Macaroni, the Kennedys' Beloved White House Pony, Galloping through History in 1962-1963

29 June 2023adminMacaroni, the Kennedys’ Beloved White House Pony, Galloping through History in 1962-1963

The Kennedys had many pets during their time at the White House including several dogs, a cat, one canary, two parakeets, hamsters, a rabbit named Zsa Zsa, and a pony named Macaroni.

Macaroni, a 10-year-old part-Shetland gelding, was given to young Caroline Kennedy as a gift from Lyndon B. Johnson.

The pony was occasionally brought to the White House from its stables at Glen Ora, the Kennedy estate in Virginia horse country, and is featured in iconic photographs of the Kennedy family at the White House.

Tourists would often spot Caroline and her friends taking turns going for rides. If there was snow on the ground, a sleigh might be attached to Macaroni.

Macaroni made for good entertainment for visiting dignitaries. In 1962, while Caroline’s mother, Jackie Kennedy, was giving a tour of the grounds to the Empress of Iran, the pony nuzzled Queen Farah in an apparent attempt to eat the daffodils she was carrying right out of her hand. “He’s going to eat you, your majesty,” Jackie Kennedy reportedly joked.

The brown and white pony had a stylish and impressive wardrobe. For example, King Hassan II of Morocco presented a Moroccan saddle as a gift for Caroline during his state visit in March 1963.

Caroline Kennedy sits astride Macaroni on the South Lawn of the White House.

Amid wide public fascination, Caroline and Macaroni appeared together on the cover of the Sept. 7, 1962 issue of LIFE Magazine. The picture inspired the well-loved song “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond.

The singer-songwriter kept the story to himself for years, but he got the chance to tell Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg his secret when he performed the song via satellite for her 50th birthday party in 2007.

Diamond told the Associated Press that he was a “young, broke songwriter” when the photo caught his eye. “It was a picture of a little girl dressed to the nines in her riding gear, next to her pony. It was such an innocent, wonderful picture; I immediately felt there was a song in there.”