Dr. Horowitz and his friend with the record breaking moose in British Columbia
Dr. Joshua Horowitz, an Interventional Spine physician at Riverwood Healthcare Center, followed a unique journey into medicine. Before entering medical school in his 30s, he had already earned his pilot’s license at 19, flying both helicopters and airplanes, worked as a flight instructor, built homes, and served as a crew member on a commercial halibut fishing boat in Alaska. His medical training later took him to The Johns Hopkins Hospital for an anesthesiology residency, followed by sub-specialty training at Vanderbilt University, before eventually settling in Northern Minnesota
Dr. Horowitz’s passion for adventure has shaped his life in many extraordinary ways. Whether it’s flying float planes, photographing the underwater world while scuba diving in exotic locales, or trekking the wilderness with his trusty horses, he’s always lived for the thrill of the story. But one particular journey stands as the crowning jewel of his many adventures—his recent epic moose hunt in Northern British Columbia’s remote backcountry.
This trip marked a bittersweet chapter as he joined his long-time friend from Idaho, who had recently retired, for what they both considered a fitting tribute to the end of a major life phase. Their adventure went deep into the wild of a 10-day expedition through the mountains, three hours up the Alaska Highway from Fort Nelson, British Columbia. From base camp, they were flown to a remote mountain airstrip, where two young New Zealand professionals—a female guide, the other a female horse wrangler—met them. The towering mountains provided a breathtaking backdrop, but it wasn’t just the landscape that kept the adrenaline pumping.
Grizzly bears were frequent visitors, with one bear wandering perilously close to camp daily. This wasn’t Horowitz’s first run-in with a grizzly. Back in 2019, during a backcountry hunting trip with his mom, a grizzly bear broke through the door of their mountain cabin while they lay asleep in the middle of the night. With no time to react he screamed and reached for his gun. Fortunately, this convinced the bear to retreat without any further encouragement. His mother, a ranch-raised Nevada girl and fearless in her own right, was no stranger to the rugged lifestyle, having taken many pack trips in the mountains with her son and instilling the love for adventure in him from a young age.
As if navigating grizzly encounters wasn’t enough, Dr. Horowitz’s friend secured a record-breaking Canada moose during this trip—so massive that it’s currently being scored for the record books. This trip wasn’t about the trophy. It was about the culmination of a life’s passion and skill, and a connection with the wild outdoors.
Dr. Horowitz grew up on a ranch horseback riding and packing into the rugged Idaho mountains. He expressed that this love for the outdoors was forged through family tradition, “Horses and mountains have always been a part of our family’s story”. The demands of medicine don’t stop him from packing up his horses and heading west, competing in rodeos as a team roper, capturing photos of the underwater world, or flying into remote lakes of Minnesota and Canada.
Dr. Horowitz’s mantra is clear: “Live a good story.” For him, life is about collecting these stories, and each chapter is a thrilling tale in its own right. With an insatiable hunger for another adventure – whether it’s chasing a rodeo circuit across the plains or traveling to far off waters—one question always remains: What’s next for Dr. Horowitz? One thing’s for sure—it’ll be a story worth telling.