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Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004
Born Tampico, Illinois
This photograph of Ronald Reagan leading his beloved horse El Alamein undoubtedly captures a lesser-known side of him. According to Reagan's biographer Edmund Morris, to truly understand the man, one must visit Reagan's retreat, Rancho del Cielo. The 688-acre property is located seven miles up a steep canyon road from the Pacific Ocean and nestled in the Santa Ynez Mountains. After Reagan bought the ranch in 1974, it became his favorite home. Despite objections from aides, Reagan returned there often during his presidency. He had learned to ride horseback in the late 1930s while serving in the U.S. Cavalry Reserve. The president's joyful quotation of Xenophon's Art of Horsemanship conveys his love of horses: "There is nothing quite so good for the inside of a man as the outside of a horse."
Henry Benson, 1983 |