President Reagan riding
his horse "El Alamein"
at Rancho Del Cielo. 4/8/85
The Gift To
Be Simple
by Copland
Ronald Reagan with his
horse "Little Man"
at Rancho Del Cielo. February, 1977
President Reagan & Mrs.
Reagan horseback riding
at Rancho Del Cielo. 11/25/82
The light in his eyes is gone, and the
long life is ended. Ronald Reagan lived the ultimate American Dream,
turning rags into riches, always learning, always growing, always preparing
for the next step ahead. For those of us who view the world as a glass
half-full instead of half-empty, his optimism about the positive potential
of the United States and its citizens held a ray of hope that we could
always have fun while accomplishing cherished goals. For those of us
who remembered and loved Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman,
he symbolized the notion that Americans were guided an innate sense
of good. His optimism, his disarming sense of humor, and his grace and
courage under pressure helped us define America as it sped toward the
twenty-first century.
Ronald Reagan shared a background typical of many Americans: He grew
up without wealth or privilege. No one presented him a Porsche as a
high-school graduation gift. Dealing with a parent’s problem of alcoholism,
he learned early to put on the face of composure for the outside world
and to do his own thinking and to identify his own opportunities for
future success. Like Walt Whitman and Carl Sandburg, he was a product
of the heartland in the Great Plains. Like many of the pioneers from
the great cornfields, his early successes came as a result of trial
and error, then perseverance, then self-confidence forged from personal
experience. Like Whitman, Sandburg, and Twain, perhaps he listened to
the wailing of a distant freight train and thought about the possibilities
of who he might become before setting out for California on his own.
Perhaps he remembered Emerson’s advice of hitching a wagon to a star
and setting optimistic goals.
For those of us who remember the era after World War II, there was a
program called Death Valley Days, hosted by a smiling, charming Ronald
Reagan in 1965-1966 for sponsor Twenty Mule Team Borax until he was
elected Governor of California in 1966 and started a meteoric climb
toward the United States Presidency. Although he played only a few cowboy
roles in his fifty-nine movies, such as “Cowboy from Brooklyn,” “Santa
Fe Trail,” “Angel from Texas,” “Tennessee Partner,” and “Cattle Queen
of Montana,” in real life he knew quite a bit about horses and riding.
There is a picture of Ronald Reagan riding in English breeches and an
English saddle in the company of Queen Elizabeth II, but many of us
remember the cowboy hat, the blue jeans, and the cowboy boots as the
standard riding costume for his well-loved trail rides with Secret Service
men following his lead or falling out of their saddles as they attempted
to keep tabs on Dutch.
Finally, there was something that attracts some of us even more—something
that makes us proud to share a link and a personal love: Reagan owned
horses himself—not just any horses--but Arabian horses. . In 1975 he
purchased a registered grey Arabian gelding from Tom Chauncey in Arizona.
Tom Chauncey should be remembered, along with singing star Wayne Newton,
as owner of the imported grey Arabian stallion, *Naborr (also known
as *Nabor). This gelding was named Gwalianko, AHR 53676, and was a son
of the imported grey stallion from Poland, *Gwalior, who stood at Locust
Farm in Kirtland, Ohio, now the home of Lake Farm Park. *Gwalior, a
son of *Naborr, was of the illustrious Skowronek sire line, through
the magnificent grey stallion, Naseem, who was sold to Russia. Gwalianko’s
dam, Magic Charm, carried the magnificent CMK blood of Nafalla, Alla
Amarward, and Alyf, all CMK foundation horses. In addition, about 1981
Mexican President Jorge presented Reagan with a white Arabian stallion
named El Alamein. El Alamein was the subject of a painting that was
presented to Mr. Reagan by the Federal Republic of Germany. Like Ronald
Reagan, Nancy Reagan also shared a love of the Arabian horse, owning
a chestnut gelding named Catalina Muzraff, bred by Philip Wrigley of
Catalina.
Together, Ronnie and Nancy rode the trails of El Rancho del Cielo and
marveled over the glories that God had presented them on this ranch.
Cielo means “heaven or sky.” Emerson, Thoreau, and Twain would have
understood the Reagans’ delight with the tangible evidence of God’s
work and the idealistic notion that there is an absolute Good in the
Universe.
Simplistic? Idealistic? Absolutely!
Ride those trails, Mr. President, over the Rainbow Bridge with those
glorious Arabian horses that symbolized the courage, honesty, dignity,
grace, and goodness that you exemplified in your golden journey of life!
Amen!
Mrs. Reagan holds up a
"Just Say No" sign for
distant press photographers
at Rancho Del Cielo. 9/6/86
Ronald Reagan wearing
cowboy hat
at Rancho Del Cielo. 1976
President Reagan riding
his horse "El Alamein"
at Rancho Del Cielo. 7/3/83
President Reagan horseback
riding
at Rancho Del Cielo. 8/27/81
President Reagan feeding
his horse "El Alamein"
at Rancho Del Cielo. 4/4/86
President Reagan returning
from riding his horse
at Rancho Del Cielo. 4/4/86
President and Mrs. Reagan
horseback riding
at Rancho Del Cielo. 4/8/85
Mrs. Reagan with her dog
"Victory"
at Rancho Del Cielo. 8/13/81
President Reagan horseback
riding
at Rancho Del Cielo. 11/30/86
President Reagan after
a ride
at Rancho Del Cielo. 7/3/82
