Miyazaki: Annual Health Checks Conducted on Wild Horses on Cape; About 100 of National Treasure Treated

The Yomiuri Shimbun

12:05 JST, October 13, 2024

KUSHIMA, Miyazaki — A horse drive was held last month to conduct annual health checks on wild horses in a tourist spot in Cape Toi in Kushima, Miyazaki Prefecture.

About 100 wild horses live on the cape. The horses are of a breed called Misaki-uma, designated a national natural treasure.

On Sept. 28, members of Toi Misaki Maki Kumiai, an association that cares for the wild horses, University of Miyazaki students and residents shouted and held bamboo sticks to guide the wild horses into a fenced area.

According to the association, the gathered horses’ blood was drawn and medications were administered, after which the horses were released back into the fields on the cape.

Misaki-uma horses are one of Japan’s native breed varieties and characterized by its low stature and large head.