There is a particular morning each October when the air turns. The dust settles a little earlier, the light comes in lower across the paddocks, and the horses are noticeably brighter on the lead rope. That is the morning of the first long ride of the season.
We leave the yard before six, in a loose line, and take the ridge path towards the hills. Nobody says very much. The horses know the way better than we do, and the point of the ride is less the destination than the hour itself — the first one of the year that feels cool enough to stay out in.
The horses know the way better than we do.
By the time we are back, breakfast is laid out under the trees, and the season has properly begun. From now until March, there is a dawn ride every morning for any guest who would like one.
