TAINAI, Niigata Prefecture--As a young jockey, Masafumi Matsubara was astonished to learn that many racehorses are put down after retirement since there are few places in Japan where they can spend their golden years.

“If racehorses win competitions, their jockeys and trainers will gain honor and buyers of betting tickets will win money,” said Matsubara, 60. “Horses are living creatures that provide dreams for people but are treated like disposable objects.”

In Japan, as many as 7,000 horses are euthanized each year.

Matsubara set out on his mission 16 years ago to change the tragic fate of the animals. He established a stock farm that accepts racers and other horses that would otherwise be put down so that they can live out their natural lives.

The ranch, named Matsubara Stables, currently keeps 16 retired horses. Most are thoroughbreds that can no longer compete due to injuries, but their ranks also include a miniature horse, a breed indigenous to Japan, and other various species.

The facility is open to visitors free of charge so they can meet horses and grow closer to the animals. With a reservation made a day in advance, a visitor can take a demonstration ride for as low as 500 yen ($4.40).

Since Matsubara puts its highest priority on the horses’ health, there are no riding sessions once the temperature outside gets hotter than 30 degrees.

Matsubara Stables, which is a nonprofit organization, recently started a new program that allows children to interact with horses so they can understand the horses’ circumstances.

Matsubara Stables was created in 2005, and Yasutaka Akeboshi, 42, has taken over the operation to use the horses to offer educational programs for children.

Matsubara hails from Hokkaido’s Hidaka, a famous horse-producing area. His father works there transporting trees cut down from the mountains using horses born in the nation’s northernmost prefecture.

Matsubara has been close to horses since childhood, so the animals are “as important as people” for him.

He was invited to become a jockey at age 16 by a horsebreaker working for a racecourse in Niigata Prefecture who visited his father’s stock farm. Matsubara said it was during his racing days when he learned that horses are killed off “simply because of their wounds or poor performances.”

After serving as a stable lad and a trainer, Matsubara said he opened his own farm in the hopes of saving “as many horses as possible because I could not protect them when I was working as an active rider.”

Since then, Matsubara has attended 15 horses’ deathbeds. He takes care of them day and night when they fall ill. Running that kind of facility entails much labor but yields little profit, so few centers for retired horses have gone into operation in the country.

Matsubara and Akeboshi got to know each other after Akeboshi started showing children how to ride horses as a member of a nonprofit group in Awashimaura, Niigata Prefecture, about five years ago.

The encounter with the man devoting himself to looking after horses whose societal uses have ended made Akeboshi become skeptical about the euthanasia system for animals.

“Horses may be killed because of the egoism of humans,” Akeboshi recalled thinking at the time.

While he was still contemplating whether to put all his efforts into helping Matsubara in September last year, Akeboshi was asked by a horse owner to accept an injured thoroughbred that can no longer race.

Matsubara saw Akeboshi hesitate at the offer.

“(You) should make up your mind if you really want to save lives,” Matsubara told him.

On that advice, Akeboshi quickly decided to care for the thoroughbred.

He has since been working with Matsubara to guard horses who would otherwise be put down. Akeboshi became the head of the nonprofit organization in April this year with the aim of ensuring the activity is sustainable and hired permanent staff for the endeavor.

Earlier this year, they started a project where visitors can live close to horses on a vacant rental home near the farm. Those who want to build careers related to horses can use it to learn how to keep and handle the animals alongside the facility’s staffers at around 3,000 yen per night.

The ranch is likewise equipped with a camping site, and a group of campers can set up their tents there for upwards of 2,000 yen.

Matsubara Stables provides educational packages on its grounds and through day care centers and kindergartens. This is due to Akeboshi’s belief that children will grow up to make change occur if they understand the difficulties that horses face.

“I want children to develop an ability to be compassionate toward others through their encounters with horses,” said Akeboshi.

More information can be found at Matsubara Stables’ website (in Japanese) at (https://matsubarastables.webnode.jp/).