[Time Passes] Reflecting on the Weight of 100 Years of History of the Athletic Association Equestrian Club During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2022/04/26

Photo: At the 100th Anniversary Ceremony

The Equestrian Club of this Juku was fortunately able to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2020. This is entirely thanks to the many stakeholders who have provided guidance and support in various forms over the long span of 100 years, and it is the fruit of the efforts of our predecessors who built this history. I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude.

As the Equestrian Club, established in 1920 as the 11th club of the Athletic Association of this Juku, reached its 100th anniversary, the Equestrian Club and its alumni organization, the Mita Equestrian Society, decided to take this opportunity to express gratitude to those who have helped us and to improve the practice and horse-rearing environments for the further development of the club. We decided to implement four projects: "Full Renovation of the Hiyoshi Riding Ground," "Expansion and Renovation of the Hiyoshi Stables," "Compilation of the 100th Anniversary Commemorative Book," and "Holding the 100th Anniversary Ceremony."

First is the "Renovation of the Riding Ground." The Equestrian Club practices at a riding ground located in a corner of the Hiyoshi Campus. Over the years, this Hiyoshi riding ground had become uneven and had poor drainage, which was affecting the horses' legs—their very lifeblood. Therefore, we decided to temporarily remove all the current soil, re-level the ground, and then lay down a new three-layer soil structure designed for better drainage.

We planned to carry out the construction in the summer of 2020 while the horses and club members were away from Hiyoshi for training camp. However, the COVID-19 pandemic struck, forcing all clubs in the Athletic Association to suspend activities and cancel training camps. During the construction period, the Equestrian Club members had to rent stables at an equestrian venue in Tsukui, Kanagawa Prefecture. The members were forced into a very demanding routine, commuting daily from their homes to Tsukui while struggling with infection control measures.

Thanks to such efforts, in September 2020, the Hiyoshi Riding Ground underwent its first full renovation since its opening, and a reborn riding ground was born.

The next project implemented was the "Expansion and Renovation of the Stables." The existing stables were built in 1984, but as horses have become larger in recent years, the stalls (horse rooms) had become cramped, and it was necessary to improve comfort from the perspective of horse welfare. Additionally, the grooms' quarters and club rooms on the second floor of the existing stables had become dilapidated. Therefore, we planned to expand the stalls in the existing stables, build an extension with six large stalls, and fully renovate the second floor of the existing stables.

This construction was scheduled for the summer of 2021, the year after the riding ground renovation, during the period when the horses and members would be absent. However, the fifth wave of COVID-19 struck again. As in the previous year, the members were forced to transport the horses and commute to Tsukui, spending their summer under many restrictions for the second consecutive year.

Nevertheless, the project was completed successfully, and we were able to resume club activities in a new environment. I am confident that this will lead to the improvement of the members' mind, technique, and body, and ultimately to better competitive results.

These two construction projects were handled entirely by the Office of Facilities and Property Management of the Juku and proceeded under the full guidance of the Athletic Association Office. These projects were made possible by donations from many alumni and stakeholders, and I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude.

In parallel, we proceeded with the "Compilation of the 100th Anniversary Commemorative Book." To motivate the members and make the club stronger, it is essential for them to know its past history. Furthermore, to help various people outside the club learn more about the Equestrian Club of this Juku, I believed it was very important to firmly record our 100-year history in a tangible form.

We began the compilation using the "75th Anniversary Commemorative Book," a masterpiece created through the great efforts of our predecessors at the time of the 75th anniversary, as a foundation. We incorporated plenty of episodes and visuals, researched records as much as possible, and put in great effort to make it more realistic and dynamic so that many people would want to pick it up and read it.

There were periods when interviews and data collection were difficult due to the impact of the pandemic, but thanks to the efforts and teamwork of everyone involved, it was successfully completed. In addition to being taken home by those who attended the 100th Anniversary Ceremony, it is being distributed to internal and external stakeholders.

The finale of the four projects was the "Holding of the 100th Anniversary Ceremony." We began planning a grand event to express gratitude to the many stakeholders who have helped us throughout our long history, and to serve as a place for Equestrian Club OBs and OGs to gather and strengthen their unity in support of the club's future.

Initially planned for March 2020, the event was postponed for a year due to the pandemic. It was rescheduled for March 5 of this year, but due to the sixth wave at the beginning of the year, we had to give up on serving food and drinks at the ceremony and made the sudden decision to hold it in a significantly scaled-down format. During this time, thanks to the efforts of the members who rushed to handle various changes, planning, and preparation, we managed to hold the event at the Grand Prince Hotel New Takanawa.

On the day of the event, 254 people participated, including President Itoh and other members of the Juku executive leadership, directors and alumni association chairs of various Athletic Association clubs, various stakeholders from the equestrian world, Mita Equestrian Society members, and club members including those from the Senior High School and the Girls' Senior High School. The President gave us warm words of encouragement, saying, "I am confident that the Equestrian Club members will firmly overcome the COVID-19 pandemic," which we all took deeply to heart.

The 100-year history can be described as a history of overcoming disasters such as the Great Kanto Earthquake and World War II. Fighting against COVID-19 in our 100th year may be an omen for the next 100 years that people can grow more only by overcoming hardships. I expect that various difficulties lie ahead, but while hoping that the club members will continue to devote themselves with the belief that the future will surely open up, I pray for the further development of the Athletic Association Equestrian Club.