Chapter 8: Debut Plan
Time quickly advanced to mid-May.
Ogawa, Trainer Tanaka, and Jockey Ochiai were gathered, discussing Mejiro Pegasus's debut schedule.
"This bloodline has a good track record on dirt, and with Pegasus's relatively wide hooves, handling Monbetsu's track shouldn't be a problem."
As Mejiro Pegasus's de facto Trainer, Ogawa Take spoke first.
"How is his physical growth?"
Tanaka asked.
"There hasn't been any significant change in his weight compared to last week."
Ogawa Take replied with some hesitation.
Mejiro Pegasus was a picky eater; he wasn't interested in fresh pasture grass, let alone compound feed, unless it was apples specifically cut into small pieces.
This was precisely what Ogawa Take was worried about.
"Genta, what's your take?"
Without rushing to express his own opinion, Tanaka put down the race schedule in his hand and turned to Ochiai.
"His movements are fluid. While his flexibility isn't overly outstanding, he doesn't waste any unnecessary energy when he runs."
Ochiai, who had several training sessions with Mejiro Pegasus, quickly offered his assessment.
"How does he seem mentally?"
Tanaka continued to ask.
"He's a bit of an unpredictable type."
After a slight pause, Ochiai continued, "However, he's quick to understand and learn commands, and his memory is excellent."
"I see—"
Tanaka nodded, then lowered his head in silence and began to ponder.
"How about trying the 1000-meter race on the 23rd of this month?"
For a horse born in March, a late May debut wasn't considered too early.
Moreover, according to the actual person in charge, his growth seemed to be a bit slow at the moment.
Therefore, there was no need to wait for his body to grow further.
It was said that a horse's growth rate was four times that of a human.
However, Mejiro Pegasus, being born relatively early among horses of the same age, didn't have much of an advantage in terms of weight.
If they waited any longer, they might even waste the slight advantage he had from being an early birth.
Although it felt a bit like rushing, Tanaka believed his judgment was still sound.
"We will cooperate fully."
Although he felt the timing was a bit tight, Ogawa Take ultimately nodded in agreement.
"I have no problem."
Ochiai also readily agreed.
"Then, let's report this to Kitano."
Taking out a pen, Tanaka added a new entry to the densely packed race schedule.
With Kitano absent, the three-way discussion concluded.
As for Kitano—
He was with a middle-aged man in a suit, meticulously observing excrement on the ground, much like elementary school students completing their holiday insect observation diaries.
To be precise, it was Merino sheep excrement.
"Look, these are all undigested milk curds."
Kitano spread out the excrement and began explaining, his expression normal.
The man in the suit looked a bit troubled.
"If the milk curds are small and don't form a severe obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract, they will likely be slowly pushed along by the normal peristalsis of the lamb's intestines and eventually expelled with the feces."
Taking off his gloves, Kitano suddenly stood up and pried open the lamb's mouth.
After a quick glance, he let go.
The oral mucosa was normal, and its gait was normal when walking.
Foot-and-mouth disease infection was preliminarily ruled out.
The little lamb's eyes were wide, and he repeatedly curled his upper lip, wagging his tail.
Seeing this, the man in the suit also quickly stood up, sighing in relief as if freed.
"So, it shouldn't be a big problem, right?"
The man in the suit asked with some uncertainty, moving his gaze away from the spread-out excrement with a hint of distaste.
"Not necessarily. If the milk curds are large or clump together in the gastrointestinal tract, continued accumulation could lead to obstruction, thereby threatening the lamb's life."
Kitano shook his head, a movement that also made the man in the suit's expression tense.
"Can it be resolved quickly?"
He asked earnestly.
"We still need to figure out the cause first."
Kitano's expression also became a bit helpless.
As a professional manager, the man in the suit might have considerable skill in operating and managing the ranch.
However, when it came to understanding the livestock itself, it was a different story.
From the client's phone call, the only information available was the widespread leg weakness and loss of appetite among the lambs.
"Are the feeding records from the ewe's mid-to-late pregnancy still available?"
After walking and stopping to observe between the sheepfold and the grazing land for a while, Kitano tilted his head and asked.
The sheepfold environment was dry and clean, with no obvious sharp foreign objects, and the grazing area was also reasonable.
Aside from parasitic and viral infections, the possibilities of disease induced by living conditions and insufficient exercise were also ruled out.
Then he would try to find the cause from the ewe and the food.
"Yes! All records are saved on the computer, even the feeding times and feed batches are clearly noted."
The man in the suit nodded repeatedly, leading Kitano to his office.
"The nutritional components of the feed are fine, but too little green forage was fed."
Indeed, as the man in the suit said, the feeding records on the computer were very detailed, and Kitano quickly identified the problem.
"It's fine to feed less concentrated feed and green forage for a short period after the ewe gives birth. However, as her body gradually recovers, if she is breastfeeding, you should start gradually adjusting back to a normal feeding method."
"Two milliliters of compound vitamin B intramuscular injection. Observe the lamb's temperature for the next two days."
After saying that, Kitano added with some concern, "Also, the condition of the excrement must be recorded. If the leg weakness symptoms persist after a few days, contact me anytime."
Even though preliminary observation of clinical symptoms had ruled out the possibility of E. coli infection, follow-up work still needed to be done thoroughly.
"This also needs to be recorded?"
The man in the suit frowned slightly, then thought for a moment and found an employee, whispering a few instructions.
The troubled expression transferred to the employee's face.
"Well then, the diagnosis is complete."
Although the consultation fee wouldn't arrive that quickly, for Kitano, who had just shelled out over a million yen for Mejiro Pegasus's boarding fees, this was at least some income.
If it weren't for a few farmers who had just paid off their outstanding consultation fees from last winter in the past few days, he would probably be back to eating bean sprouts.
Back in the car, Kitano unlocked his phone screen, and several unread messages popped up consecutively.
Ogawa, Trainer Tanaka, and Jockey Ochiai had each given their suggestions for the debut race from their own perspectives.
"The 23rd, huh—"
Putting down his phone, Kitano tapped the steering wheel, pondering for a few seconds.
Then, he made a reply.
"Let's go with that."