lead horse so that he could get some exercise. This thoroughbred is physically disabled and therefore isn't used for racing. This horse, after running free on the paths through the ricefields, came back to the highway and proceeded to cross over the white line in the middle of the road by jumping over it. I have also seen a thoroughbred panic when it lost its footing. I realized then that I couldn't possibly ride a horse like that. Washu-ba are very unlikely to have such a nervous disposition, I think. As anyone who has come into contact with horses knows, horses are easily frightened and are delicate animals. Although it is possible to get the horse used to certain things to some extent, a passing car, a roadside flag, or even a piece of trash flittering by in the wind or the like is enough to surprise a horse. Whenever a horse jumps suddenly, it is extremely difficult for the rider. They lead to falls and accidents.
Then there's getting on and off the horse. It is very difficult for me to get on and off a horse over 150 cm high multiple times unless I have a mounting platform. During my trip, I wonder how many hundreds of times I got on and off my horse.... Even the simple act of getting on or off a horse consumes a large amount of strength. And even more importantly, when you first get on the horse and haven't yet gotten into a position where you have both feet in the stirrups, you are most at risk. If you are not in a position to be able to control the horse, it can be very scary if the horse suddenly decides to move. It's possible to imagine many dangerous situations on public roads.
The most important reason why I had to use a washu-ba was that washu-ba can eat cheap food and are tough, physically ready-for-almost-anything animals. Even I didn't really know how strong these animals are. I think that the first time I saw a washu-ba reach its limits was on this trip. On a trip such as mine without financial backers or other horses to change to part-way through the journey, it is impossible to give the horse food high in nutrients on a daily basis. Instead we would travel with the horse just grazing for meals. Even for places to sleep, the days when we could have a place to shelter from the elements were few.
You may be asking yourself why I decided to make the horse go on such a difficult trip at this time. Many people said similar things to me during my journey. The reason I first went about this lies in my ego, which said it wanted to make a journey on horseback.
The thing I found most interesting
upon taking such a long trip with my horse was discovering what kind
of trust relationship would evolve. One on one, a man and a horse.
That relationship would become more and more defined as the time we
lived together got longer. It was really something to look forward
to.
【Trainning at snow】
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Over the course of several months, an awful lot of things happened. Well, I suppose it was not really 'an awful lot', but it is more than I am easily able to put down in to words. <g> My friends added here, "It's really just that you're the lazy type, no?" <ggg>
But I'll record here my answer for everyone's question, "So how was your trip?":
My journal of the trip fills three notebooks, and I took over 300 photographs, although not very good ones. But I'll need a little more time until I can present them. I still have preparations to do for next year's trip, after all. :-)
If you are enjoying this account as you read, if you have even the slightest interest in horses, I would really like you to interact with horses a bit and if possible to give riding a try. You can find out just how much fun a properly-broken in, trained for riding washu-ba is. Washu-ba , small and cute, will have you riding without fear even if you are a first-time rider. I'd also like you to realize that the number of this kind of riding horse is decreasing quickly. The horse family, large animals that they are, could in the worst-case scenario potentially become nothing more than a source of meat. I an often thinking to myself that it would be good if in the coming years it would be possible to continue the traditional washu-ba lines, which are really something to be proud of.
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As we set out on this journey, I made two promises to Mikazuki. They were first, that I would bring her back safely, and second, that after the journey finished, I would see that her line continued by making sure she mothered a foal.
At the Koyodai
Kiso-Horse Ranch there is a stallion named "Ranmaru" ("RAHN-mah-roo")
whom I am particularly fond of. Ranmaru is of an unusual breed called
"Kiso-breed washu-ba" (Kiso here being the same Kiso as in the horse
ranch's name). He is 5 years old and a bit of an imp. I don't have
much experience with Kiso-breed horses, but my experience has been
that there aren't many of them that move gracefully. At another ranch
I have ridden Kiso-breed horses before, but they move so poorly that
I've said to myself, "This isn't a horse. It only looks like a
horse." But with Ranmaru, he is not only young, but also he shows
excellent speed as he breaks into a gallop. Finally I was able to
ride Ranmaru one day after the staff had ridden him and he was all
tired out. It's interesting to think about what kind of kids Mikazuki
and Ranmaru could produce.
【Stallion Ranmaru, apple of my eye】
I have already turned into a father- or grandfather-in-waiting. It is so much to look forward to. But this is a long time in coming, seeing as even upon finishing our travels in the fall of 2000, the breeding won't be until the spring of 2001. I am going to be waiting patiently for the day I can ride the progeny of Mikazuki and Ranmaru, which I look forward to very much.
