He had been schooled by his Uma musume.
After a casual conversation at the training ground, Kitahara realized he had been educated by Oguri Cap.
How had he not realized that wanting stronger opponents essentially meant wanting to become stronger himself?
If the goal was to get stronger, then within controllable limits, wouldn't it make sense to increase training intensity? Longer distances, heavier weights, more frequent sprints, rougher terrain…
Wouldn't all of these make her stronger?
Whether an opponent was a threat was the opponent's matter. Fundamentally, it depended on how strong you yourself were—that determined whether the opponent was threatening.
Ah, he had gotten attached to appearances. Got attached.
Being unexpectedly schooled by his own Uma Musume, Kitahara felt deeply moved, though not embarrassed.
After all, in another world, riders had been taught by horses how to race too.
Legendary jockey Yukio Okabe had been educated by Symboli Rudolf.
That legendary jockey and Symboli Rudolf had together won the Triple Crown, and it was in the Japanese Derby (the second race) that he learned how to race properly.
In that Derby, after the third turn, no matter how much Okabe urged, Rudolf remained steady.
Entering the straight, he wanted to go wide.
At that moment, Rudolf ignored his intention again, opened the engine fully, and surged past the horses in front.
Thus came Okabe's famous saying: "Rudolf taught me."
Although it was unknown whether Symboli Rudolf in this world had reciprocally taught her trainer how to arrange training, in any case, Oguri Cap wasn't exactly worse than Rudolf.
So, being educated by Oguri Cap wasn't embarrassing at all.
After deciding the next training direction—raising intensity even further—Kitahara quickly called in Belno Light and Kyoko Miyamura.
He began with a few questions:
"Belno Light, have you received all your study materials?"
Before returning to Kasamatsu, Kitahara had asked Tazuna and Kukubo Ren to help gather materials for central academy trainees. They readily agreed.
They not only sent the complete set of materials to Kasamatsu but also transmitted lecture videos, professional papers and case studies, as well as some supplementary study tools.
The materials and tools were delivered via courier, and Belno Light had been busy collecting them these past few days.
"Yes! I got everything, and Oguri helped carry it to the dorm! Thanks, Oguri!"
She gave Oguri Cap a thumbs-up.
Oguri Cap responded with two thumbs-up.
"Ha, that's good."
After briefly enjoying this interaction between the two horse girls, Kitahara looked at Kyoko Miyamura.
"How about Super Creek?"
Kyoko answered eagerly:
"She's finished her massage therapy! Now she's doing moxa hot compresses!"
She explained: "Processed mugwort leaves are wrapped in medical cloth, placed in a plastic bag, heated in hot water, and then applied to the inflamed area. This improves blood circulation effectively."
"After fixing the moxa pack on Creek, she said it felt warm and comfortable, so I let her lie down and rest a bit while listening to music."
"By the way, listening to music is an important part of rehabilitation. A relaxed and happy mood can accelerate recovery!"
Impressive. Even still a student, she had mastered these basic techniques solidly. Clearly, she had learned well from Uncle Kokobu.
Kitahara nodded subtly and explained why he had called Belno Light and Kyoko over.
"I plan to design a set of 'weighted equipment' for Oguri Cap."
'Weighted' was not a difficult concept and could be considered one of the most effective intensity training methods.
In the manga, Oguri Cap had done weighted training by installing lead shoes under her hooves to strengthen her legs and improve overall endurance.
In the anime's second season, Mejiro McQueen also used a similar method while training for the Spring Tenno Sho against Tokai Teio.
However, Kitahara's idea wasn't simply lead shoes.
"When I say equipment, I mean more like a suit."
Kitahara gestured: "I want to combine your expertise and custom-make a 'weighted suit' for Oguri Cap."
"Weighted suit?" Belno Light and Kyoko asked in unison, while Oguri Cap looked thoughtful.
"That's right."
Nodding, Kitahara explained: "I know some Uma Musume do weighted training using lead shoes, which strengthens physical fitness."
"However, I worry that only adding weight to the feet might cause injuries elsewhere due to stress on the ankles and legs."
"So my idea is to design a heavy suit that distributes weight across the whole body, with targeted areas taking specific loads. This might be safer and more effective."
"Another idea is a suit that isn't heavy by itself but has slots to insert lead plates or similar weights."
"Belno Light, your family runs a Uma Musume specialty shop, and you're now a central academy trainee. Perhaps we can try this."
"Kyoko, your medical expertise can provide accurate data to ensure the suit fits Oguri Cap's anatomy without causing extra strain."
"What do you think?"
Oguri Cap was the first to nod.
"No problem. If this makes me stronger, I'm all for it," she said emphatically, pressing her fist to her chest.
"Also, I had thought of lead shoes," she added, "but if Kitahara says they're risky, then… I hadn't considered it further."
Her somewhat odd explanation drew a light laugh. Belno Light then nodded thoughtfully.
"From a technical standpoint, Kitahara's idea is fine. Similar things already exist."
She demonstrated on herself: "Like a bulletproof vest. The vest isn't heavy, and the ceramic inserts could be replaced with alloy or lead plates."
"Alloy weight is easier to control but more expensive; lead plates are cheaper but trickier to shape. That can be decided later."
"So making a suit based on a bulletproof vest or tactical gear, then adding weights, is doable."
"I can contact my family now—they have tailors, lathes, and production lines ready."
She pulled out her phone, glancing at Kitahara and Kyoko, ready to make the call.
"If Belno Light is okay with this, then…" Kitahara was about to ask Kyoko, but she answered first.
"I think it's fine too!"
Kyoko looked serious: "In general, weight should be proportional to the horse girl's body without affecting health."
"Approximately 280–320% of body weight, depending on individual physique. Limits may fluctuate 5–15%. That's the general guideline."
"Kitahara is right—weight on the feet alone cannot fully utilize this advantage. Distributing weight across the body is a good choice."
"I'll reference Oguri Cap's data and work with Belno Light to finalize the design details. Leave it to us!"
Being able to confirm the plan so quickly exceeded Kitahara's expectations. He was both surprised and excited.
Feeling a little impulsive, he suddenly thought of another design idea:
"If possible," he gestured, "I'd like this suit to have hooks, locks, and attachment points."
"With this structure, during dragging or resistance training, the weight will be distributed across the body, reducing injury risk."
"What do you think?"
(End of chapter)