A big grey horse with an even bigger heart, Snowman rose from obscurity to become one of show jumping's most beloved heroes.

His rags-to-riches story began in 1956, when Harry deLeyer, a Long Island riding instructor, went shopping for potential school horses in Pennsylvania. Arriving too late for the auction, he spotted "rejects" being loaded onto a van bound for the slaughterhouse. Though bony, beat up and filthy, one plow horse showed enough spark to catch his eye. deLeyer made an offer, and for $80, the 7-year-old gelding was his.

Quiet enough to be a lesson horse, the new rescue was a hit with children, who dubbed him "Snowman." But when sold to a local doctor, he kept jumping fences and returning to deLeyer. Recognizing his talent, deLeyer began training him for the show ring.

Soon, Snowman was meeting and beating the country's best jumpers everywhere he went. He'd clear anything from a 7'2 obstacle to another horse - and do it with care. Yet this child-friendly, 16hh giant could still win a leadline class on the same day as sweeping an open jumper championship.

Snowman was champion at the 1958 National Horse Show, winning the stake there the following year. In 1958 and 1959, he was named both the American Horse Shows Association Horse of the Year and the Professional Horsemen's Association Champion.