Ulysses Grant

Ulysses Grant loved horses throughout his life and seemed to share an unusual bond with them, from playing fearlessly among the horses at his father's tannery as a toddler to becoming a legendary trainer and rider as a boy. He was considered the finest horseman at West Point and the greatest rider in the army. During heavy fighting, General Grant remained calm and rode skillfully under fire, rallying troops, giving orders, and leading soldiers on the battlefield from chaos to victory. As president at age 47, he could no longer ride as fast as in his youth, but he frequently drove his carriage over the speed limit. In an often-told story, when a police officer stopped him for speeding and hesitated to ticket the president, Grant insisted that the officer do his duty, after which he was fined $20 and his carriage was impounded, and he walked back to the White House. His love of horses endured to the end of his life, and upon his death, a million people watched as 24 black horses pulled his casket through the streets of New York.

Georgetown, Ohio · United States