Rudolph Valentino and his horse Jadaan

Born in Castellaneta, Italy, in 1985, Valentino drove women mad with his extremely good looks, something that was a complete scandal by those years. In 1913, he left Italy to go to New York in search of success, at the same time he managed to attract the high society with his good looks and charisma. By 1917, he moved to Hollywood to try a career in cinema. After playing small roles, he found out that a guionist named June Mathis was trying to find him to cast for the main role in a movie called “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, released in 1921. The movie was a fantastic success and elevated Valentino to stardom. That same year, Rudolph Valentino played the starring role in “The Sheikh”, the film that defined his career, image and legacy, and saw him displaying his skills on the saddle, as well.

The actor was a gifted rider; he loved horses and kept them in the stables of his California home, Falcon’s Lair, which he bought in 1925. Despite it is uncertain whether Valentino played polo, by those years he used to appear in photo shoots dressed in full polo outfit.

In 1926, Rudolph Valentino was at the peak of his career; he was getting ready to become the attractive sheikh for the second time in the sequel, called “The son of the Sheikh”. And it’s time to introduce someone who would become as famous as Valentino himself – a horse called Jadaan, a grey Arab stallion.