The Kennedy White House was home to an unusually large collection of animals. During their time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the family kept several dogs, a cat, a canary, two parakeets, hamsters, and a rabbit named Zsa Zsa. But no animal captured the public’s attention quite like a brown-and-white pony named Macaroni.
Macaroni was a 10-year-old part-Shetland gelding given to Caroline Kennedy by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. The pony was stabled at Glen Ora, the Kennedy family’s estate in Virginia’s horse country. From there, he was brought to the White House grounds on occasion, where he quickly became a fixture in photographs of the Kennedy family.
Caroline and her friends rode Macaroni regularly on the South Lawn. Secret Service agents were often close by, sometimes leading the pony themselves during rides. These moments turned into some of the most recognizable images of the Kennedy era.
Macaroni had a well-documented taste for treats. Staff and visitors alike would offer him sugar and snacks on the South Lawn, and he was more than willing to accept them.
That appetite once made for a memorable moment during a formal visit. In 1962, Jackie Kennedy was giving a tour of the White House grounds to Queen Farah, the Empress of Iran. Macaroni approached the Queen and nuzzled her, apparently trying to eat the daffodils she was holding. Jackie reportedly laughed and told her, “He’s going to eat you.”
Macaroni also shared the grounds with another horse named Tex. The two animals appeared together in several photographs, with Caroline and other children riding alongside each other on the lawn.
President Kennedy himself took an active role in his daughter’s riding. He was photographed on the South Lawn tending to Caroline’s saddle before a ride, an ordinary fatherly moment set against the unusual backdrop of the White House.
Caroline and Macaroni appeared together on the cover of LIFE Magazine on September 7, 1962. The image cemented the pony’s place in the public imagination as a symbol of the Kennedy family’s life at the White House.
President Kennedy, Caroline, and young John Jr. were all photographed spending time with Macaroni and Tex together. These family scenes on the White House lawn were among the more candid images taken during Kennedy’s presidency.
Macaroni also had a wardrobe that matched his public profile. The pony owned an impressive collection of riding gear. In March 1963, King Hassan II of Morocco presented Caroline with an ornate Moroccan saddle as a personal gift.
Government staff at the White House also took a liking to the pony. Employees like Helen Milson made a habit of bringing him sugar on the South Lawn, a small tradition that reflected how thoroughly Macaroni had become part of daily life at the White House.
The new Moroccan saddle was put to use during a family weekend at Camp David, where Caroline rode Macaroni to break it in. The trip gave photographers another chance to document the pony outside the usual White House setting.
