The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Letts (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 23, 2011

November 1958: the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Into the rarefied atmosphere of wealth and tradition comes the most unlikely of horses—a drab white former plow horse named Snowman—and his rider, Harry de Leyer. They were the longest of all longshots—and their win was the stuff of legend.
 
Harry de Leyer first saw the horse he would name Snowman on a bleak winter afternoon between the slats of a rickety truck bound for the slaughterhouse. He recognized the spark in the eye of the beaten-up horse and bought him for eighty dollars. On Harry’s modest farm on Long Island, the horse thrived. But the recent Dutch immigrant and his growing family needed money, and Harry was always on the lookout for the perfect thoroughbred to train for the show-jumping circuit—so he reluctantly sold Snowman to a farm a few miles down the road.
 
But Snowman had other ideas about what Harry needed. When he turned up back at Harry’s barn, dragging an old tire and a broken fence board, Harry knew that he had misjudged the horse. And so he set about teaching this shaggy, easygoing horse how to fly. One show at a time, against extraordinary odds and some of the most expensive thoroughbreds alive, the pair climbed to the very top of the sport of show jumping.
 
Here is the dramatic and inspiring rise to stardom of an unlikely duo, based on the insight and recollections of “the Flying Dutchman” himself. Their story captured the heart of Cold War–era America—a story of unstoppable hope, inconceivable dreams, and the chance to have it all. Elizabeth Letts’s message is simple: Never give up, even when the obstacles seem sky-high. There is something extraordinary in all of us.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A Letter from Author Elizabeth Letts
A writer is always on the lookout for a good story, but the first time I saw a striking old photograph, I didn’t realize that I had stumbled across a tale so extraordinary that it had the power to change lives.

The old black and white photo showed a horse and rider team in the midst of a crazy feat--jumping right over the back of another horse. What stopped me in my tracks was the expression on the jumping horse’s face. Even in the vintage picture I could see that the horse had absolute trust in the man who was asking him to make such a tricky leap. I wondered why.

Unable to forget the photograph, armed only with the rider’s name, I tracked down an address, not sure if I would find him there, or even if he was still alive. Just a few days after I mailed him a letter, my telephone rang and a voice on the other end said, “Hallo, this is Harry de Leyer.” The man in the photograph, now in his eighties, was on the phone. The first time we spoke, Harry told me a story that gave me butterflies in my stomach and made my palms sweat--that’s how badly I wanted to write about what he’d said to me and share it with the world.

Walter Farley, author of The Black Stallion, was once asked why horse stories were so popular. His answer was this: “When the books have been read and reread, it boils down to the horse, his human companion, and what goes on between them.” The story of Harry and Snowman, is at its essence, a love story. A man, a horse, and a lucky encounter on a bleak winter day that led to a second chance for both of them. Together, they shared a dream so big that only their combined courage and heart could get them to their destination.

That moment, when the pair of them stood under the spotlights of Madison Square Garden and listened to the thunder of the crowd, was simply unforgettable--the kind of triumph that ripples forward through time. I heard it coming across a crackling phone line, the first time Harry de Leyer told me about Snowman.

Read the book, and I’m sure you will hear it too.

Review

Advance praise for The Eighty-Dollar Champion
 
“This is a wonderful book—joyous, heartfelt, and an eloquent reminder that hope can be found in the unlikeliest of places. Most of all, it’s a moving testament to the incredible things that can grow from the bond between animals and humans. If you love a great animal tale, you’ll love this book!”—Gwen Cooper, author of Homer’s Odyssey
 
“The moving story of an indomitable immigrant farmer, his equally spirited horse, and their against-the-odds journey all the way to the winner’s circle, The Eighty-Dollar Champion fascinates from the first page to the last. Elizabeth Letts has uncovered a forgotten slice of American history and brought it to magical life.”—Karen Abbott, author of American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee
 
