Archie Roosevelt & Algonquin/1902/Wikipedia Commons photo/Ultimate source: U.S. Library of Congress
One of the fun end-of-2008 stories was speculation about what kind of dog the new First Family would get.
Before his campaign, Barack Obama made a deal with his daughters Sasha and Malia, that they could get a dog if he were elected U.S. President.
We think they should have held out for a pony.
After all, having a pony on the White House grounds is not unprecedented. Granted, it was more expected back before the invention of the automobile when ponies and horses were how everyone traveled around town.
But one pet pony lived on the grounds more recently during the 1960s.
Pony in the Elevator
President Theodore Roosevelt’s son Archie was sick. His brother Quentin and the White House coachman decided to cheer him up. They brought his pony Algonquin up in the elevator to the second floor family quarters.
In the photo above, I think Archie and Algonquin are in the front driveway of the White House. The building in the background appears to be what’s currently known as the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
Macaroni – on the side
The Kennedy children had a pony who lived part time on the White House grounds and other times out at a farm in Middleburg, Virginia.
Macaroni was a gift from Vice President Lyndon Johnson and is said to have roamed the White House grounds.
In this video, you hear http://www.SexySassySmart.TV ‘s JoAnna Levenglick speaking with author Vicky Moon about her book “The Private Passion of Jackie Kennedy Onassis.” especially about Macaroni’s stay at the White House.
I think it’s pretty cool that Jackie is all dressed up but still diving in to help the fellas tack up the pony. Does anyone recognize the culture from which that tack is from? I’d like to know. It looks kind of Asian? Moon didn’t specify.
About 15 years ago, when I was part of a White House garden tour, I asked a uniformed Secret Service agent where Macaroni had been stabled on the grounds. He waved at an area between the secluded grove called The Children’s Garden and the Oval Office.
Leasing is smarter anyway
Assuming that Sasha and Malia are at all into horses — some girls, alas, are not(gasp!) — there’s probably a better choice.
Leasing is the smart option for growing children. Not only are their legs growing, but so are their riding skills.
I see too many “sadly outgrown” ads in my local horseman’s newspaper. That heartbreak can be avoided by leasing.
So, maybe the Obama girls are doing the smart thing.
After all, dogs don’t get outgrown.
Tags: Archie Roosevelt, Kennedy, Macaroni, Obama daughters, Obama girls, Obamas, Sasha and Malia, White House
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