Lone Ranger, Tonto, and Silver

Our first adventure in Scottsdale was a morning trail ride through the Sonoran Desert. When I booked it, I told the person who took our reservation that I am a "city slicker" and I really did NOT need to ride any horse named "Thunder", "Lightening", or "Widowmaker". That was a joke, but when Grace heard this she said those would be the perfect horses for her!

 When we arrived at the stables, Grace quickly made friends with several horses and started guessing which one she would ride. Ever the adventurer, she wanted the biggest, strongest horse!

Grace ended up with a kind, smaller horse named Sadie who liked to follow the others. The guide told us that Sadie didn't like other horses to follow her so she tended to be the last horse in the line during the ride.

Kyle rode Billy and I was on Molly.  They led us through an hour-long desert ride that included pretty scenery. I was hoping for some animal sightings, but other than birds, there were none. We were told that over 2,000 species of plants and animals like birds, snakes, coyotes, lizards, jackrabbits, and mountain lions make the desert their home.

Grace loved being on the horse and commented several times how she was standing up. Since Sadie lagged behind there were times when she needed to trot to catch up with the group. Grace's giggles during those minutes were priceless!

We had a fun time on our horses. I learned a little about the Saguaro cactus which will be the subject of another post. The entire time I kept imagining how difficult it must have been to be a pioneer crossing this terrain in a covered wagon. You have to wonder why anyone would attempt this and how they survived in such primitive, dangerous conditions. 

At the end of our ride, we thanked our guide with a tip and our horse with a treat!