Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a media franchise turned video game with a very unique core concept: it takes real-life famous horses, and turns them into anime horse girls competing in on-foot races. Despite the bizarre nature of Umamusume, it’s become incredibly popular in recent years, with players swiftly becoming enamoured by ‘kemonomimi’ anime horse girl versions of real-life horses Haru Urara, Gold Ship, Special Week, Mejiro McQueen, and more.
By nature, these Umamusume kemonomimi are designed to be likeable and cute, with each horse girl having their own story (again, inspired by real-life horse antics) and special abilities. In-game, players are encouraged to form bonds with these girls, with this also encouraging gacha spending.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby has driven a notable increase in interest towards horse racing in Japan, and has also now seemingly inspired countless players to visit many of the still-living horses the main characters are inspired by. Per video game developer Cygames, which is responsible for the game adaptation enthralling players globally, some of these visitors have been so disruptive that new guidelines and rules need issuing.
In a blog post thanking players for their support, Cygames has outlined an array of behaviours that visitors to real-life horse stables must display, to keep everything running smoothly – and frankly, to ensure bad behaviour doesn’t reflect on the company and gaming fans, as a whole.
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‘Thank you for supporting Umamusume: Pretty Derby. The game is made possible by the cooperation of racehorse owners and personnel who allow us to retell their horses’ stories,’ Cygames explained. ‘To keep fan visits smooth, please be aware of the dos and don’ts of visiting real horses in Japan.’
‘In the past, there have been instances of visitors neglecting stable rules, trespassing, and photographing/filming without the stable’s consent. It is important to remember that these stables are where real living horses are born, raised, and spend their later years, and that the personnel on-site are working hard day after day to care for them.’
As noted by Cygames, horses are ‘extremely sensitive to their surroundings’ and so, visitors are encouraged to follow good etiquette when visiting stables – no matter how enamoured they are by their digital horse girl companions.
A subsequent nine-step plan to ensure respectfulness from Umamusume: Pretty Derby fans has been published alongside this encouragement, with this outlining when and how to visit stables, and what behaviours should be displayed when visiting.
While many of the rules are basic, it does appear they need to be said. In recent weeks, the stable housing the real-life Haru Urara noted a wave of notifications on a recent birthday post for the horse, with overseas followers to the stable’s account increasing dramatically. There has also been significantly increased interest in visiting the stable, with reservations reportedly filling up fast.
As strange as it sounds, it appears Umamusume: Pretty Derby and its menagerie of horse girls are having a major impact on the real-life world of horses and horse racing, with fan interest in the sport and its many horses higher than ever. Haru Urara retired years ago, but it appears her legacy (and the legacy of her horse compatriots) will live on, thanks to the popularity of her anime horse girl counterpart, who continues to steal hearts around the world.
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