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By Root 1221 0

’s head to a strap around its neck, to draw reins that ran over the horse’s poll just behind his ears, through the rings of the bit, and back to the rider’s hand, acting as a pulley. Unlike Snowman, with his soft rubber snaffle, those horses were also outfitted with complicated metal bitting, whose ferocious names, like “scissor bits” and “double twisted wire,” indicated their severity. Their riders had spurs strapped to their heels, and crops—short, stiff whips—in their hands, trying to keep their horses in a narrow tunnel between their two legs and two hands, giving their mounts no corner to duck out to the side of the fence to avoid jumping. On the approach, a rider often appeared to make a series of sharp jerks on the reins, followed by brisk application of the crop. Rider after rider seemed to be forcing the horse around the course. Judging from the other performances, jumping seemed to require a degree of brute force—an enterprise of coercion, not cooperation.

Snowman looked nothing like these other horses as he walked into the ring. Like a friendly kid entering the playground, he craned his neck around, surveying the crowd, and caught sight of the de Leyer children, lined up next to the fence. Later, the children swore he winked.

Harry cued Snowman to canter and headed toward the first fence. Unlike the previous riders, who had held their horses on a tight rein that kept their heads held high, Harry let Snowman gallop on a loose rein with his nose outstretched.

Harry, lean and wiry, balanced lightly in his stirrups, and as the big horse cleared each jump, he was quiet, seeming to anticipate the horse’s movements rather than follow them. The big gray had a ground-covering stride, but he did not appear to be in a hurry. Most of the other horses scattered their energy, chomping and prancing, swinging from side to side, but Snowman loped along steadily, directing all his resources to the task at hand. Harry let the reins slip through his fingers as he felt the horse stretch out his nose the way they had practiced so many times. Harry believed that he needed to allow the horse to find his own way, just as he had done so well naturally, jumping paddock fences by himself. As Snowman approached each fence, with his head lowered, his neck extended, and his ears pricked forward, he never showed a moment’s hesitation. Up and over. Over each fence, the reins went slack and drooped down over the horse’s neck. Spectators’ eyes were drawn to the big gray horse as, at the highest point of the arc in the air, Snowman’s nose stretched out, as though he was trying to make sure to give that extra inch. The rider almost seemed to fade away into the motion.

Chicken coop, oxer, parallel bars. As they took off over the last oxer, Snowman cleared it with room to spare. A clean round.

Harry leaned forward, threw down the reins, and gave his horse a vigorous pat, beaming. But he kept his wits about him enough not to jump off the horse and hug him before leaving the arena, the way he had done in his first big show in Amsterdam. There was a pause, and then applause—but this time, it was genuine, not patronizing.

When the class was over, the announcer called out the ribbon winners over the PA system in reverse order, starting with the brown eighth-place ribbon.

Dave Kelley smiled and waved at the crowd as he went in to receive his red second-place rosette. To keep the chill off, a groom had covered Andante in a soft woolen blanket in Duffy Stables colors, with the horse’s name embroidered on the side. But when the announcer called the winner into the ring, no fancy embroidered raiment graced Snowman’s back. Harry jogged into the ring leading the horse on a loose rein, and as they entered, the crowd hooted in pleasure. Aboard the big horse were three towheaded children lined up in order of size: Chef in front, Harriet sandwiched in the middle, and Marty hanging on behind for dear life.

Harry accepted the blue ribbon, then smiled and waved at the crowd; the delighted children waved along with him. He caught sight of Johanna standing in the