“There is something magical about stories in which humans and animals team up to combine their courage, intelligence, determination, physical prowess, and instincts to scale the heights, touch our hearts deeply, and inspire us in the most profound ways. Those are the best stories there are, I think, and The Eighty-Dollar Champion joins their ranks. There is a lot of wonderful emotion in this book, and it left me awestruck once more at the wondrous things animals and people can do when they join together to make some great and beautiful noise in the world.”—Jon Katz, author of Meet the Dogs of Bedlam Farm
 
“A real live fairy tale about an unlikely rider and an even unlikelier horse who soared over obstacles to capture the hearts of a nation. An eloquent story about near misses and impossible odds and what can happen with a little luck and a lot of determination. I fell in love with Snowman and Harry, and so will you.”—Susan Richards, author of Chosen by a Horse
 
“The perfect book at the perfect time. Snowman will lift you up and over.”—Rita Mae Brown, author of the “Sister” Jane Foxhunting Mysteries series
 
“A fun and wonderfully detailed story about a most remarkable bond between a man and his horse. You will fall in love with the eighty-dollar champion.”—W. Bruce Cameron, author of A Dog’s Purpose

"Not only a heartwarming tale of the bond between human and horse, but also a fascinating look at the the Eisenhower years, when faulty memory tells us that America was placid and conformist." —Mary Doria Russell, author of Doc

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; Later Printing edition (August 23, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780345521088
• ISBN-13: 978-0345521088
• ASIN: 0345521080
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (466 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #33,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Individual Sports > Horses > Equestrian
  • #31 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Miscellaneous > History of Sports

More About the Author

Elizabeth Letts is the award-winning author of two novels, QUALITY OF CARE and FAMILY PLANNING, and one children's book, THE BUTTER MAN. QUALITY OF CARE was a Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, and Books-A-Million Book Club selection. An equestrian from childhood, Letts represented California as a junior equestrian, and was runner-up in the California Horse and Rider of the Year competition. She currently lives with her husband and four children in Baltimore, Maryland.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

151 of 156 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Challenge of a Second Chance August 6, 2011

By Miz Ellen VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Like the author of this lovely book, I was a horse-crazy little girl and one of the books I remember reading is SNOWMAN by Rutherford Montgomery. Therefore I'm thrilled that Snowman's story is being rescued from the dustbin of children's lit and being told again with greater detail and accuracy. I especially like the way Elizabeth Letts paints a complete picture of Snowman's time. This is history not just a horse story; a portrait of the America that embraced the former plow horse and his immigrant owner, Harry De Leyer, also known as "The Flying Dutchman".

This is the stuff of horsemen's dreams: to literally pull a thin and dirty horse off the slaughter truck and train him to become a champion. That is the true story of Snowman.

Could any book have a more charming hero? Snowman sparkles in these pages, a quiet gentle giant who gave pony rides to little children and taught timid beginners not to be afraid. He's so loyal that he repeatedly jumps both paddock and pasture fences to return to the man who rescued him from the slaughter truck. Harry De Leyer is a young horseman with a growing family who desperately desires to run his own horse business. He's looking for that magic horse who can take him to the top.

He'd been training a top thoroughbred prospect, Sinjon. In 1957, Harry persuaded the owner of the horse to take him to the National Horse Show in Madison Square Garden. Sinjon, a nervous and hot-blooded animal, exceeded expectations by jumping out of the qualifying rounds to place fourth. That very success was Harry's undoing: he loses the mount he has carefully and lovingly trained to a rider on the U.S. Equestrian Team....

He goes home to take another look at the horse he rescued off the slaughterhouse truck, the horse that came home dragging a tire which had been supposed to anchor him down and a piece of the fence that had been supposed to contain him. Harry knew that Snowman could jump; he just didn't understand why the horse was so clumsy in the ring.

Snowman routinely tripped over poles on the ground and knocked over low cross rails. Harry had been trying to train him to jump for over a year. The breakthrough came when one day Harry rode out into the ring. The jumps had already been set high for another horse. Finishing his warmup, Harry pointed his former plow horse at the high jumps...and the rest is history!

