The dynamic duo quickly proved their worth, as at just 18-years-old, Coakes won the Hickstead Ladies Show Jumping World Championships in 1965 with Stroller. When she was 16, her father sought to sell Stroller and have her move onto a bigger horse.Ĭoakes begged her father not to sell the gelding and after he agreed, the pair went on to compete in the open division. Coakes successfully competed with Stroller in the juniors division. The Coakes family bought 10-year-old Stroller in 1960 for their 13-year-old daughter, Marion. The bay Thoroughbred and Connemara cross were small yet mighty, winning some of the biggest honors in show jumping. 2. StrollerĪt 14.1 hands tall, Stroller was the only pony ever to compete at the Olympic Games in show jumping. Snowman even has multiple books ( see the books here on Amazon), a documentary, and his own Breyer horse model.Īlso read our full-length article about the amazing story of Harry and Snowman. In 1992, was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame, and in 2015, he was inducted into the Equus Foundation Horse Stars Hall of Fame. He quickly rose to fame and appeared on media everyone, including The Tonight Show. Just the next year, Snowman returned to Madison Square Garden to be the first horse ever to win the Open Jumper Championship two years in a row.
In 1958, Snowman was named the United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year (formerly known as AHSA Horse of the Year), Professional Horseman’s Association champion, and the Madison Square Garden’s Diamond Jubilee champion. The pair quickly took the equestrian world by storm, winning numerous championships.
Recognizing his incredible talent, de Leyer took Snowman back and began training him as a jumper. However, Snowman kept jumping the neighbor’s five-foot fence over and over again. After using him as a lesson horse for a short time, de Leyer sold him to his neighbor. De Leyer bought the eight-year-old gelding for $80 as a lesson horse. In February 1956, Harry de Leyer bought Snowman from a slaughterhouse in New Holland, Pennsylvania.
Snowman was a mixed breed flea-bitten gray gelding that went from being a plow horse to one of the best jumpers in the world. From rags to riches, Snowman’s journey was truly inspiring.
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