Horsemanship of Ulysses S. Grant

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The horsemanship of Ulysses S. Grant has been widely acclaimed by his contemporaries and historians as exceptional. Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) was a commanding general during the Civil War and a two-term U.S. president. Born in Ohio near the Ohio River, Grant grew up around horses, which he came to admire and love, possessing a natural affinity, allowing him to ride, train and manage horses at an early age. His father Jesse placed much confidence in his ability and gave him tasks involving horses that were rarely ever expected of a youth. At age five he was noted for doing difficult stunts bareback and soon after was also performing responsible chores, hauling timber, and driving teams of horses for long distances by himself. From boyhood through his military career, Grant had a well established reputation for training and managing horses. As a youth, neighbors would have him train hard-to-manage horses. As a cadet he set a high-jump record at West Point that stood for a quarter-century.

Horses played an important role throughout Grant's military career, carrying him with dispatches, going about inspecting and encouraging troops and taking him into battle, sometimes having his horse shot from underneath him. During his lifetime he mostly owned and rode large and powerful horses that often could not be mounted by anyone else.^{[citation needed]} Noted for his love of and ability to ride and manage horses, Grant at times would receive as gifts some of the best horses available from friends and admirers.