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

There is a great story here, but you won t find it in this book This author is not a good writer what else can I say What a disappointment after all the rave reviews Chapters were repetitive, even using the same sentimental phrases, flashbacks, and allusions time and time again The author really could have benefitted from a strong editor As if the story didn t tell itself, we are told ad nauseum how we ought to feel In effusive language, we read what a remarkable story we are being told Harry de [...]

A decent story of a horse who was rescued from a kill pen truck and turned into a champion show jumper Sounds like a great read, but it was unfortunately poorly written While the author obviously did her research, she crammed a lot of unnecessary and irrelevant information in the book My hard cover copy is 280 pages and could easily have been 180 She also jumps around chronologically so at times I found myself lost She was very repetitive, constantly reminding the reader of tiny, barely signific [...]

On an icy morning in February 1956, Harry De Leyer, a Dutch immigrant with a young family, is hoping to buy a horse at auction, but his car breaks down When he arrives, the only horses left are the kills already loaded onto the truck bound for the slaughter house The horses are skittish and afraid, they know Only the beat up looking gray horse is calm and not taken by the understandable air of desperation.Harry himself a survivor of a slaughter house machine the Nazi occupation of his Dutch vill [...]

I was very eager to read this story I thought it was going to be a heart warming story about a Dutch immigrant and his relationship with the horse he rescued from the knacker I should disclose that I am not a horse person but I am an animal lover I recently read Beautiful Jim Key The Lost History of the World s Smartest Horse by Mim Rivas which I loved And I hoped this would be a similarly heartwarming story about a man and his horse Unfortunately what could have been a great story was instead a [...]

I have loved horses my whole life I read mostly westerns or horse stories right through high school I can t believe I never heard about this amazing horse As soon as I read the cover, I knew I HAD to have and read this book I truely enjoyed the whole story I really appreciated all of the photographs in the book also It made me feel as if I knew the characters personally Harry was an absolute natural with horses He connected with them on a deeply personal level I would have loved to watch Snowman [...]

When I found this book at Costco, I knew I had to buy it Harry de Leyer is an immigrant who, along with his wife Johanna, left Holland after WWII, having survived the Nazi occupation of their homeland They came, as did many others, seeking the opportunity and freedom of the United States Relegated to menial jobs, Harry was eventually able to use his experience and expertise with horses to secure a job as the instructor for equestrian activities at a prestigious girls school on Long Island This t [...]

4.5 stars Harry DeLeyer saw something in the big grey plowhorse and took a chance on him Snowman spent his life repaying that belief and never let the quiet man down Together they chased their dreams and learned to fly together A true story of determination and a lot of heart this book takes you back to a time when horse shows were for the elite.This unlikely pair break into that world and capture the heart of nation who needed someone to root for Harry and Snowman become heroes, a team that a n [...]

This is not just a book, it is a story a true story about a man who picked a horse from a truck bound for the slaughter house, purchased him for eighty dollars in 1956, and went on win the National Horse Show open jumper championship at Madison Square Garden in 1958.The horse, nicknamed Snowman, was an old plow horse big, gray and gentle The man, Harry de Leyer, an immigrant from Holland, began using the horse for lessons at an all girls boarding school He was a gentle, predictable and safe ride [...]

I knew some of the story of Snowman the plough horse turned champion from before I believe it was a cartoon in some horse magazine I read as a child, and one of those stories with enough substance to be remembered When this book came out, I ordered it immediately Then it just sat there in my shelf, eyeing me accusingly Finally, after several years, I decided to read it since I wasn t getting anywhere with Kate Atkinson After reading the first few pages, I knew I would love it It was elegantly wr [...]

This was a free book from the GoodReads First Read Giveaway It is the story about a four legged hero named Snowman and his owner Harry de Leyer Not only is it a heart warming story about the special bond between the two but it is also a true story that gives historical facts that are quite interesting especially if you are from Suffolk County, NY I highly recommend it to anyone that loves history, a good story and most of all, horses.

I won this in a GoodReads giveaway This is an advance uncorrected proof, so, although there were minor errors in the editing, I will not be judging those I m sure they ll be fixed in the official release.This book was just great It has anything you could want in a book overcoming adversity, life and death situations, achieving your dreams through hard work and a bit of luck, and horses As anyone who knows me can tell you, I love horses They were the biggest and best part of my life for 20 years, [...]

The Eighty Dollar Champion Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation is about a man and a horse I know, that sounds super corny and we ve heard that said a million times about a man and a fill in the blank But this really is.First, let me say that I am not a fan of the horse industry Horses used for sport, and animals in general, are too often treated as throwaways former Kentucky Derby winner, Ferdinand, was sold for human consumption in Japan in 2002 and suffer catastrophic injuries remember B [...]

Harry deLeyer immigrated to the States after surviving war torn Holland He and his wife build a home for themselves here in the U.S deLeyer s talent is with horses and so he finds his way to training young girls at a private school One day deLeyer travels to Pennsylvania to the largest horse auction in the states While there, he saves a horse from the slaughterhouse The price 80 This horse is snowman and he is a retired field horse But when deLeyer sells him off to a neighbor down the road when [...]

