Ronald Reagan

[fooler]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7709302]
He still owns it? Nice. Does he still go and “clear brush”? Nope. Are the rented cattle still there? The rancher who supplied the 200 cattle took them away, but left 4 for ambiance.

And I guess Reagan’s press secretary was lying about the photo shoot in CA. Of course he wore britches when he rode with the Queen.

Sorry, but the maneuvering is appalling. Not the misleading so much, but the fact that people continually fall for it. I know that the Crawford ranch house was finished just at the election (whew!) - the place was a pig farm before Bush bought it, hence the need to rent the cattle & build a house - and had a neat passive solar system for energy. Funny how that was never brought up either. Remember when John Kerry went windsurfing, how he was mocked? Why shouldn’t he windsurf? Why shouldn’t Reagan foxhunt? Why shouldn’t Bush have been proud of the fact that he spent most of his childhood in Kennebunkport, ME, and attended an Ivy League school? When grown he & his wife and children spent their entire summers there for years - until he ran for the Presidency. Then they had to go to the “ranch” and “clear brush.” It’s ridiculous that voters are so stupid.[/QUOTE]

According to this link and a few others I found, W and Lara still own the farm. Their plan has been to go to the ranch for weekends and holidays.
They purchased the ranch in 1999, before the 2000 election. They left the original house for visitors. Then moved livestock barns for a location to build their home.
I never understood why W was mocked for his lifestyle and Gore was praised. Especially once the truth came out about their respective homes.

Much the same can be said about RR. Saw an 1980’s Genesis video last week with the short lived British massively headed puppets of Reagan, Nancy, the chimp and short visits of Lady Thacher. He was usually presented as a doddering, old fool. So many people seemed ready to believe anything bad about him. . .

[SnicklefritzG]

[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;7708915]
Back in those days, all breeches and jodhpurs looked like that. Now that I’m old and fat, I kind of wish they still did.

And, as Arizona DQ pointed out, GW still owns the ranch.[/QUOTE]

I found some like that at Salvation Army in NYC and bought them. lol.

[gottagrey]

RR rode both English and Western and often rode out at Quantico Marine Base’s stables in Virginia. They had some lovely trails at Quantico - there’s a picture of him and George H.W Bush out for a hack on the Base.

[Beverley]

Reagan was a member of the West Hills Hunt in California for some time. His letter of resignation from the club- maybe after he was elected governor- is in the Museum of Hounds and Hunting in Leesburg. One of my fox hunting friends in VA, career Secret Service, rode with him at the ranch in California. There are videos of him riding for those interested, just google.

[Mara]

[QUOTE=fooler;7709263]
The SS attached to him had to learn to ride and ride well to stay with him, that is until Alzheimer forced him to stop. Plus they rode with him long after NR stopped riding or riding as often.
IIRC - the SS agents noted RR preferred to groom and tack both his and NR’s (when she rode) horses before the rides. Plus he cared for the horse(s) after the ride. Which meant the SS agents had to be more hands on and not just show up to "go ride the Pres and/or ex-Pres.[/QUOTE]

One of the posthumous documentaries I saw about RR had a short bit about how much he loved riding, and how he cried when he realized Alzheimer’s made it too dangerous for him to continue.

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7709302]
He still owns it? Nice. Does he still go and “clear brush”? Nope. Are the rented cattle still there? The rancher who supplied the 200 cattle took them away, but left 4 for ambiance.

And I guess Reagan’s press secretary was lying about the photo shoot in CA. Of course he wore britches when he rode with the Queen.

Sorry, but the maneuvering is appalling. Not the misleading so much, but the fact that people continually fall for it. I know that the Crawford ranch house was finished just at the election (whew!) - the place was a pig farm before Bush bought it, hence the need to rent the cattle & build a house - and had a neat passive solar system for energy. Funny how that was never brought up either. Remember when John Kerry went windsurfing, how he was mocked? Why shouldn’t he windsurf? Why shouldn’t Reagan foxhunt? Why shouldn’t Bush have been proud of the fact that he spent most of his childhood in Kennebunkport, ME, and attended an Ivy League school? When grown he & his wife and children spent their entire summers there for years - until he ran for the Presidency. Then they had to go to the “ranch” and “clear brush.” It’s ridiculous that voters are so stupid.[/QUOTE]

Why so bitter?

What if he wanted the ranch only for a photo op?
Which he didn’t, he was truly using it for a place to have fun and unwind.
Why is anyone “gullible” because of it?

The press made a caricature of that president.
That I think is truly objectionable.

Honestly, anyone not so “gullible” should understand that no one is just that, a caricature and used as a preferred punching bag of those blinded by certain political fanaticism.
Everyone is a whole human being, with all that entails.

[Anne_FS]

[QUOTE=Mara;7709482]
One of the posthumous documentaries I saw about RR had a short bit about how much he loved riding, and how he cried when he realized Alzheimer’s made it too dangerous for him to continue.[/QUOTE]

Ah, that’s so sad. Very sorry to hear that.

[Anne_FS]

@Bluey;7709593

Why so bitter?

…

Why is anyone “gullible” because of it?

Not bitter, just very disappointed at the lies that are apparently necessary in order to run for President.

As for “why is anyone gullible?” that is so obvious to me that I can’t even believe you’re asking it.

