When Snowman stepped off the truck at the de Leyer farm that cold February evening, Harry’s three children were bundled up in jackets and boots eagerly awaiting his arrival. The big mud caked horse stood still, ears pricked forward like a puppy wanting to be adopted from the pound. Snow drifted down, leaving a dusting across his broad haunches.
Harriet, age four, broke the silence. “He looks just like a Snowman!” The children didn’t notice the unkempt mane, untended hooves or sores; to them, he was a white and gleaming wonder. The de Leyer family had just grown by one.
Snowy, as he was called by the children, was unfailingly patient and kind, even when two-year-old Marty tried to climb up his tail. Harriet, Joseph and Marty loved to ride Snowman down to Long Island Sound and a famous Life magazine photograph shows Snowman swimming through the water carrying three delighted children on his back.
All eight of the de Leyer children learned to ride on Snowman and even competed him in local horse shows in everything from lead line to junior jumper classes. Even when the gentle gray was one of the most famous horses in America, he remained a loyal family pet.
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