There is no better story than that of a heroic horse who, despite hardship, carries his rider to glory and victory. Whether it is Ronald the chestnut with white socks who carried Lord Cardigan through The Charge of the Light Brigade; Traveller, General Robert E. Lee's faithful steed or National Velvet, their valor, heart and spirit spark the imagination and affirm the age-old belief that desire, commitment and love can win against indomitable odds.

Snowman, the great jumper who won the 1958 National Horse Show, and his owner, Harry de Leyer, who grew up in occupied Holland, were both unlikely champions. But champions they became and their story, as told by Elizabeth Letts in her new book, "The Eighty-Dollar Champion," inspired a nation and is certain to inspire generations to come.

Already on the New York Times Bestseller List and now being considered for movie rights, "The Eighty-Dollar Champion" is quickly gaining success beyond its author's wildest dreams. "I have to pinch myself," Letts said laughing. "But I knew Snowman's story was a great one and it is a story I wanted to tell."

A former John H. Daniels Fellow at Middleburg's National Sporting Library, the avid horsewoman is charmingly enthusiastic about all things equine having grown up in Southern California horse country where she rode to her heart's content.

"I was a hunter jumper rider when I was young, and I loved horse stories. In fact, I was always looking for a horse story I could write some day. When I found an old photo showing a big gray horse smiling broadly as he jumped over another horse. I never forgot it."

That photo of Snowman, along with many others, is in Elizabeth's book, and when you see it, you will understand why she remembered it so vividly. First of all, it looks impossible. Secondly, Snowman seems to be laughing with glee as he sails through the air.

"As I began my research, and learned that Harry had purchased Snowman at an auction for only $80 as he was being led into a slaughter house horse trailer, I was captivated," she continued.

"He caught my eye," Harry said. "He wanted me to help him, and I did."

Harry de Leyer grew up in Holland under German occupation. In fact, the paratroopers in the movie, "A Bridge Too Far," were jumping into fields very near where he lived. His father, a brewer, was in the Dutch resistance, and Harry, like many Dutch teenagers, helped the resisters by driving their wagons during the war.

Without de Leyer's generous guidance and help, Elizabeth's story of Snowman would not have been nearly as complete or as accurately reflected of the complex times in which he lived.

Fortunately for her and for her readers, Harry and his wife, Joan, live just outside Charlottesville, Virginia. They were delighted to help Elizabeth ensure that Snowman's story was told again. "They welcomed me and my family to their beautiful Nederland Farms and shared their memories, photographs and hospitality on numerous occasions," she says gratefully.

Elizabeth, a mother of four children, lives with her family in Baltimore. She trained as a nurse-midwife at Yale after the Peace Corps, and now divides her time between writing and her work on patient safety at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Although her previous books were successful, the acclaim for her story of Snowman still startles and pleases her as she recounts the delightful time with the de Leyers and so many others who helped her connect the dots of this wonderful story.

Harry, now affectionately known as "The Galloping Grandfather, is an active horse enthusiast at seventy-seven. The story Elizabeth tells about his love for the big, pale gray, begins on the sidewalks of New York before the 1958 National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden.

After setting the stage, Elizabeth quickly, scrolls back through time to the New Holland, Pennsylvania horse auction where Harry first met Snowman.

It's important to remember that equine pursuits were gaining popularity after World War II. Horses were plentiful and the lure of the ring and of ribbons was very fashionable in high society. In fact, Vogue magazine and the newspapers of the day, followed equine endeavors closely, noting what was worn, won and lost in the ring.

The tension of the competition for the Open Jumper Championship at the National Horse Show in the late fifties very accurately reflected the tension of the times. It was the height of the Cold War, and America was mired in conformity and the grind of the 'modern age.' Big dreams of winning anything were buried deeply in a society that lived in fear of nuclear disaster and had almost lost its belief that winning against all odds was really possible for unlikely individuals, whether they be human or horse.

For that reason, the big gray who looked more like a plow horse than a champion and his devoted rider with movie star good looks and a history of beating his personal odds, captured the hearts of the nation.

Harry, who began riding on his father's brewery horses, never imagined he would find work with horses after he immigrated to the U.S. through Ellis Island. But his older sister who had tended the grave of an American pilot who was killed when his plane crashed in Holland during the war, provided access to a new world of possibility.

After the war, individuals who wished to immigrate to the United States had to be sponsored by U.S. citizens. When the family of the young pilot learned of Harry's sister's kindness, they offered to sponsor her immigration. She chose not to immigrate, and Harry received the chance of a lifetime.

He was offered a job on a tobacco farm near Greensboro, North Carolina, where a professional horseman spotted him riding. Although he had always loved horses, he never imagined he would have an opportunity to build his career around them.

Soon, Harry was offered the position of riding instructor at a small girls' boarding school on Long Island. For this reason, he was often on the hunt for kind, calm mounts that wouldn't give the girls any trouble. The big gray fit the bill perfectly. So perfectly, in fact, that the girls often requested a horse with a little more spirit. So Harry decided to accept the offer of a neighbor when he wanted to purchase a gentle horse for his daughter. Snowman was not so happy about this, however, and jumped fences and crashed gates to come home to Harry until Harry took him back.

"Since he was such an enthusiastic jumper," Elizabeth said, "Harry began to train him to jump. Although he wasn't very pretty, and didn't look at all like a thoroughbred, he jumped and jumped and jumped. And, he won and won and won!"

"Therein lies the tale of a truly great horse and an even greater rider." Elizabeth was able to interview some of the girls at the boarding school who learned to ride on Snowman, and they confirmed that he was "almost uninteresting," to ride. He was too quiet and he certainly wasn't handsome.

She also spoke with people who knew Snowman's story as he won on his way to the National at Madison Square Garden. "I received a letter from one son of Ukrainian immigrants who wanted so much to see Snowman at the National Horse Show that they saved to purchase tickets for him for his birthday," she noted. "Snowman's story became a much-loved and much-needed horse story for his times."

Elizabeth, who describes her own story as being almost as unlikely as Snowman's, emphasizes that, although she was working two jobs and running around like crazy to complete her research, the story of this gallant horse never failed to inspire her.

"Receiving the NSL's Daniels Fellowship was a godsend for me," she recounts. "It gave me an entire month to live and work in the beautiful village of Middleburg. Working in the NSL's archive with their fabulous resources was like finding an undiscovered country. Without the NSL, Snowman's story would lack the context and color it deserves. I am so grateful for that time and the many kindnesses I was shown there."

Soon, every lover of a splendid horse story will be grateful too.