Decided the horses and we were fit enough for a longer ride today, so we tackled the long loop of the Orange Trail, which was about 10 miles. It began on a long stretch of the hard-packed road, which was dirt/sand and some gravel, then, after almost missing an unmarked turn, we found our way to the orange markers and never had any further navigation problems. It was mostly a truly lovely trail, wide enough to ride side by side most of the way. Lots of pine trees and some oaks, as well as scrub palms throughout. One section took us to an older growth part of the forest which was truly nice, lots of hanging moss, but most was pretty much well-managed forest. Some of the trails had obviously been part of the race, others were a bit less used, giving us a chance to see what the trails would usually be like. We had a great time, though, and the horses seemed to enjoy themselves as much as we did for the full ten miles, with lots of cantering and trotting along the way!
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