AR: 7.7

Horse

Snowman was a horse that was to be sent to the slaughterhouse if it weren't for Harry de Leyer. He saw this horse and ended up buying him for $80 dollars. Turns out that it was a great decision for Harry, an immigrant and his family, who cleaned him up and entered him in the sport of show jumping. What a wonderful story about their relationship! ( )

Oh my! Can I give a book 10 stars?? I loved this one! More even than Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit, I think, and that's saying a lot. This is the true story of Snowman, a plow horse rescued from going on the knacker's truck (literally at the last possible moment) who became a national sensation as the underdog horse who beat out all the expensively bred and trained fancy show horses to become showjumping's Horse of the Year. Twice! I was amazed. The book is not just a horse story, however, but a beautiful love affair between man and horse; a loving portrait of Harry de Leyer, the Dutch immigrant and World War II survivor who believed in hard work and self-sacrifice and in nurturing horses to their full potential; and a peek into the privileged but rapidly changing East Coast horse show world of the 1950's, where a self-trained unknown "professional" owner/trainer/rider/groom seemed vastly out of place and unlikely to challenge the snooty rich "amateur" riders from large fancy stables. Little did they know! I had heard of Snowman, vaguely, from mentions in the beloved C.W. Anderson horse books I always devoured as a kid, and in passing as I read about other jumpers. But I did not know anything about his story, and it was a pleasure to read such a well-written and extensively researched book on him. I learned a great deal about the showjumping world of the 1950's (Riding helmets? Who needs helmets! Scary thought) as well as Snowman's particular story. To achieve what he did in the show ring was phenomenal enough, but to then go home and be a placid lesson horse for hundreds of girls day in and day out, as well as a beloved family pet to Harry's six children, was extraordinary. I was moved by the beautiful language, kept in suspense during Snowman's intense jumpoffs against formidable opponents, and brought to tears at a key point near the end. And I was thrilled to hear that Harry de Leyer helped greatly in the making of the book, and is still training new riders today, at age 83!

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in horses, in rooting for the underdog (underhorse ;-) or in a fascinating look at America in the 1950's in general and the jumping/horse show world in particular. Having read in the book that a movie about Snowman was once in the planning stages but never got made, I sincerely hope that a Hollywood studio snaps this up soon and makes a film that does Harry and Snowman proud. If ever a story belonged on the big screen, this surely is it. Talk about heartwarming and dramatic! But READ THE BOOK! You won't be disappointed. (It goes on sale August 23; I was fortunate to read an advance copy for LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.)

I enjoyed the book. Along with the story, it gave some of the history of horse showing and lots of other things from the late 1950's. It was well-written and kept my interest all through it. ( )