| Is being an avid horseman a requirement to | | | | |
| being a great President? | | | | When Hayes became President he was ridiculed |
| | | | for his poor horses and carriages. Despite |
| All of Americas greatest presidents whether | | | | this criticism he truly loved horses and set |
| Republican or Democrat have loved horses. | | | | aside a special area of his home in Ohio as a |
| Maybe we should look at the Presidential | | | | burial spot for his war horses. |
| Candidates and find out who the horse lover | | | | |
| is. | | | | Garfield was also a horse lover and once said |
| | | | in a letter home, while he was fighting in |
| George Washington was a fine equestrian and | | | | the Civil War, "I never felt so much need for |
| spent many hours in the saddle. Thomas | | | | love and tenderness, I am lavishing my |
| Jefferson called him the "greatest horseman | | | | caresses on my horses. They have both been |
| of his day." He was very fond of fox hunting | | | | hugged and patted a score of times this past |
| and took his favorite fox hunting horse | | | | week, a sort of secret understanding between |
| "Nelson" with when he went off to fight in | | | | them and me, a mute sympathy when they lay |
| the American Revolution. | | | | their velvety noses against my cheek and |
| | | | pretend to bite my beard, I remember it when |
| His love of horses was apparent on the day of | | | | they are galloping with me on parade and |
| his inauguration. The night before the | | | | wonder if they do too." |
| groomsmen were hard at work preparing the six | | | | |
| white horses that would be used for the | | | | Theodore Roosevelt also was an avid horseman |
| inaugural carriage. They took ground chalk | | | | and became a cowboy for a time in e North |
| and water to make a paste that they spread | | | | Dakota. During his presidency he would take |
| all over the horses, then rapped them in | | | | every chance to go for a carriage ride and |
| gauze. They must have seemed like mummy | | | | writes of one occasion where the family went |
| horses. The next morning they brushed the | | | | for a sleigh ride in Lafayette Park in front |
| horses out and they were bright white. They | | | | of the White House. "I have been so busy that |
| polished the hooves with black shoe polish | | | | I have been unable to get away until after |
| and braided the horses mane with ribbons. A | | | | dark, but I went in the fur jacket Uncle Will |
| silver harness was put in place and finally | | | | presented to me as the fruit of his prize |
| the horses were hitched to a bright yellow | | | | money in the Spanish War; and the moonlight |
| carriage. | | | | on the glittering snow made the rides |
| | | | lovelier than they would have been in the |
| Cinderella herself could not be more proud! | | | | daytime." |
| | | | |
| During John Adams political carrier he could | | | | Roosevelt's two younger children, Quentin and |
| not stand to be indoors for days at a time | | | | Archie owned a miniature horse named |
| without going for a ride. He would become | | | | "Algonquin." At one point Archie was sick in |
| physically ill. | | | | bed for an extended period of time and |
| | | | Quentin took the little horse up in the White |
| Thomas Jefferson was very particular about | | | | House elevator to visit his brother in bed. |
| his horses and always rode a bay or brown | | | | |
| horses. He was also very strict with his | | | | Calvin Coolidge had farmed as a young man and |
| groomsmen. When a horse was brought up to | | | | enjoyed riding. Sadly he became allergic to |
| ride, before a saddle could be put on he | | | | horse dander and could no longer ride. He |
| insisted on wiping a handkerchief down the | | | | purchased an electric horse that he would |
| horses back to insure it was clean enough. | | | | ride daily while wearing a pair of long johns |
| | | | that were too big for him. It must have been |
| Andrew Jackson passion was horse racing and | | | | a comical site. |
| he once killed a man in a duel over his | | | | |
| racehorse, "Truxton." While President, he and | | | | Franklin Roosevelt won prizes for |
| his Vice-President, Van Buren would walk from | | | | horsemanship as a young man and continued to |
| the White House to the nearby racecourse | | | | love horses even after he contracted polio. |
| where Jackson raced his horses under an | | | | He received a gift of a horse's tail that had |
| assumed name in order to avoid a scandal. | | | | once belonged to a famous race horse owned by |
| | | | his father that died sadly in a train crash. |
| Van Buren was an avid rider and in retirement | | | | He kept the tail in the Oval Office when he |
| he was often seen to be riding with a book | | | | was President. |
| and umbrella in one hand and the reins in the | | | | |
| other. It is said he would put a cabbage leaf | | | | Eisenhower loved horses and spent many days |
| under his hat. No one is quite sure why. | | | | riding in retirement at his Gettysburg farm. |
| | | | |
| Zachary Taylor's war horse "Old Whitey" lived | | | | John F. Kennedy had a bad back and was unable |
| on the White House grounds during his master | | | | to ride. However he encouraged his children |
| presidency and had the misfortune to loose | | | | to ride and while President two ponies lived |
| most of his tail to souvenir hunters! | | | | on the White House grounds, "Macaroni" and |
| | | | "Little John." One day "Macaroni" tried to go |
| Franklin Pierce received a speeding ticket | | | | into the Oval Office. |
| and was arrested for running over an old lady | | | | |
| on Pennsylvania Avenue! He was not the only | | | | Reagan of course was fanatical about horses |
| President to get in trouble. Years later | | | | and learned to ride by joining the cavalry |
| President Grant also received a speeding | | | | during the depression. Because of his love or |
| ticket. | | | | riding he became a famous western star in |
| | | | Hollywood. Even at the end of his life it is |
| Abraham Lincoln enjoyed riding but it was | | | | said that the one thing that would bring |
| difficult to find a horse that was big enough | | | | light back to his eyes was the mention of |
| for him. While president the US Army lent him | | | | horses. |
| a horse that they nicknamed "Old Abe" because | | | | |
| it looked so much like the President. The | | | | Clinton loves to ride and would spend many |
| President was said to be ridding on his, | | | | happy hours with Chelsea at the Rockefeller |
| "high horse." | | | | Ranch in Wyoming. He also borrowed horses |
| | | | from the park service that he rode in Rock |
| Tragedy struck during the Lincoln presidency | | | | Creek Park in Washington. |
| in more than one way and his sons pony | | | | |
| perished in a terrible stable fire. | | | | There are few presidents who have not loved |
| | | | horses, and strangely enough they are also |
| Grant was obsessed with horses and even after | | | | our least popular. The list includes |
| receiving the speeding ticket would ride | | | | Buchanan, Hoover, Nixon and the current |
| around town in his carriage challenging | | | | President Bush. |
| others to a race. Once he challenged the | | | | |
| butcher to a race and even with two stops the | | | | Excerpts of the above article were taken from |
| butcherss horse outran the President's. He | | | | the book, "Horses of the Presidents," by Leah |
| finally purchased the horse and called him | | | | C. Taylor, Booksurge Publications (2006) ISBN |
| "Butcher Boy." | | | | 1-4196-2996-4. |