Almost everyone raised in Memphis, Tennessee, during the fifties and sixties—as I was—has an Elvis story. One of my friends sold Girl Scout cookies to him when he opened the door at Graceland one afternoon. Another friend met him when the interior design company she worked for upholstered some sofas in his living room. I have my own memory of meeting Elvis I’ve enjoyed and carried with me all my life—a memory that influenced much of my later work with animal rescue.
My mom was a huge Elvis fan. I remember us jitterbugging in the living room while Dad was at work. We slid around the hardwood floor in white cotton bobby socks as a lavender plastic transistor radio blasted out the sounds of “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Jailhouse Rock.”
One hot Sunday afternoon when I was ten, Dad, who was not particularly fond of Elvis but was fond of minimizing my mother’s nagging, drove our family and my best friend Peggy Jo out to Highway 51 in the direction of Graceland. Mom wanted to see if by chance Elvis might be out in his front yard.
He was! The wide iron gates adorned with musical notes were open, and we could see Elvis! He was sitting atop a beautiful brown horse on the grassy front lawn of the stately colonial-style mansion, laughing and signing autographs for a gaggle of young women. “Oh, my goodness, he’s really here!” Mom whispered.
Dad cautiously drove his blue Chevrolet halfway up the driveway. Mom rummaged through her pocketbook and thrust a fountain pen and blank postcard into my hands. With firm instructions to get an autograph, Peggy Jo and I scrambled from the car and raced up the driveway toward Elvis on his horse, while my parents, younger sister, and brother watched from the car.
Teenage girls elbowed and pushed their way closer to their idol. Peggy Jo and I wriggled our skinny ten-year-old selves to the front of the throng until I was right in front of the horse and eye-to-eye with Elvis’s black riding boots. I felt the heat radiating from his magnificent horse and could smell its earthy odor. Elvis stroked the big animal’s head, touched his ears, and swatted flies from his face.
Suddenly I heard the panicked voice of Peggy Jo. “Help! His horse is stepping on my foot!” she shrieked. I looked down, and sure enough, Elvis’s otherwise gentle horse was resting his gigantic hoof on top of Peggy Jo’s white Keds sneakers.
Normally I was a polite and shy sort of kid, but my friend was in trouble and bold measures were required. I reached my spindly arms as high as I could and yanked Elvis’s pants leg. When that didn’t get his immediate attention, I swatted at him as hard as I could.
Elvis looked down at me with that famous smile and cerulean eyes and asked, “What’s the matter, little lady?”
My face turned crimson. “Get your horse off my friend’s foot!”
Elvis gently raised the reins, and his horse eased back. “Sorry ’bout that, little lady!”
The crowd parted, and we sprinted back to the car. We spilled into the back seat, breathlessly relating our disastrous encounter. Mom stared at my empty hands and looked like she was going to cry. The only thing she was interested in was his autograph.
Dad laughed. “Ah, come on, Dot. That boy ain’t ever gonna be that famous.”
Dad’s lack of foresight aside, that day was a life-changing experience for me. Seeing my preteen idol exhibiting such a connection with his horse cemented my interest in animals and rescue. Seventeen years later, at the moment I learned of Elvis’s passing, my thoughts flashed on that day at Graceland. I conjured the image of Elvis on his horse and how he looked down and smiled at me with the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen. I particularly remembered how lovingly he treated his horse.
Over the years I became involved with animal welfare and rescue in Memphis. One year I created a fundraiser for the local Humane Society called “Don’t Be Cruel . . . to Animals.” Graceland issued licensing rights to use Elvis’s image on T-shirts and gave their enthusiastic support for what became one of the most successful fundraisers the nonprofit had ever sponsored.
As I got to know fans who participated in the nonprofit event, I realized that many Elvis fans were very devoted to their pets. I came to believe there was a strong association between Elvis—a true animal lover—and fans who felt that same loyalty to their own animals. It also seemed to me like the devotion and affection I saw Elvis express with his horse was similar to the devotion and affection he had for his fans. It was as if an emotional current flowed through him and his music and connected to the joy that could be found in loving an animal. In fact, a couple of his most popular and celebrated songs had animal themes—“Hound Dog” and “Old Shep.”
I discovered dusty old scrapbooks in the office of the Humane Society containing copies of original letters revealing Elvis’s longtime financial support of the organization. But in no area of animal welfare was Elvis more dedicated than to the horses in his care.
Through my rescue involvement, I had the opportunity to talk to Priscilla Presley on the phone. This was a thrill for me, and I felt as if I were chatting with an old girlfriend. I learned that in their marriage, she and Elvis enjoyed many pets and spared no expense for their care. But once Elvis fell in love with horses, he was smitten. Graceland would eventually become a haven for some fortunate horses in need of second chances.
It began when Elvis presented Priscilla with a Christmas gift in their early years together. “I had no idea what he was up to,” Priscilla recalled. “He’d been gone for a while, but later that day he said, ‘Come outside, I’ve got something for you.’”
