Mie Governor receives feedback positively: Making improvements at the Ageuma Horse Festival

The Ageuma festival held at Tado Shrine in Mie prefecture has been blasted over mistreatment of animals. On July 27th, Juridical Foundation Animal Environment & Welfare Association Eva and we, the Animal Rights Center, visited Mie Governor, Katsuyuki Ichimi, some prefectural staff, and a former ministry of health minister, Norihisa Tamura, to address this issue. The governor explained that the prefecture is aware and has demanded that improvements be made so the festival will be better suited for the current time. The governor well understands the Ageume festival is no longer acceptable per today’s standards. Mr. Tamura also pushed some changes and gave numerous successful examples in his own hometown. The Evan and the Animal Rights Center requested to make significant improvements including replacing live horses with something else.

Festivals that are more sustainable without real horses

Since ancient times, Shinto rituals and festivals have been evolving; they once used humans to sacrifice, which is no longer in practice. It is high time that we discontinued and replaced real animals with something else to make the festival more fitting today. The General Representative Members’ Council of the Shinto Ceremony ought to consider what it is they need to truly preserve. Originally, the purpose of this festival was to predict whether or not the harvest would be good this year. That being said, it seems as though the Tado Shrine wants to preserve some elements of the festival such as the hills and cliffs, which have been formed to be so steep over the years.

Once they determine, they’ll need to think of how they can conserve the festival. We, the Animal Right Center, are suggesting following methods:

Climb with Mikoshi or Dashi floats over the cliff
Climb with a huge ball
Transition the current wall into bouldering wall to make this place as a new sightseeing spot
Perform bamboo stilts race insead
Call for ideas from general public

Changing tradition is not always a bad thing. If we were to continue to use live horses, many people would closely monitor using their cameras to make sure no animals would be harmed. This is a festival where people get excited and may even be aggravated. They would need to spend extra money should horses get panicky or treated badly. It will be only reasonable to add new values to the festival. As an animal rights group, we strongly recommend discontinuing using live houses.

Major modifications to the current festival format

If discontinuation of live horses isn’t an option, we at least need to get rid of steep hills and cliffs, and operate the festival under strict supervision. The below are our suggestions:

1.Obstacles

1-1: Remove the walls at the final point. Horses are not designed to climb walls.

Remove these walls in which horses have died even during the practice. This has been criticized for a while. We should not force these horses to climb such walls. Adjusting the height is not good enough so we suggest removing the walls.

1-2: It is against horses’ nature to run hills as steep as 30-45 degrees.

Make these hills that are easier for horses to run. Generally, hills are meant to control horses’ speed. If we must, horses may run mild hills in the first half of the course. In that case, horses should do so slowly rather than sprinting.

2.Environment

2-1: Change the ground to good dirt, woodchip, or grass, which are more friendly to horse’s legs.

The gravel currently used is hurting the horse’s legs as stones or concrete chips are contained in the gravel around the hills. We should change the entire course to something kinder to horses, such as dirt. However, it’s known that horses tend to get injured on the dirt ground in obstacle courses so they prefer to use grass. With that in mind, we request changing the materials for the ground.

2-2: Call off the event when water content is over 22% in rain

Make rules to call off the event when it rains. The ground gets so slippery that it may harm humans and animals when the water content exceeds 22%.

2-3: Make enough space for areas where humans are present

It can be extremely stressful for horses when there are too many humans in such a narrow course. We need to expand the areas larger than 3 meters so there’s enough space for humans to be distant when they are around the course.

2-4: Limit the number of people who can be on their course

Provided there must be a few people to prevent horses from running away, there are too many humans on the track at the current event. Limit the number of trained people who can actually stop horses. The track has no way out so we should not allow minors to be in the course.

3.Treatment of Horses

3-1: Discontinue the current stick to replace with a whip used for riding horses

It’s not allowed to use a hard stick in horseback riding or horse racing. Also, we should ban them from whipping horses unless they absolutely need to as we have observed excited riders use the stick violently. They may use a whip for horseback riding but they can only use it to give cues to the horse.

3-2: Prohibit pulling a horse bit

The bits are known to cause pain since a rider applies pressure to the horse’s mouth to control the animal. There’s an alternative called hackamore, which is more animal friendly. They should at least prohibit pulling the bit to hurt horses.

3-3: When transporting, do not make injured horses walk further. Secure the route for horses when injury occurs

In case a horse gets injured, we need to use a cargo to transport the animal instead of making the animal walk. Additionally, we need to secure the route so a veterinarian can treat the horse immediately.

4.Riders

4-1: Riders should receive training to learn basics such as riding, trotting, canterring, and giving cues prior to the festival. Ideally, the training period should be longer than 6 months and they should not be allowed to participate if they are unable to navigate commands.

4-2: Change the riders’ attire to reduce aerodynamic drag

The current attire for the riders is tiring horses quickly since it has direct impact from wind.

4-3: Hire instructors with the following experiences to train riders

Instructor experience in horse racing if the festival intends to make horses sprint
Instructor experience in horseback riding if the festival intends to discontinue to make horses sprint but rather have them canter
Either case, hire active instructors as opposed to retired ones so they can teach most updated rules in those sports as well as animal welfare issues today

5.Audiences

5-1: Audiences must keep distance from the track for horses

Horses are such sensitive animals that they may be immobilized should their environment render. Unfamiliar places or people tend to put them under a lot of stress and yet, there are only 3 meters in width for the horse track in the current festival setting. They may be too scared, and even worse, they can get uncontrollable if they’re too scared of humans around. Given this nature of the animals, they usually have enough distance from audiences in horse racings so we must consider implementing a similar format.

5-2: Audiences should not make too much noise

People tend to yell, scream, or make lots of noise at the festival, which may scare the horses. This should not be allowed.