A Note From Dan- Love for the Palomino Horse

Love for the Palomino Horse!

Growing up in Las Vegas, I was exposed to a few famous people. Some of them were; Howard Hughes who controlled our local TV station and was known to run movies late night for his own pleasure, Red Foxx, who my brother and I drove down the Strip next to in our work truck, we carried on a conversation with him and where persuasive enough to get his home address, Jerry Lewis, whom my cousin decided to would be fun to follow him home one night - only to freak him out, Lola Falona, lived behind a friends house and there were many stories of talking over the fence with her, Ricky Nelson who we saw coming out of the International Hotel and my sister was screaming in girly hysterics, but too nervous to get his autograph so I did it for her and then there was ELVIS.

I must have been about 10 when my brother Kory and my best friend Donald decided to ride our Schwinn Stingray bikes down the Las Vegas Strip. We happened upon Circus Circus where they were filming the latest James Bond movie. We saw a nice looking lady come out from behind a curtain and I went up and asked for her autograph not knowing whom she was. She said “sure do you have a pen and paper” Of course we not prepared with pen and paper, so she shrugged her shoulders and walked away. After we saw the movie we realized that we had run into Ann Margaret and a missed opportunity. We soon lost interest in the events at Circus Circus and moved on to the Las Vegas International Hotel. It just so happened that Elvis Pressley was playing there. There were flags and banners everywhere and it was like a zoo. Knowing our way around we made it to the elevator to see if we could see the King (not really knowing who he was or what all the fuss was about). When we reached the penthouse floor we stepped off the elevator were we heard some giggling behind the curtains next to the windows. It seemed we were not the only ones waiting to see Elvis and every time the elevator opened everyone scrambled, hiding so they would not get kicked out. Also down the hall outside Elvis’s door was a security guard sitting at a desk. He would get up every so often and walk down making everyone scramble behind the curtains; my guess is he did it to stretch his legs since he did not seem to care that we were there. After a while we soon got tired of this too and moved on. In that day and age you did not have to worry about kids safety as much and so we did not tell anybody where we were going since we went “exploring” as we called it every weekend. When we got home and told everyone what we had done, Mom and Dad were none to happy, looking back I can see why.

Fast forward about 39 years and I was in Memphis on a business trip last month. In Memphis there are several things to see and one of them is Graceland, where Elvis lived. Other than the White House, Graceland is the most recognizable private residence in America. I really did not know what to expect other than to see a house stuck in the 70’s, with very weird décor. What I found was a beautiful old house set on about 13+ acres of green rolling hills. The tour included a recorded headset that you listed to as you walked from room to room. When we got outside I was thinking how our pigs would love to live here with the shade and abundance or green grass. As I made it to the back of the house, the tour starting talking about Elvis and his love for animals and his great love of horses. Elvis had many animals on the ranch including horses, donkeys, dogs, peacocks and guinea hens. He donated the peacocks to the Memphis Zoo after one of them scratched his Rolls Royce. I can relate as we have wild Peacocks roaming our property, they are messy and they scare the horses. Apparently one of the reasons Elvis bought Graceland was the stables and space available for horses.

Elvis was known to give away many cars but horses also became gifts Elvis loved to buy for people. I read where he said “what fun is having all this money if you can not share it” and he loved to share it with his friends and even some fans. According to the documentary “Elvis, by the Presley’s”, Pricilla recalls in 1966 Elvis wanted a Golden Palomino for himself. He would get up at 3:00 a.m. and go to farms and ranches asking if they had a golden Palomino. As word got out, they were approached about a Golden Palomino Quarter horse shown and ridden by a 12-year-old girl, once Elvis saw the horse he bought it on the spot. The horse named “Rising Sun” came to live at Graceland and the barn soon bore the name “House of Rising Sun”.

As more and more horses were acquired it became too much for Graceland so Elvis bought 163 acres in nearby Mississippi naming it “Circle G Ranch” the G being for Graceland. Elvis then went crazy buying trucks and horse trailers along with horses for all of his bodyguards so they could ride with him on his daily excursions. Pricilla was quoted as saying Elvis would buy you a horse whether you wanted one or not. When Lisa Marie was old enough Elvis bought her a Shetland pony named “Mariah” for her to ride. As of 2000, there was a descendant of Rising Sun on the property named “Mare Ingram” Elvis named the horse after Mayor Ingram had a long stretch of Highway 51 South which runs in front of Graceland renamed “Elvis Pressley Boulevard”. Today, Sun’s Reflection is a golden palomino from the same bloodlines of Rising Sun who still resides on the property. There are many photos of Elvis and his horses on the web; all you have to do is Google Elvis Horses, Graceland to see the many sites devoted to the King and his love of animals. I am glad I took the time to visit Graceland and the beautiful grounds. It really makes me long for the south and the beautiful green rolling hills, large beautiful trees along with the many lakes and rivers.