TWD - Phase Three

Rider: Ilpo Salomäki
Main mount: Pikku-Tauno
Packing horses: Vartti & Vestmanviiki
Apologies: to everyone amazing who drew my dude and pons and whose dudes and pons I didn't have time/energy to draw in return ;__; you are amazing

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late December 2015, nearing Baikal lake shore

After the last checkpoint Ilpo had got angry. Not at the horses or other teams, but at himself, because he had insisted (by himself) that travelling at night and during horrible snow storms had been a good idea, and that had eventually lead to a number of unfortunate and unnecessary wrong turns and day-time rests.
The last day was full of sunshine, and when the landscape began to seem more open, Ilpo smiled. He could already see the lake from where they stood, and then it hit him. They really did it.
Tauno had done marvelously. Of course the small blue-eyed stallion was a nice horse to hack with, but he had never done anything like this before, and Ilpo was happy to see that there really was enough power in the sturdy legs to carry them through this crazy trip. Vartti was even more of a miracle even after training, since the bigger chestnut was mostly a dressage horse. He still had no trouble with an endurance trip like this. Ilpo was proud of them all, his own Vesti too. Not that he had ever really doubted the flaxen gelding.
"Hyvä, pojat,"* he said softly and patted Tauno's neck before unhooking the lead ropes of the packing horses from his saddle.
"Eikös katota, kuka on eka maalissa,"** he smiled. The three Finnhorses snorted happily when Ilpo urged Tauno to a gallop through the powder-like snow, and soon it was just the thudding of hooves in snow and the huffs of the horses' breaths. Luckily they had thick winter coats and didn't mind the cool air one bit.
Maybe they wouldn't be the first team on the finish line, or second, or even third, but damn, they did well nevertheless.

* "Well done, boys."
** "Let's see who's the first one to reach the finish line."