A thousand horses were entered in the show, and oh, how they could jump. The open-jumper class was the most anticipated event of the competition, and only the finest horses competed.
But as the proud thoroughbreds paraded by, a hush fell over the crowd followed by laughter, for among the high-stepping aristocratic horses was what looked like an ordinary, gray farm horse with the ordinary name of “Snowman.” Was this a joke? How could a big-boned plow horse be allowed into the tournament?
But after three days of competition, the gray gelding stood, head high and defiant, a banner draped over his back proclaiming him “champion.”
Snowman loved to jump, and he continued to win and win, eventually being inducted into the show-jumping hall of fame.
With all of his success, most people never realized that when Snowman was young he was unwanted and unloved; he had been abused and put to hard labor. The horse had been so mistreated that when his original owner put him up for auction, only one man expressed interest—the manager of a plant that processed animals into dog food.
And that’s where Snowman was headed, until a young riding master noticed something special in the horse’s eyes and took a chance on him.
No matter where we have been, no matter how old, ordinary, discouraged, or defeated we feel, there is something of Snowman within each of us. Who knows what we are capable of? Who knows what wonderful surprises are yet in store for us if we take inspiration from the story of an old plow horse who, in spite of hardship and struggle, and though plain on the outside, showed that there lies in the heart of even the most ordinary of creatures a hidden spark of greatness.
Program #4013