Elizabeth Letts on THE EIGHTY-DOLLAR CHAMPION

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.

Based on the insight and recollections of "the Flying Dutchman" himself, Elizabeth Letts tells the dramatic and powerful true story of this unlikely duo's rise to stardom. 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.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• elizabeth letts
• snowman
• the eighty-dollar champion
• horses
• horse-jumping
• madiso square garden
• harry deleyer

[sparkie119]

 I have been listening to the Eighty Dolllar Champion on the Radio Reader-excellent.

[ermthewerm]

i just read the book & i must say in all honesty , one of the best stories ive ever read. truly touching & well written , it brought a tear to my eye & im a ladies man a hard bodied italian stallion . its a must read & i would luv to see the movie if it ever transpires . thank u elizabeth letts . & if ur single get back to me doll !!!!

[Flyerboy1999]

This book is a biography so who is it about for the biography part? The horse or Harry de Leyer?

[jumpingsupreme9199]

This book is amazing! I just finished reading this and I seriously cried at the end. It's the most touching book I have ever read, and the moral of it is "Don't Judge a Book by It's Cover" for sure!! It's amazing and I highly recommend reading it.

[horsluva0758]

This is so awesome. It would be wonderful if they made a movie about it... I would be the first on line :)

[UfauxDrummer]

This story is truly extraordinary. I got my first horse (a big, white grade mare) in 1972 and turned professional in 1983, making my career as a jumper trainer on the backs of many rescued off-track thoroughbreds. Not only does Snowman and Harry's story illustrate the history of modern equines in North America, it highlights the plight of millions of horses post-WWII, and the societal changes that took horses from the status of being owned out of necessity to pleasure and show animals.

[AskGrace]

Thanks for the beautifully portrayed story of Snowman and Harry. I just finished reading The Eighty-Dollar Champion and I want MORE! Such a trip through history, and through the lives of two extraordinary beings, Snowman and Harry. You've written a magnificent story magnificently!

[Loshia2002]

I was a real horse nut when I was a kid and I remember reading a book about Snowman...this was back in the late 60s early 70s and I remember how much I loved his story. Really wonderful to see this amazing animal getting so much deserved attention 45 years on.

[aau1aau1]

Dear Mrs Letts,

I am a retired English teacher, an avid reader, and an animal lover. I have just finished your awe inspiring book The Eighty Dollar Champion, and I have never been more moved by a book. It touched me in ways that I cannot describe. The serendipity that had to take place when Snowman and Harry found each other-TWICE!- made my heaet swell. I am not wasily moved to tears, but I cried on more than one occasion while reading your book. I am going to recommend it to everyone! Thanks!

[MyBigRed94]

I also, just finished reading the book, The Eighty Dollar Champion & I absolutely LOVED it :) THANK YOU Ms. Letts for writing this book. We need more happy stories like this to inspire us. I pray Walt Disney will make a movie about Snowman & Harry de Leyer. That would be a nice tribute to a kind man who saved a horse, that everyone else had given up on. Merry Christmas!!