Farmer strives to preserve indigenous Japanese horses

A farm raising only indigenous Japanese horses has been opened near a shrine known as a "horses' sacred site" in western Japan, with the owner aiming to boost breeding to preserve such species.Japanese horses were once raised across the country to work in fields and transport goods and people. However, the indigenous horse population decreased as modern transportation developed and currently there are only some 1,700 left, according to the Japan Equine Affairs Association.Ikumi Isobe, the 33-year-old owner of the Mikarinonomori farm, was engaged in projects to preserve indigenous horses and…READ FULL ARTICLE