Riley & Minnow | Megalong Valley, NSW

In the folds of the Megalong Valley, where the land runs wide beneath the Blue Mountain’s sandstone cliffs, there’s a patch of land Riley’s called home most of his life. Sixteen years ago, his family took up on a horse and tourism property, a hard-working patch that once ran close to a hundred head, loud with boots, saddles, and the clatter of hooves. These days, it’s a little quieter. Just a handful of old horses roam the paddocks now, and the land’s shifted to slow camping and quiet stays.

Riley’s been in the saddle nearly as long as he’s been walking. He didn’t just grow up on horses, he grew up working them. Weekends were spent out the back mustering, shifting the mob from one side of the valley to the other, sorting which ones were fit for work and which were done for the week. He guided trail rides, helped run the yards, and later took up team sorting. These days, he’s learning the trade as an apprentice farrier; hammer in hand and polocrosse on the horizon. While the mob may be a little smaller now, they still shape the man he’s becoming.

At 17, nearly 18, Riley already knows the land better than most. He’ll tell you his favourite part of living in Megalong isn’t just the ridgelines or river bends though, there’s plenty of both, it’s the adventure. The bush camps. The dirt bikes. The mates. It’s the way this valley still feels untouched. How you can ride out and find a new clearing or secret lookout every time. And more than that, it’s the people, the kind who know your name, and your story.

On this ride, he’s teamed up with Minnow, a tough-as-nails station-bred stock horse with just as much heart as her rider. Together, they move like they were made for this place.

Some folks are born into the city. Others are born into the saddle and Riley’s feet barely touched the ground.