Outside stood a handsome, black, four-year-old quarter horse named Domino. “I instantly loved him,” Priscilla said. “We bonded from the start, and soon I was riding him every day while Elvis watched from the window.”
It didn’t take long for Elvis to see how much joy Domino brought Priscilla. He began searching for a horse he could ride alongside her, and perhaps even with his friends. As he immersed himself in his newfound interest, Elvis began fixing up the original stables at Graceland. He named the stables House of the Rising Sun, in honor of the golden palomino he bought for himself named Rising Sun.
Elvis acquired trucks, trailers, riding clothes, and all sorts of equestrian equipment to support his growing passion. He found solace in his land and in his horses. “He was personally involved with everything that went on in the stable,” Priscilla recalled. “He wanted to tack and harness each horse. And he wanted everyone in his circle—from his friends to his bodyguards—to have a horse.” She laughed. “It didn’t matter if you didn’t want a horse, you were going to get a horse!”
Riding horses together on the thirteen-acre estate was among the most rewarding and joyful times of Priscilla’s life, she recalled. “It was the horses that made Graceland home to us.” Elvis never seemed happier than when they rode together or when he was organizing the stable. Sometimes in the wee hours of the morning, he would work in the stables and paint the stalls. Taking care of the horses and stables was a good outlet for him and helped him relax from the stresses of fame.
Over the years, many horses came to live at Graceland. Among them were Memphis, a bay Tennessee Walking Horse, and Mare Ingram—a horse named in honor of Memphis Mayor Ingram, who was responsible for renaming Highway 51 Elvis Presley Boulevard. There was Bear, who was Elvis’s beloved Tennessee Walking Horse, and many others. Ebony’s Double was the last horse Elvis purchased for Graceland in 1975.
On August 16, 1977, the world reverberated with the news of Elvis Presley’s death. Fans from across the country—as if drawn by some invisible magnet—assembled outside the gates of Graceland to unite in their collective grief. I always figured the horses also felt this tremendous loss.
After Elvis’s passing, Graceland became a refuge for a handful of lucky horses in need of second chances. Although the stables were never designed to be a rescue facility, Priscilla intended to keep alive the spirit of Elvis’s compassion and generosity by offering a helping hand to horses when she could.
In 2008, days after what would have been Elvis’s 73rd birthday, Priscilla adopted Max, a horse scheduled for slaughter. She found out about him from a fundraiser that was created when his owner could no longer afford him. At one point, celebrities signed T-shirts for an auction for Max. Those celebrities included country music artist Alan Jackson, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition host Ty Pennington, former Catwoman actress Julie Newmar, and other well-known animal lovers.
Priscilla was also on the celebrity list. By then she had become a vocal advocate for animals in trouble. This time, she went a step further and adopted Max. She decided he could live out his life at Graceland. Her beloved horse lived a comfortable eleven years before passing away in 2019.
Second chances were offered again in an animal cruelty case in a nearby county. Neighbors reported animals being mistreated on a farm, and cruelty investigators found horses on the brink of death. When Priscilla learned about the case, she offered to take in one of the rescues named Bandit. At that time, Bandit was still young, skinny, and traumatized. But today, Bandit is sixteen years old—thriving and happy at Graceland.
Tucker was a horse who lived in a herd that included his mother. That mare died when Tucker was nine years old, and the young horse sank into depression. When a series of circumstances unfolded that required Tucker to find a new home, he was offered a forever home at Graceland. He lives there today, enjoying his life at age twenty-six.
Priscilla has been happy offering a haven for the rescues she’s adopted over the years. “Our stable is not that big,” she told me. “We only have limited stalls and they’re full. But I’m doing what I can to get the message out on the importance of rescue.”
These days, visitors to Graceland can view the stables as part of their tour. Since horses were such a happy part of Elvis’s life, having them roam Graceland—living their good lives—was important to Priscilla. She continues to cherish the memories of when she and Elvis rode their horses together on the grounds of Graceland every day.
As for me, whenever I drive by Graceland or attend an event there, I’m taken back to that day I met Elvis on his horse. I became a lifelong Elvis fan and an animal lover—particularly a lover of horses. I was further inspired to work in rescue by Priscilla.
That Graceland became a safe harbor for horses as well as the home for numerous other adopted pets is usually one of the first things I tell visiting friends who want to hear about Elvis’s Graceland from a native Memphian. I like to tell them I see Graceland from three perspectives. First, it’s the home where Elvis lived as the world’s most famous rock ‘n’ roller. Second, it’s the mansion Priscilla transformed into the second-most-visited home museum in the United States.
And third, I see Graceland as a place imbued with the spirit of Elvis and his horses. Although his music will forever perpetuate his legacy as a performer and musician, horses will always preserve the image of the person Elvis really was. And with the rescue horses on view to visitors, anyone who makes the pilgrimage to Graceland will carry away a little of that spirit with them.
I do every time.