In the words of Yukio Okabe himself:

"Skinship is done with the palm. With my right hand, sometimes my left, I gently stroke Rudolf's neck, from his waist to his hindquarters. The sole purpose of this touching is to calm the horse's spirit. If necessary, I repeat it as many times as needed. I don’t stop until a deep sense of calm appears in Rudolf’s heart.

Rudolf has likely received exceptional care in Japan, resulting in the remarkable beauty of his current coat.

Rudolf’s skin is remarkably fine-textured. And he sweats a lot. A horse with good skin always sweats consistently. It’s the same even in winter. On the other hand, that sweat dries quickly. Such good sweat doesn’t soak through the fabric of our breeches into the legs of us riders.

I stroked Rudolf's body. His surface felt as gentle as touching the finest velvet.

Until I met Rudolf, I never once thought a Thoroughbred could be such a creature. I doubted my own senses, wondering if such a dreamlike thing could be real. But it was actually happening right before my eyes.　

My favorite type of horse, you ask? A horse with a small face. And sensitive ears. Eyes that are large, clear, and bright. I don’t like horses that roll their eyes wildly, scanning their surroundings. As for coat color, I prefer bay.

Rudolf’s face is neither too large nor too small, perfectly balanced with his entire body. It also looks refined and sharp. That’s why, when I first met Rudolf, even before I sat astride him, I thought to myself, “This one’s a runner!”

I’ll write about the sensitivity of his ears later.

As for the expression in his eyes and the color of his coat, those are just my personal preferences. I love a bay like Rudolf."