Hello everyone. This is Tomohiro Nakamichi from Shibecha Town. This is the sixth installment of "Shibecha Biyori," in which I will tell you about the charms of Shibecha Town from my point of view. This is the sixth installment.

The highest temperatures in March have reached the plus mark, and we are gradually beginning to feel spring. Although full-fledged spring is still a long way off, the longer daylight hours and warmer temperatures are warming our hearts and minds.

I would like to introduce Mr. Masato Komama, who is also active in Shibecha Town as a member of the Regional Development Cooperation Volunteers.

Mr. Kobama moved to Shibecha four years ago from the Boso Peninsula in Chiba Prefecture. A former member of the Mutsugoro Kingdom, he is a professional in all aspects of living creatures, having spent many years as an outdoor guide at a horse riding club in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture. He is familiar with not only horses but also various other creatures and lives with nature in Shibecha Town where there is a lot of nature.
Mr. Kohama is involved in the preservation of a type of horse known as the Hokkaido Japanese-bred horse (HWHWH). Unlike the horses at ordinary riding clubs, Hokkaido Japanese horses are small and stocky, and are known by the common name "Dosanko.

They have survived the harsh natural environment of Hokkaido and are said to be more difficult to train than their Western counterparts, so at present they are mostly consumed as meat.

If nothing is done, the Hokkaido Japanese horse breed will be extinct in the future.

He has a sense of crisis about the future of the few horses that are native to Japan.

There are only a few people who can handle the Hokkaido Japanese stallion, but my experience in training a variety of horses tells me that the Hokkaido Japanese stallion should be able to be used as a riding horse. In fact, they have a small body for the Japanese, and they have a very low swaying gait, so I think they have a lot of merit as a riding horse.

If the qualities of the Japanese stallion as a riding horse are more widely recognized, Mr. Kohama believes that this will greatly contribute to the continuation of the Japanese stallion, which is the original purpose of the breed.

Hokkaido Japanese stallions Sen (front) and Kizuna (rear). They are stocky and low in stature

. In addition to existing training theories, Mr. Kohama also uses his own training methods based on his own experience.

He says, "Once a sensitive Hokkaido Japanese stallion has suffered a trauma, it takes a lot of time and effort to correct it. It's important to build a relationship with them slowly and gradually so they don't become traumatized.

With Sen, who has only been with the Komama family for a short time, the team spends a lot of time building a bond, which is the first step in the training process.

He says, "I believe that just by spending time together, even if it's not directly communicating, like being in the same space together when taking feces, we can gradually build a relationship of trust. I think that time spent outside of training is actually very important.

He tells me with a loving gaze.

Kojama-san is slowly building a relationship with Sen. Sen is still young and curious, and we look forward to his future growth

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And this time, we were shown the training not only of Sen, but also of another horse, Kizuna. He has gone through several stages and is finally at the stage where he is ready to be ridden on top.



The horse is pushed with pressure as if to drive him from behind, and the left hand is used to encourage the direction of rotation. Some people use a whip, but Mr. Kohama applied pressure with his feelings and voice.



The horse is then reined in from behind, and the rider is instructed to walk in the direction he wants to go. Once the rider has reached this point, the next step is to ride up.



By riding roughly, the horse becomes accustomed to the stimulation of riding on top of the horse. Also, some horses do not like the feeling of being looked down from a high place if they suddenly sit down, so this posture is used to get them used to riding on top.
If you just get on the horse, walk around and look at the scenery, you don't get the true enjoyment of riding," he says. Riding is a form of communication, so how can you get along with the horse you are riding? How can I communicate with the horse? You need to communicate with the horse. Horses are also living creatures, so there are times when they like something but don't like something else. That is why I believe that it is only when we communicate with each other that we can realize the true appeal of horses.

In today's riding clubs, horses are often safe, gentle, and gentle, no matter who rides them, but from a different perspective, this may be a sign of closed-mindedness on the part of both horses and people. But from a different perspective, I believe that both horses and people have closed their hearts to each other. Based on his own experiences at a riding club, he now hopes to create a space where people can enjoy "true horseback riding" in Shibecha.

Obama says, "I want people to understand the appeal of horses and the joy of communicating with them on their own.

He says that the environmental conditions in Shibecha-cho, such as the size of the land, lack of snow, and cool summers, are also perfect for the horses. Shibecha Town also has a long history of training and producing military horses as a military horse replenishment department. From these points of view, Mr. Kohama believes it makes sense to breed Hokkaido Japanese-bred horses in Shibecha.

Living in the midst of nature with these animals, he is thinking about the future of Hokkaido's Japanese-bred horses.
We look forward to seeing more of his work in the future.


We hope to keep an eye on his activities in the future. We hope you will watch it as well and learn more about Mr. Kohama's activities and thoughts. We hope you enjoy our next issue.