Horsing Around Arizona

BY JOHNNY FENTON, M.A. CONCIERGE, OMNI TUCSON NATIONAL RESORT

AZ Visitors Ask The Expert

Career Concierge, Johnny Fenton answers this popular tourist query: Q. On our bucket list for this trip out West, we want to experience its horse culture. Any suggestions?

Answer: You’re here during prime time to saddle up for a dizzying number of directional arrows in Arizona where you’re at a crossroads of choices for those interested in “horsin’ around” in the Southwest. Starting in 1939 with the filming of John Ford’s movie Stagecoach in Monument Valley and Arizona filmed at Old Tucson Studios, more than 20 significant Westerns have been filmed in our state with Hollywood’s finest mounted on horseback taming the Western frontiers and romancing the senoritas. Whether it’s riding, rodeoing or racing, it’s on tap for you in February.

NORTHERN ARIZONA “When you’re on a great horse, you have the best seat you will ever have” according to Sir Winston Churchill. If so, you can have no better introduction to horseback riding than with Navajo guide Justin Tso astride one of his Palominos, Paints or Bays on a two, three or four-hour lop through 84,000 acres of colorful sheer cliff walls of Canyon de Chelly. It was formed millions of years ago by land uplifts and stream cutting in Arizona’s Monument Valley on the Navajo Reservation at the sacred epicenter of this Native people’s creation story surrounding Spider Woman, who reigns atop Spider Rock in the Canyon. You will see ruins of cliff dwellings and possible sightings of the wild horses that roam this Canyon and Canyon del Muerto where a prehistoric Indian burial ground was discovered in 1882. Contact Justin’s horse Rentals in Chinle for two, three, or four-hour rides starting at $72. Reservations are required. (928) 675-5575.

CENTRAL ARIZONA North America’s horse history began with the introduction of this fourlegged form of transportation and farm labor by the Spaniards in their colonization of the Americas in the late 1600s as they entered our Southwestern border in pursuit of the “Seven Cities of Gold.” If you’re up for witnessing the majesty and pageantry surrounding the “breed of kings,” attend the 64th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show this month, February 14-24. You’ll witness the speed, strength, endurance, and grace of over 2,000 of the world’s oldest purebred horses as their top owners, breeders, and trainers compete for the coveted Westworld Cup. The Arabian horse, sometimes referred to as “the Drinkers of the Wind,” bred by the Bedouins in the Middle East, make this show a must see (www.scottsdaleshow.com). If you prefer to play the ponies, then Turf Paradise is in full swing for the racing season. Among many of the month-long events is the Budweiser Classic and the awarding of the Phoenix Gold Cup by the Budweiser Girls on the 9th, and Fiesta Sunday on the 24th (www.turfparadise.com). And for collectors of equestrian and cowboy art, The Legacy Gallery in Sedona in North Central Arizona offers the finest in representational and impressionistic art representing over 100 nationally acclaimed Cowboy artists including Martin Grelle, Jim Norton, John Coleman, Tom Browning and other Cowboy Artists of America (www.legacygallery.com). On the first Friday of the month, the Sedona Gallery Association holds galleries open after hours when you can often meet the artists and enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres, and live music.

SOUTHERN ARIZONA Rodeo is the way to go in Tucson at the 94th Annual La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, February 16- 24, where Western Heritage meets extreme sport when cowboys and cowgirls come to town to compete in bull riding, bareback and saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling and barrel racing. Also enjoy daily events for kids and junior rodeo competitors, touring the Rodeo Museum, and a two-hour long parade, the longest non-mechanized parade in the U.S. City slickers and ranch hands alike don Western wear including novel variations of the State’s official tie—the bola tie! www.tucsonrodeo.com (520) 741-2233 And for horseback trail riding, five mountain ranges surrounding Tucson make it some of the most scenic terrain accessible for this authentic Southwestern prowl with know3ledgeable guides who share the history of the Sonoran Desert as well as its wildlife critters and botanical wonders. Whether you’re a skilled equestrian or an urban cowboy, Houston Stables is known for its expert outfitters and guides who make all feel at home in the saddle on Tucson’s eastside in theserene Tanque Verde Valley rimmed by age-old mesquite trees. Rides start at $80. www.tucsonhorsebackriding.com. AZ

Ms. Johnny Fenton, a 38-year resident of Arizona, is past President of the Southern Arizona Concierge Network, member of the National Concierge Association, and Les Clefs d’Or, U.S.A.

ArizonaKEY.com