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I can't recall the first time I used a Japanese saddle exactly, but at the ranch there was a traditional Japanese saddle, and I tried it out. I went out for a ride on it not thinking about it particularly deeply. The first time I used a Japanese saddle, I couldn't ride for even ten minutes because my thigh muscles were all about to cramp up. Really, though, Japanese saddles are not to be used sitting down. The samurai who rode during the Sengoku Jidai (the "Warring State" Period) brandished swords and spears atop their horses the same way they would if they were standing on solid ground. I suppose that is why all the muscles in the backs of your legs get used when you use traditional Japanese stirrups.
【Picture of
Japanese saddle and stirrups】
I mentioned this before, but I am handicapped in my lower legs. I have weak leg strength and all the muscles in my lower body have slow reaction time. Traditional Japanese stirrups are not shaped like rings the way western stirrups are, so unless you keep your weight firmly on the stirrups your feet slip off them. As a result, at first I could barely trot properly. So the natural question is why I would continue to ride using such troublesome stirrups.
Before any of this occurred, I had not been interested in horseback archery, nor had I had any interest in riding horseback with armor or swords. So it's not that I was interested in traditional Japanese saddles and stirrups from the start. In fact, it's quite the opposite; I had no interest in any of that.
A primary reason I came to have such a good impression of Japanese stirrups was that they were so easy to use. That has some connection to my leg disability. For me, who started riding horses for the purpose of making a trip later, it was obvious that the time I would spend atop a horse would be quite long. When using a western saddle, the stress placed on the ankles is considerable, and after two or three hours of riding, I would sometimes find that upon dismounting from the horse, my ankles had stiffened up so much that I could hardly walk. I was able to fix that situation through using Japanese stirrups.
Since my ranch offers riding for the physically handicapped, I had someone with a lower-body disability try riding with the Japanese stirrups. Upon trying them, he said that the way the entire leg touches the stirrup gave him a feeling of increased stability atop the horse and that he could ride feeling more secure. Japanese stirrups might have some potential for use in horseback riding for the handicapped. If I have the chance in the future I would like to have a variety of people try it out.
With Japanese stirrups, when riding up a steep incline, your feet come out of the stirrups. But I had the opportunity to find a way to overcome this to some extent through some training I did. This came about thanks to a horse names Asobu (pronounced "Ah-soh-BOO"), a 4-year-old gelding washu-ba from Hokkaido. He was the very first horse I got with the intention of using on my trip, which the owner of the ranch, Mr. Kikuchi, had found for me. Asobu walked such that he moved both his right legs in unison and then both his left legs in unison. Unlike most horses which walk by moving the legs diagonal from each other in unison, horses like Asobu don't bounce up and down so much. Thanks to him, I became able to trot firmly in place on the stirrups despite being a beginner to Japanese saddles. I was able to strengthen my leg strength and get used to Japanese stirrups thanks to riding Asobu with the Japanese saddle. Had Asobu-- who has now left the ranch-- not been there as I was training, I am certain that I would not have been able to learn how to ride in a Japanese saddle. I am really thankful for having been able to be with Asobu.
Even still, it wasn't that I was yet able to ride properly with Japanese stirrups. I still wasn't able to decide whether to undertake my journey using a western saddle or a Japanese one. Although I didn't yet have the confidence to travel using a Japanese saddle, I still wanted to keep that open as a possibility.
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First of all I want to thank Mikazuki. Thank you, thank you, Mikazuki, for letting us get back to the Ranch safely. We met a lot of difficulties along the way, but these days have been truly irreplaceable for me. And I am very happy to see that you still have as much pluck now as before.
Also I very much want to thank all the people who helped us on our journey, and also I am very thankful to the many forces at work which brought us home safely.
In
all likelihood we won't be making any more travels like this. By
"like this" I mean taking several months at a time to travel with
just one rider and one horse loaded down with all the items necessary
for the trip. It was truly a trip without a destination. We had no
fellow travelers nor any predetermined places for the horse to stay
along the route. This was rough for both the rider and the horse. The
horse-- normally an animal that lives and travels in groups-- had to
live without any fellow horses, and had to deal with the pressure of
having many outside distractions. While to some extent I did expect a
rough time on the journey, because of the limits of myself and my
horse, I think the journey is over. It was an endurance test of the
limits of one man and one horse. Had it not been for the kindness of
strangers, I believe we would not have been able to do it. We were
able to get where we wanted to go. I am very satisfied with how it
all went.
We traveled many mountain paths. With the horse's level of tiredness being so great, even upon coming upon a nice meadow it would be impossible for the horse to gallop around enjoying itself in that state of mind. When you always have to think ahead as you travel, it would be impossible to reach one's destination on a trip where the destination was set in advance.
On paths where we can just stroll along enjoying ourselves, we can enjoy the scenery as we walk along together and then go galloping along when we come to a meadow. And children can get to interact with a horse and come to be interested in larger animals. This is the opportunity I would like to create. In that spirit, I have been thinking that I would like to make such a nice leisurely trip with Mikazuki in the future. In any event I know we'll be heading out on more trips in days to come. :-)
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