After we left Guana Nature Preserve, we loaded up the horses, still saddled, and drove the short distance to Ponte Vedra Beach, a beautiful beach that allows horseback riding and has ample horse trail parking. The parking lot even has very nice mounting steps, too!
I was so excited to ride on the beach! It had been on my Bucket List for many years! And as we got closer, I got even more excited!!
Oh my!! We're here!! There's the ocean! The waves are crashing!
I kept thinking I should pinch myself! Ranger was so calm and so tolerant of my excitement.
KD and her lovely mare, Stylin', Ranger's Mama.
Cathi and her handsome gelding Busta.
It was time to get closer to the water and play!
Ranger had been in the ocean many times before, and deep too. So I wasn't nervous about his reaction. It was just a normal day for him.
But it sure wasn't for me!
It was truly one of the best days of my entire life!
I wanted it to last and I wanted to keep taking photos to memorialize this day!
Cathi and Busta were having a great time, too!
And so were KD and Stylin.
They both encouraged me to ride Ranger deeper into the water, but ironically, that was my least favorite thing to do. When I was surrounded by the water on all sides, I could feel the sand sucking at Ranger's feet and every time I looked down, I felt dizzy and a little nauseous. It didn't seem to bother Ranger at all, though. And I think he was a little disappointed we weren't wading in deeper.
But we did take a nice long stroll along the beach and that was my favorite part. It was so soothing to hear the waves and see the water, all while being gently lulled by the horse's movement beneath me.
Ever since I was a child, I've always enjoyed taking walks on the beach. Doing it on horseback takes it to a whole new amazing level.
But the sun was starting to set and our shadows were getting longer. We needed to turn around and head back to the trailer soon.
I really could have stayed there forever. It was just so magically beautiful.
I kept thanking my friends and Ranger for such an amazing experience and a wonderful day.
But it was time to ride back to the parking lot.
We were all taking our own sweet, slow time leaving, though. Even the horses walked slower while leaving than they did when we had arrived.
As we rode off into the sunset.......
I cannot imagine a more amazingly, awesome, incredible, fantastic, more spectacular day!!
But, my Florida Horse Riding Adventure was far from over!!
Stay Tuned!
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