Poorly done Rather than take the greatness of an underdog on the equestrian circuit, Ms Letts expounded on the New York area s history, the arena, the school and students who attended and their drivers, clothes, activities, etc , the horse bits, the competitors, the journalists, the newspapers history for God s sake I don t care about them I want to read about the plow horse and the Dutch immigrant who made horse jumping history about Snowman s jumping itself, not the closest challenger about Ha [...]

I love animal stories And if they are true stories, that s even better This was a good story Snowman, or Snowy as he was called by his family was destined for the slaughterhouse But Harry de Leyer saw something in Snowy s calm brown eyes that made him take a chance on the broken down horse Harry knew a little something about second chances He lived through World War II, and came to the States with very little money but a wealth of horse and farming knowledge and a dream of a better life I won t [...]

I m no horse jumping guru or even fan, but who can pass up a well written story about a lovable animal who just missed the knackers Not me And I was not disappointed I looked forward to listening to this audiobook each evening I had no idea that the famous Flying Dutchman referred to Snowman s rider and owner The story also chronicles how competitive horse events went from small payouts to large payouts within a couple years I recommend to animal loving readers Easy read, not very long.

As a former horse rider I was very eager to read this book Unfortunately I was very disappointed by the way the story was told The book alternated between long passages of historical references and would then jump back into the story of Harry and Snowman It was awkward and didn t seem to flow When the author wrote about the horseshows it was monotonous and tedious They were all written exactly the same way I might as well have been re reading the same passages over and over The book itself wasn [...]

I enjoyed this story of beautiful sweet Snowman and the man who loved him What a bond they shared and what a wonderful horse The story itself is not the most engaging one as the writing was a bit dry at times, but overall an interesting story I am seeking out the book for kids I see there is a new release coming this summer.

One star for writing a book so popular about an activity and a period that not all readers know about One star for making me tear up when Snowman had to be put down Don t worry he was twenty six, a respectable age for a horse that had worked so hard throughout its lifetime Trust me, show jumping at Snowman s level is every bit as stressful as pulling a plow Minus a star for anthropomorphising Snowman as much as she did ascribing human emotions to an animal to that degree gets up my nose While I [...]

First let me say that I read nearly every horse book ever written as a child, every dog book, every raccoon book, every animal book As an adult, I am still a sucker for a good animal story And this is a GREAT animal story I cried when Snowman died don t worry of old age because I had become so attached to the horse The writing is fine the author is knowledgable about horses, horse jumping, and adds some nice historical facts about the times, the sport, and horses in America that are fun to read [...]

True story, very interesting but I think a lot was added just to fill a book.

amazing horse amazing man i cried at the end of snowmans life

.From my review blog bookinwithsunny When Harry de Leyer arrived at the weekly Holland, Pennsylvania horse auction, he was late It was February 1956 He had driven through rough weather from Long Island, New York, in a station wagon with bad lights and one tire that had gone flat The only one left at the auction was Killer, the man who waited every week until the auction s end to buy all the unsold animals These he d load onto his truck and take to the slaughterhouse Harry had hoped to buy a good [...]

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.The Eighty Dollar Champion is a book that is both easy to explain and hard to describe It tells the story of the famous horse Snowman and his owner Harry de Leyer who jumped their way into the hearts of Americans in the mid 50 s The story itself is not unique a man from another country comes to America and works hard at what he loves, finds a diamond in the rough and together the two of them soar to the stars In a time where we find books [...]

What an unbelievable story

This is a true rags to riches story about a plow horse saved from the slaughterhouse in 1956 by a Dutch immigrant to the U.S Harry de Leyer Harry s kids named the horse Snowman because he had snow all over him when he stepped off the slaughter house truck on their small farm on Long Island, New York Snowman went on to become in 1958 Horse of the Year, the Professional Horseman s Association Champion and the Champion of the Madison Square Garden s Diamond Jubilee Letts tells the entire story of S [...]

Snowman, the Horse that Inspired a Nation is the subtitle of this book but it doesn t tell the whole story This is also a book about Harry de Leyer, an immigrant from Holland, who arrived in the United States with his wife, 160, and the dream of a better life than was possible in the Nazi occupied country he left Harry s story is every bit as inspiring as that of Snowman The horse show scenes became just a little bit repetitive in telling the champion s tale but then horse shows are for all inte [...]

I think this quote sums it up best Together they Harry de Leyer and Snowman represented the attitude of America with skill, a little luck, a lot of grit, and most of all a belief that big dreams can come true you can achieve anything A very up lifting story of how an old plow horse bound for the glue factory and a Dutch immigrant fleeing war torn Holland beat the odds and inspired a nation Highly recommend

I was expecting a book about a champion show jumper Instead much of the book was devoted to describing the Knox School For Girls and high society of the time.

How did I not know about this horse.is book What a fabulous read for the horse lover, underdog supporter, history buff Best book of the year.