Joanne's Blog: Sometimes you have to get off the bike...

And ride a horse instead! And after today, I think my horse to bike balance needs to be restored. I'm in Phoenix, AZ for the week attending a conference for work, but I arrived at 10am this morning (Sunday) and was determined to make the most of the afternoon. At the suggestion of my friend Marj, I booked a private horseback riding tour of the Arizona backcountry with Scott from Equinature Tours.

I was a little nervous at first, meeting some stranger at an Express Fuels gas station off the interstate, seemingly in the middle of nowhere Arizona, but I trust Marj and when she said it was one of her favorite lifetime experiences I decided I wanted to go. I was most relieved when Scott turned out to be a super nice gray haired older gentleman. And I was even more relieved when he made me sign all these waivers and I knew he ran a legit organization!

Now just because I've switched from a bike to a horse for the day, doesn't mean I can't still wear biking gear! I'm cycling on this trip too - and though I desperately failed to pack as light as I wanted, I figured the biking/horseback riding clothes could be one in the same. And is there really much difference between a bike helmet and horseback riding helmet? I don't think so.

Anyway, I rode Pisco, a very calm gentle buckskin quarterhorse that liked to snack on the plants every chance she got. Though she initially was quite spooked when I was walking her around the ring, she settled in and found her rythm out on the trail. This Western riding took some getting used to. I haven't been on a horse in years, and haven't ridden Western since I was 10. Scott gave me a crash course in the ring before heading out on the trail so I could get used to not using my legs to steer the horse (my inner thighs will thank me tomorrow!) and only holding the reigns with one hand. He was quick to pick up on my habit of letting the horse take me wherever it wants to go, and was shouting at me to take charge. (It was starting to remind me of a conversation I had with Lou at work, and I'm thinking I need to convince EEI to pay for some horseback riding lessons as "professional development.")

For 3 or so hours, Scott led me on a tour of the Coconino Forest. Though not what you would consider a forest on the east coast, it was beautiful in that dry desert sort of way. I saw my first cacti, prickly pears, and a number of other plants and creatures you just don't see back east.