Statues, Owls, and New Places

 October 22, 2026
St. Michael's Farm Preserve
4.85 miles
2h7m

Nothing to see here.

Probably nobody wants to read about every single trail ride I take my horse on, but I'm having so much fun. Also I take too many pictures and they have to go somewhere.

As I mentioned in my last post, Hannah and I were on a roll with finding new places to ride locally. 

On our way home from our cart-and-taxidermy field trip, we passed the St. Michael's Farm Preserve in Hopewell. I mostly wanted to show Hannah the huge sculpture that is installed just beyond the main parking lot. We agreed we needed to get between-the-ears photos of this thing. 

Mike and I used to walk the dogs at this park because it's so close to our house. Once or twice, we saw some local women riding their horses on trail. The park brochure didn't specify whether horses were allowed or not, but it is a farm park, right?

The park is situated on about 400 acres and features between six and seven miles of trail, depending on where you look. This was enough to warrant further exploration.

Fun fact: apparently this land was the home of an orphan asylum until the 70s! This was a fun rabbit hole. There is a ton of media available if history is your thing. 

Check out the nun's face. Eek. If Hannah and I get haunted by children, we know why...

That's how we ended up meeting for a ride on a random Thursday night. Because my house is between Hannah's and the park (and closer to the park). Hannah brought Max down for me in her trailer. I'll admit that having the horse delivered was a nice perk. 

While Hannah made her way down, I took the back way up Aunt Molly Road to scope out alternate parking. I know this park can get crowded at times. The main lot is plenty big enough for a horse trailer, but I wanted to have a backup plan just in case.

As it turns out, we had the entire park to ourselves. Our vehicles were the only ones in the lot when Hannah arrived.

We started with the statue, of course. 

For those who don't remember random facts I posted a few years ago, the sculpture is The Awakening by Seward Johnson. The original was located in DC for 27 years before being moved to nearby Maryland. There are several replicas, including one in Italy. Ours is the fifth and final edition and was met with a mixed bag of emotions when it was installed in town in 2023.

The sculptor had ties to the area and was a grandson of Robert Wood Johnson, co-founder of J&J. 

(And here you thought we were going to talk about horseback riding... Silly you. I've had two bowls of coffee!)

Hannah and I rode Max and Merlin right up to the sculpture. Unlike many art exhibits, touching and even climbing are allowed. The horses were their usual saintly selves as we photographed the sculpture from several angles. The horses provided an excellent sense of scale.

Merlin is 15.3hh, for reference.

Once we got our fill of the giant bearded man clawing his way out of the earth, we proceeded to have a lovely ride around the farm park. We circled the fields, visited the red barn, and passed the gazebo. We soaked in the golden rays of the setting sun and moved out in a few places.

Learning some bird facts. 

*happy exhale*

In the corner of one of the fields, we found a little singletrack trail through the woods. I figured we would take this out to Aunt Molly Road and continue to the far side of the park. 

We were about to ride down the hill to the creek when I glanced over my shoulder. The view stopped me in my tracks. There was a shroud of mist gathered on the banks above the stream, and the setting sun cast an orange light between the trees. Their trunks threw long shadows through the haze. The effect was mesmerizing. 

Of course, photos don't do it justice.

After a quick U-turn to take in the magical light, we headed back down the hill to cross the creek. There was a massive log across the trail and we dismounted to maneuver over it. It shouldn't have been a big deal, but Max made some questionable life choices and insisted on going over the highest part. He eventually figured it out and I wasn't on him so that worked out. We did laugh at his expense though.

We crossed Aunt Molly Road. I remembered a lollipop loop across the street. We used to walk this with Herbie in her golden years. 

Hannah and I spent a little while circling a big field before we realized the trail was further down the street. Whoops!

We were in the road when we heard a car absolutely flying towards us around the bend. Keep in mind, this is a gravel road with a 25 mph speed limit. 

To be safe, we got the horses back on the grass. Thank goodness we had the option! Moments later, a minivan came whipping around the bend so fast that he bottomed out. He never slowed down, even after he saw the horses. Luckily neither Max nor Merlin cared at all, but this could have been really ugly with a green or spooky horse.

That would have made my blood boil anyway, but the thing that sent me over the edge was that this was a school van. This person transports innocent children for a living.

Despite his warp speed, I was able to get a look at his badging. The vehicle was from the Solebury School right over the border in Pennsylvania.

I immediately picked up my phone and called their office. I left a message describing the vehicle and driver and providing our location. 

I felt like a little bit of a Karen about this, but a few days later there was a terrible accident involving a school van on the other side of town. Several people were air lifted in critical condition. If my call could potentially prevent a similar scenario, I stand by my decision. 

Ugh!

After that close call, we found the correct trail head and did the lollipop loop.

One last picture before we lost the light.

This part of the trail was a little more technical than I anticipated. There were a lot of ups, downs, gullies, and questionable foot bridges. We went slowly and carefully, dismounting as needed. At one point, I hand walked for a while just because there were a lot of low hanging branches, and it was getting dark enough that I didn't want to lose an eye.

Despite the challenges, we enjoyed this trail. As darkness fell, we heard several great horned owls hooting all around us. Owls are one of those creatures that never lose their magic, no matter how many times I encounter them. Hannah and I agreed it was worth getting bloodied up by some thorns to hear the owls calling in the moonlight. 

I am not complaining about all the wonderful night riding I've gotten to do this fall.

The moon that night was particularly bright. Hannah and I followed the fields back to the trailer and were able to see clearly long after the sun set. The temperature dropped quickly after dark and I was very ready for my sweatshirt when we dismounted in the parking lot.

Hannah and I agreed this park would be worth revisiting. We ran out of light before we were able to do all the trails, which means there's more for next time. 

Once the horses were untacked, I followed Hannah back to her farm for my nightly routine. 

I once again found myself feeling grateful for this season's adventures. As Sandy said, this year has had a lot of chapters, and I've been enjoying this one immensely. There's something especially satisfying about discovering new places and expanding our horizons without venturing far from home. It turns out there's still plenty of adventure waiting right in our own backyard.

After a week of exploring new places, we set our sights on the weekend. It was time for our next grand adventure!