It's been a rocky, rough road the last couple of weeks and as a result, I'm pretty beat up - mentally, emotionally, and physically. I've been on a mission lately to suck the very most out of life, out of every single day. I'm starting to realize that I'm not getting any younger and things can change in the blink of an eye, so I'm not hesitating on taking chances and making the most of any situation. That being said, a few months ago, my dear friend Nora presented me with an invitation to go horseback riding. At the time, it was swelteringly hot outside and the days were long. I've always had a fear of horses...having had my mother nearly break every bone in her body many years ago and having fallen off a few times myself as a kid. I have a very healthy respect for any creature that is bigger and stronger and more stubborn and wild and smarter than I am, and horses are the perfect storm of all of those things.
A couple of years ago, Sam and I went on vacation to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and had the opportunity to take an excursion that included snorkeling, kayaking, and riding through the jungle on horseback to a private beach for the day. I decided that that would be the perfect way for me to conquer my fear of horses, so we signed ourselves up. Well, Mexican jungle horses are pretty damn mellow...and small. They are used to monkeys and lizards and rain and flies and who knows what else, and they couldn't care less what's going on around them. It was the perfect re-introduction to riding for me. Two years later, we went back with the boys and took them on the same excursion and we all loved it. I was becoming more comfortable with controlling the horse and moving with it so I didn't stiffen up and make things harder for myself. I still, however, insist on wearing my helmet...just in case.
So, today, Nora treated me to a ride through the desert between Sedona and Cottonwood...and it was perfect.
She picked me up at 8:30 we made our way to the little red barn that marked the starting point. It had rained during the night which made for perfect scattered clouds in the sky and just enough moisture in the soil to keep the dust at bay. After filling out paperwork and meeting our gracious hosts for the morning, we all loaded up and headed out.
After requesting basically "a sofa with legs", I got the biggest horse in the stable, a sexy blonde alpha named Sedona. Our guide informed me that she is only one of 400 horses of her breed and coloration known on the planet. How full of bologna he was, I can't be sure of. All I know is that she was the sweetest, best behaved and coolest horse I've ever had the pleasure of sitting upon. (As a disclaimer, I'm going to go ahead and warn you all of the sheer amount of selfies and shots of the back of my horse's head present in this particular blog, but you know...you've gotta do what you've gotta do, am I right?, and also, it's my blog so I'll do with it whatever I damn well please)
We started out on kind of wide ATV road and meandered east on a series of trails and washes that eventually led us to the base of some small hills that ended up being just gorgeous. The weather was perfect, the light was perfect, our guide was thoroughly entertaining...it was just what I needed.
Nora had the pleasure of riding "Mocha"...a delightfully gassy steed that just let it out pretty much the entire ride. It was cracking us all up. Too much alfalfa I guess. Sedona would creep right up behind Mocha, get a mouthful, and back off a few yards...poor girl. Pretty damn funny though.
We stopped at the top for a few minutes, had a drink, let the horses rest and snack a little, and took some pictures.
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| We blondes like to stick together :) |
After taking a little break, we headed up the base of the mountains...it was slightly more dangerous, but oh, so beautiful. I kept looking around, pretending I was in the old west, taking my bounty to the 3:10 train in Yuma :)
After coming back down, we began to make our way back to the tiny red barn. At some point along this trek, the girl behind me saw a rattlesnake but remained calm so as to not freak her horse out. I heard the guide behind me telling her to keep calm and that he would keep her safe, so I asked what happened, and thanked god I wasn't the one who saw it...or my horse. I must have been too busy taking pictures to notice ;)
I made it back to the stable, safe and sound, and relaxed, and sore...but it was such a great day. I feel like "Sedona" helped me conquer my fears and I was totally at ease the entire ride...even galloping. I'm so glad I went, and I've even made arrangements to go back with Sam for a romantic ride - just the two of us. Today was just what my soul needed and I couldn't be more grateful to Nora for taking me on this journey.