ETA: sorry, forgot this was on Off Course and not Off Topic. Will stick to horse-related comments. If you want to see some hard-working Presidential horses, Google “President Taft on horseback”

[Hinderella]

I have seen a number of pictures of Reagan riding and it’s obvious that he was a very good rider. One of my favorites is a photo of Reagan and Queen Elizabeth riding side by side
(about third photo down here: http://www.horsecarecourses.com/horse_of_the_week/2012/06/burmese-queen-elizabeth-s-side-saddle-horse-used-for-the-trooping-of-the-colour.html )
There’s also this:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=26017
which shows the President over a more substantial jump

[macmtn]

Pics of Reagan on horseback puts pics of Putin on horseback to shame.:lol:

including the horses…

[Trakehner]

Reagan was riding English when he was in England riding with the Queen…he rode English and Western…better than riding a golf cart while wearing shorts, way too effete.

[Calvincrowe]

Why does the ability to ride or live on a ranch or shoot things make someone a better President? Always wondered that. Since 95% of Americans probably view riding horses, especially English, as elitist and we all know pseudo cowboys are not cool, why the emphasis on RR as better because he can ride. So could Teddy Roosevelt, and probably every 19th century president, too. Big deal!

[OldNag]

Ronald Reagan is my claim to fame. My grandfather was his farrier for several years and he allowed my grandfather to take us fishing on the ranch. I vaguely remember the fishing trips as I was so young at the time. In fact, I didn’t know that it was Reagan’s place until my sister told me last year.

Apparently there is a condolence letter from the white house when my grandfather passed away back in 1987. I have repeatedly asked my sister for a copy but to no avail. She keeps saying she’ll look for it but has yet to do so.

I never met the man, but always thought it was neat that my father and grandfather knew him. Although they had several celebrity clients, they always spoke very highly of Ronald Reagan.

[Trixie]

My father worked in the Reagan administration, and he wrote letters to my brother and I when we were born. My brother’s letter came with a picture of him riding English. He picked the wrong child for sending the pony pics, though

[gottagrey]

[QUOTE=macmtn;7709892]
Pics of Reagan on horseback puts pics of Putin on horseback to shame.:lol:

including the horses…[/QUOTE]

Reagan probably looked better w/ his shirt off too LOL

[Trakehner]

[QUOTE=Calvincrowe;7710488]
Why does the ability to ride or live on a ranch or shoot things make someone a better President? Always wondered that. Since 95% of Americans probably view riding horses, especially English, as elitist and we all know pseudo cowboys are not cool, why the emphasis on RR as better because he can ride. So could Teddy Roosevelt, and probably every 19th century president, too. Big deal![/QUOTE]

Because it’s a skill and valuation of a knowledge involved with the earlier years of the country. Less a girlyman in his momjean shorts riding in a golf cart. I don’t believe 95% of Americans consider riding as elitist…maybe New Jersey and New York City people.

Sounds like you hate Reagan and anything that puts him in a positive light.

[Calvincrowe]

No, I don’t. But to degrade a president because he doesn’t ride is childish. I have said nothing regarding RR, nothing. I don’t require my public officials to have a set of arcane skills. And, I’ll stand by my elitist statement. It’s been discussed many times here. I live in suburban WA and have lived I very rural WA, and my friends snigger about my snooty English riding. Extrapolate that out. Do I think it’s neat that someone “famous” shares my hobby? Sure. But it doesn’t mean they are better than one who doesn’t.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7709302]
He still owns it? Nice. Does he still go and “clear brush”? Nope. .[/QUOTE]

raises trees on 90 acres for resale:

" On a 90-acre tree farm at the ranch, he cultivates thousands of live oaks, burr oaks, bald cypresses, and other hardy species that he sells to landscape architects and the like"
http://www.architecturaldigest.com/celebrity-homes/2014/laura-and-george-w-bush-prairie-chapel-ranch-texas-article

[Lori_T]

Ronald Regan was a long time customer of Devon-Aire! Many of his photos, including most of these posted, hang in the Devon-Aire office, and I post them from time to time on my fb page.

[Hippolyta]

[QUOTE=Anne FS;7708857]
This is not news, but a great example of PR.

RR had always ridden English and he also fox (coyote) hunted. I believe he was a founding member of the West Hills Hunt in CA. But that was sure not talked about, was it?

One of his WH staff wrote a book after RR’s presidency and told how Reagan always, always rode in an English saddle and English breeches. One day they were going to do a photo shoot of him riding, so RR put on his riding clothes. When he walked into the room in his tall boots and breeches his staff went nuts. “NO! you can’t possibly be photographed like that!” They told him it simply would not do, so they got him a Western saddle and jeans, a cowboy hat, Western shirts, even a g-d bandanna to wear and thus the good ol’ cowboy Ronald Reagan was born. It was very effective, as witnessed by all the people who are convinced that GW Bush was a “rancher” because he bought a ranch immediately before running for the Presidency and sold it as soon as he was done.

It’s interesting to note that after 8 years of cowboy Reagan photos, after RR died, one of the first books that came out had as the cover a beautiful photo of Ronnie riding a horse - in English riding clothes with an English saddle. Then, and only then, was the English motif brought back to indicate his “classiness” and “elegance.” But to have him as President in britches & boots and a helmet? God - and the GOP or any political party - forbid.[/QUOTE]

I am not a big political fan, but I have always said I thought RR riding clothes were fantastic - the old style breeks & I dig his tall boots in almost every pic. SOmetimes tan, sometimes rich brown with tooling, always cool.

I remember a photo of him riding w/ the Queen & they were both (naturally) looking darned sharp. I actually cut it out (I was a young teen, don’t judge me) & put it on our fridge.

editing after reading other comments: Obviously I was not the only one impressed by his turnout with the Queen!