Riding With Reagan

Personal moments with an American legend . . . It is an image etched in the minds of a generation: Ronald Reagan perched atop his horse, riding through the dusty trails and canyons of his California ranch with his beloved wife, Nancy, at his side. But what most of us did not see was the man who always rode just a few steps away. John Barletta was a Vietnam veteran and Secret Service agent with a lifelong passion for horses and a deep respect for the nation’s new president, Ronald Reagan. After he was chosen to lead the president’s equestrian protection team in 1981, Barletta became the president’s riding partner on the dusty trails of his California ranch, at Camp David, and even at Windsor Castle. During their nearly twenty-year relationship, Barletta would come to know Ronald Reagan as few others did—as a loving husband and father, as a man of courage and conviction, and as a friend and confidant. Filled with heartwarming stories, humorous anecdotes, and history-making events, this is a moving, intimate portrait of a great man whose heart, wisdom, and all-American spirit continue to inspire. “A unique perspective of President Reagan—both in and out of the saddle.” —Judge William Clark, former National Security Advisor and Secretary of the Interior