New Interior secretary rides horse to work for first day in office

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Interior Secretary Zinke rides horse to first day at work

Complete with cowboy hat, boots and jeans

Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke arrived on horseback for his first day of work Thursday.

Zinke joined the U.S. Park Police at their stables on the National Mall and then rode a 17-year-old Irish sport horse named Tonto to the Interior Department headquarters. Nine other park police on horseback accompanied the former Montana congressman and Navy SEAL.

Interior Department spokeswoman Heather Swift said: "Secretary Zinke was proud to accept an invitation by the U.S. Park Police to stand shoulder to shoulder with their officers on his first day at Interior."

Zinke posted photos on social media. At the department, he was greeted by hundreds of federal workers, including an Office of Indian Affairs employee from the Northern Cheyenne tribe from Montana who played an honor song on a hand drum.