English edition

About the last ride of the year and foreign-bred horses."

The Joban Expressway is really well maintained, so my car, which I affectionately call 'White-kun,' often ends up speeding a bit. It's the end of the year, so I must be careful not to have any accidents.

Driving with the majestic and somewhat gentle Mount Tsukuba on the left is a real pleasure,

unlike the almost constant traffic jams and tension of the metropolitan expressways.

Well, I've just finished my last horse riding session of the year. It seems I'm recovering well and have managed to ride smoothly.

Today, I was instructed by S Instructor, who stepped in because my regular instructor caught a cold.

S Instructor remembered how I used to ride, and today, after several years, saw my progress.

'I've improved a lot. Please keep up the good work without losing your current form,' I was complimented. In other words,

my riding skills must have been pretty bad before...

Feeling good about the praise, I happily concluded my last ride of the year.

On a different note, I recently had the chance to ride a foreign-bred horse. It was a huge horse, the kind that could participate

in the Olympics. This German breed had powerful strides and great recoil.

I asked the instructor, who told me that if a rider's balance is off, the horse won't move an inch. A beginner would probably just stay put.

Somehow, I managed to get the horse moving, but even a slight imbalance slowed it down. A mere 5mm slack in the reins caused the horse to react differently, a real hands-on experience.

Once at a riding club, I rode a magnificent German horse. Whether it was my mistake or not,

the horse suddenly started doing a piaffe or passage. I was amazed, thinking, 'So this is the movement that Olympic riders do,' but then the horse seemed to say, 'You're not at that level. I did it by mistake, and I won't do it again.' After that, it never repeated that movement.

I don't know what the future holds, but I'd be happy if I get the chance to ride such horses again sometime. As it's the end of the year, I'm allowing myself a little hope."

-English edition