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The Eighty-dollar Champion

Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation
Jan 24, 2019IndyPL_SteveB rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
1958: Television is still new; general sports magazines are just becoming popular. People watching television and reading these magazines are seeing sports they never knew existed. The National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden is being televised and millions of people are watching horses show jumping for the first time. The sport is run by wealthy horse owners with expensive, emotional thoroughbreds. And in comes a calm, ordinary looking gray/white former plow horse named Snowman, with his immigrant owner and rider, Harry de Leyer, and whips them all. It’s quite a story. If you love horses, this will be a great book for you. I enjoyed the drama of it and the success story, but have to admit I skipped over many of the details of horse farming and showmanship that will no doubt fascinate horse lovers.