If I have a criticism, it is that the author has left out and glossed over some of the story about the humans. For example, she doesn't explain why Harry De Leyer and his first wife get divorced. However, I'm not sure she's wrong to leave that out. When it comes to Snowman, she has ferreted out many charming facts and features of his personality. When you are telling a story about a horse with a heart of gold is it necessary to explain every imperfection in the people around him?

Horse people will love this book. Snowman in his lovable essence will remind them of that favorite, special horse of their own. Folks who love animals in general will love this story. If you are in search of inspiration, look no further! This is a book for the entire family. Read more ›

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a fun, warm, exciting story! August 3, 2011

By feemeister VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I really have to hand it to the author here! She really had me going when she wrote about the competitions in this book, they were SO exciting!

The book was beautifully, done, and on so many levels! The horse's owner, Harry, had lived through wartime with the Nazi occupation, which colored (rightly so) many of his thoughts and feelings about things.

This book tells of him taking a huge chance on this horse that was bound for the knacker's yard. $80 was a good bit of money back then, for someone in his economic position. But his instinct won out, and he purchased the horse, and took him home. He was used as a lesson horse to teach riding, until they pretty much accidentally found out what a jumper he was. The story is just beautifully told by the author all the way through.

There are lots of things to learn throughout the book about immigrants coming to this country and working hard at what they knew best, in order to finally make good. There are lots of different bits of information about many different things; different lifestyles, details about a girl's school, as well as lots of information on the horse jumping circuits. This is one of those books that teaches you lots of information, but in such a fun and exciting way that you don't realize you are actually learning (which is my favorite way to do it)!

This book is interesting, entertaining and exciting. I highly recommend it, and am really glad I found this book and read it. A great, heartwarming read. Wonderful horse, wonderful man and wonderful story!

117 of 138 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly superficial August 7, 2011

By Vickie T. VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I wanted to love this book. I read the children's book, Snowman, back in the '60's, as a horse crazy girl and have always remembered the inspiring story. It was particularly meaningful to me at the time as I was one of the few middle-class riding students at a fancy hunt club, competing with expensive hunters on a $200 grade mare. But, Elizabeth Letts' retelling of the story failed to satisfy.

This book is all over the place, jumping from one topic to another and back again. For example, consider the contents of Chapter 14, which, in the space of 3 pages, touches on the lifestyles of the rich, the differences between amateurs and professionals competing on the horse show circuit, The National Horse Show and its place in the show circuit, Harry de Leyer's work ethic, the oppressive nature of the era, the Devon horse show, the changing nature of upper class society in Philadelphia, commencement activities at the Knox school and Snowman's participation, and the difference between Snowman and flighty Thoroughbreds. If a book could induce whiplash, this one would do it.

The book is very repetitive. If I had a dime for every time the author told us that the jumper classes are judged solely on objective, rather than subjective, measures, that Snowman was a cast off plow horse, or that "the rich, they're not like you and me," I could buy myself a nice dinner.

Also, I feel like the author played just a bit loose with the facts in order to enhance the story.... For example, in multiple places in the book, she emphasized that the show jumping team that represented the US at the Olympics and international competitions was composed of rich amateurs riding well-bred expensive horses, contrasting those kings of the show jumping world with Snowman, the plain old plow horse of humble origins. Yet, she fails to acknowledge that Nautical, a successful show jumper with the US team who is mentioned in the book, had equally humble origins.

Finally, perhaps most dismaying, this book is a very superficial retelling of Snowman's story. Based on "A Note About Sources," the "Notes" and the bibliography at the end of the book, the author conducted extensive research, including long interviews with Harry de Leyer himself. Yet, I don't feel like I know Harry de Leyer, Snowman, or the de Leyer family much better than I did before I started the book.

Do I recommend this book? Maybe. If you read the children's book about Snowman and loved it, you might want to read this book. If you were active in the hunter/jumper world in the late '50's or '60's or followed the sport during that time, you might enjoy the book. If I say to you, "George Morris, Frank Chapot, and Bill Steinkraus" and you know immediately who those men are, you might consider picking up a copy. I'm not sorry that I spent the time it took to read the book, just disappointed that it was not as good as it could have been. Read more ›