On November 21, 2024, a trial experiment was held on the Fugouchi River to investigate the possibility of using horses for river management.

Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine is promoting initiatives aimed at broadening the use of horses.This project was also realized by the Obihiro Development and Construction Department as part of the co-creation initiatives set forth in the 9th Hokkaido Comprehensive Development Plan.

On the day of the project, we checked the situation of the river from a high vantage point on horseback in an area that was inaccessible to vehicles.The horses were able to see farther by gaining a viewpoint higher than human height, and were also able to traverse areas that were previously inaccessible, such as tall grass and areas with poor footholds that had not been cleared, so various uses for the horses can be expected.In the future, we would like to conduct a trial test in snowy conditions.

We will continue to contribute to the continuation and development of the “horse culture” that has been developed along with the history of Tokachi pioneering, and we will promote initiatives to expand the scope of our activities while keeping pace with the horses, with an eye to new possibilities for river management in the future.

A video of the project has been received and added. We have also added a symbol mark that represents the “co-creation” initiatives set forth in the 9th Hokkaido Comprehensive Development Plan. Please take a look.