I just finished watching ABC News’ broadcast of Jacqueline Kennedy – In Her Own Words. Here’s a bon mot from the tapes, delivered in Jackie’s whisper (I couldn’t rewind to make sure, but I think these are her words):
“Daddy always said, ‘Keep her riding and she’ll always be in a good mood’.”
Jackie’s Daddy certainly had it right. I know what he said is true for me, and my guess is that it’s true for you…if not always, at least most of the time. Am I right?
It was lovely to see some footage of Jackie on and around horses during the JFK era. There’s a short clip of a confident Jackie going over a fence with an automatic release, as we all did in those days. She looks happy. And no wonder. Jackie was a year old when her mother first put her on a horse…and she was still hunting at the age of 64.
Vicky Moon’s book The Private Passion of Jackie Kennedy Onassis: Portrait of a Rider is an extraordinary visual portrait of that very special place where Jackie found happiness — around horses. It’s already on my bookshelf but if it’s not on yours, you can get a signed copy with free shipping directly from Vicky Moon’s website.