Snowman Jump

Snowman Jumps on Poki Games
Whether you have a horse at home, or just love the idea of playing a horse-themed game on your phone, you'll likely appreciate the wacky, albeit true story of a horse named Snowman and his aces in the show ring. This sprightly little fellow was a real-life Cinderella. A Dutch immigrant and plow horse, he caught the eye of 28-year-old Harry de Leyer as he strolled through New Holland, Pennsylvania, one day in 1955.

Having recently moved to the United States, de Leyer was on the lookout for a good show horse. At the time, most of the 25 million horses in the United States were used for farm work. By the end of World War II, horse-drawn equipment had largely been replaced by tractor power, and many horse farmers had to find another way to haul their crops. The result was a decrease in the amount of horses competing in the show ring.

As an eight-year-old plow horse, Snowman was no slouch, able to jump over fences a notch higher than his diminutive stature would have you believe. But a few years later, he found himself in the meat grinder. His luck and good fortune turned around, as he was sold for double his purchase price to a neighbor. This gave the de Lerys the chance to use the horse as a lesson horse, and to teach his daughter to ride.

In the course of their show jumping career, de Leyer and his hulking steed won several championships and other honors. The most prestigious award was the Open Jumper Championship at Madison Square Garden in 1962. During this period, they also appeared on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, and the pair were even named as two of the top show jumpers in the history of the sport.

In all, the story of Snowman is not only a good tale of perseverance and acrobatics, but it's also a testament to the powerful bond between man and horse. It's one of the most illustrious true-life stories about horses, and it's certainly one of the most impressive equine achievements of all time. It's no wonder that Snowman is now regarded as one of the best show jumping horses of all time.

In honor of Snowman's legacy, the Horse Stars Hall of Fame was established in 2015. His name is officially on the list, along with those of other show jumping superstars. A few of his other honors include the Diamond Jubilee at the Madison Square Garden, the most decorated plow horse in the sport's history, and the aforementioned 'Memorial to the Odd-Motifs'.

While a horse named Snowman is a fun story, the game is far from the only one to come out of the horse-crazed golden age of the show ring. In the '60s, the majority of farms in the United States relied on tractors, and in the ensuing years, horse-drawn equipment became an endangered species. In response, the manufacturers of these machines stopped making them, leaving farmers with few choices but to buy or sell their prized possessions.