1,500 miles - One Horse, One Rider, One Year~

Sunshine & Shadow~

Today - we reached our goal!  1,500-miles since the first of this year.  Farah did it All!  We did a lot of it on our own...  Including this ride - that I knew would take us over the top.  In a way, it was fitting that these last miles were riding out from home, on our trails - after all, they're the trails where we first starting riding horses!

On our way~

It was somewhat bittersweet...  We didn't win the Derby, we managed to stay in second place all year long - knowing full well that there was no way we were going to win.  The motivation came from knowing that if we continued on - Farah would be the highest mileage horse in the Derby for the second year in a row.  That was the number of miles we needed to surpass the distance we traveled last season.

Wetland

Heading north, we visited the big wetland, then crossed through the water flowing over the road & headed on to the point farthest north on these lines, where it's blocked by a gate.

It actually got pretty deep at the far end!

From here, we passed the bottom of another wetland, now partially choked with reed canary grass...

Here is what a Wetland looks like when an invasive plant takes over...

Taking a closer look - we did see our Hawk friend!

Do you see him?

The last trail heading west, goes just a short way - then dead-ends at the last wetland of this string.

Another quiet beauty~

It had been a long time since we'd been this way & I wish there was a way to continue on.  Instead, we turned back.  The day was a quiet one, the birds weren't out - or if they were - we didn't see them.  No deer, no people - just a light haze of smoke in the air.

The Homestead - Between Farah's ears~

Some may not believe, but I really think I could tell the difference in the quality of the daylight on this first week of Winter!   It was thin, the golden glow of Fall has been replaced with the shades of blue/gray of the winter months.  Subdued colors - but lots of those.

With horse people - bragging up one's mount is a recurring theme that I try to avoid - but there are those days, those times, when Farah deserves her due.  She's proven herself to me & cemented her place in my heart...

I'm done counting miles...  Now - tack is getting washed, Linda's saddle is getting cleaned & conditioned, my new one may arrive one of these days...  All will be ready for the new year & what it brings.  Finally - we rest & kick-back to enjoy the holidays!