On our Anniversary Trip, Devin surprised me even more by taking me HORSEBACK RIDING on Friday! Neither of us had ever legitimately ridden a horse, and were both a little nervous, but the people and horses at A OK Corral were awesome. Our guide, Ashley and her horse Ruger took us on a 3 hour trip up into the Grand Teton National Forest on the backs of two sweet horses!
Devin rode a horse named Applejack that slightly resembled a Dalmatian (look at those spots!), and my horse was named BJ. Almost immediately after climbing into that saddle, I felt totally comfortable. We learned how to control the horses and lead them where we wanted to go, and were off! The weather was drizzly and chilly, which we both preferred - it was so green and pretty and hardly rained! Our horses were awesome, and we had the time of our lives! It was easily one of the most amazing things I've ever done. I'm sure people who are around horses all the time think that sounds weird, because it's so second nature to them, but I had always been a little afraid of horses. They're huge! I was surprised to find how friendly they are and how much personality they have! They head-butt you so you'll pet them, and they sneeze like crazy! Adorable.
BJ, the horse I rode, was constantly biting the horse in front of him to get him to go faster, and I wasn't supposed to let him snack on the plants as we went along (which was almost always a problem). He was an awesome horse though. We got along, I'd say. About 3/4 of the way up the trail, it seemed like he decided he was done, because every time we stopped to let the horses catch their breath and take pictures, he would try to turn around and head back down. It's sort of a nerve-racking thing to fight a horse on who's the boss. I would tug on the reins to get him to turn back around and he'd whip his head back to fight it - a little scary! It didn't take long for him to realize we weren't done yet, and he was mostly well-behaved. Once we did turn around, he knew that meant we were headed back home, and every time we even so much as paused, he would chomp at his bit. I now understand the phrase "chomping at the bit"! It's a real thing! He was so anxious that he would just chomp away so impatiently - it was hilarious!
Devin's horse, on the other hand, was a total sweetheart. Except for the fact that he chose to JUMP over the creeks we passed, instead of just walk through them. It was a little funny to watch, and it didn't scare Devin, either!
Even though we left in a LOT of pain in places we didn't know you could feel pain, we're already talking about making a day trip into Jackson just to come horseback riding again when we come up in July to camp with our families! It was so worth it - and not even that expensive!
So in case you're ever in Jackson, and feel like riding a horse, look up A OK Corral! We left completely satisfied.
