Saddled at the edge of pasture as the sun begins to tip toward the Broken Back Range, riders fall into a slow, deliberate cadence: hooves on packed earth, a breeze that cools the neck, and the valley’s light softening into pink and gold. The guide fits helmets and reviews a few simple commands; then, at walking pace, the group threads through open farmland and pockets of dry sclerophyll bush. Wildlife stirs — kookaburras call and kangaroos silhouette against the fading sky — while the ridge holds the last, sharp line of daylight.