Snowfield Sprint The UMAOI 2026 has concluded.

Service Description

The history of Tokachi Ranch began on April 20, 1910, when it was established as the "Tokachi Stud Farm" under the Cabinet's Horse Administration Bureau. The ranch raises four types of livestock: beef cattle, dairy cattle, horses, and sheep. In other words, it is a facility that represents the very history of livestock farming in Tokachi during the development of Hokkaido. While it is a very popular tourist destination in the summer, the ranch offers many invaluable attractions, including the hugely popular "horse herding exercise" held in winter, and its scenic beauty. Please take the time to observe the scenery with your own eyes and through your camera, and reflect on the hardships that our predecessors overcame in developing Hokkaido. A truly spectacular sight found nowhere else: Tokachi's winter tradition, the "horse herding exercise"! At Tokachi Ranch, during the winter months when grazing is not possible, they hold a "horse herding exercise" every year, where horses run on the snow to prevent them from becoming sedentary and to help pregnant horses avoid difficult births. The Ban'ei horse racing, featuring draft horses pulling sleds, is a popular tourist attraction in Tokachi, but the "horse herding exercise," where draft horses—nearly twice the size of thoroughbreds—gallop across the snow-covered plains, is truly spectacular. Whether you want to photograph it or simply watch, this scene is a quintessential symbol of Tokachi's harsh winter. Besides the horse herding exercise, there are many other sights and photo opportunities! This ranch, spanning 4,100 hectares and encompassing two first-class rivers, has many restricted areas for disease prevention and safety management. However, the accessible areas offer numerous photo opportunities, including old buildings that haven't been demolished, a 1.3km straight stretch of birch trees, and scenic views. Our staff will guide you to carefully selected photo spots. If you're lucky, you might even spot wild animals such as Hokkaido squirrels, Hokkaido chipmunks, Hokkaido hares, red foxes, and red-crowned cranes. Local sweets souvenir included! At the end of the tour, you'll receive delicious local sweets as a souvenir. Even after you leave, please enjoy the lingering feeling of "The UMAOI" – galloping across the snowfields – while savoring the souvenir sweets. ● Breeds of horses galloping in horse-driving exercises: ・Breton (Draft Horse) - Brown coat ・Percheron (Draft Horse) - White, black, and gray coat <Draft Horse Trivia> Heavy draft horses are used in Ban'ei racing and other events, and most of them are crossbreeds. This is to utilize hybrid vigor through crossbreeding. The original breeds are the Breton, Percheron, and Belgian. As crossbreeding progresses, the influence of hybrid vigor weakens, so a certain level of purity breeding and supply becomes necessary. The production and supply of these purebred horses is the role of Tokachi Ranch. In other words, all the heavy draft horses you can see at Tokachi Ranch are purebreds. ● Planned Number of Horses for Exercise 131 horses (as of January 5, 2026) [Breakdown] 　○ Mares 　・Pregnant Group A: 32 horses 　・Pregnant Group B: 27 horses 　・Infertile Group: 28 horses 　・Growing Group: 30 horses 　○ Stallions 　・1-Year-Old Group: 14 horses 　*The number of horses in each group may increase or decrease depending on the condition of the horses. ● Exercise Details Each group will exercise at a trot for approximately 3 laps around an 800m track (15-20 minutes per group). 2-3 of the 5 groups (4 groups of mares and 1 group of stallions) will be exercised. (The number of groups and horses may increase or decrease.)