Snowman of Nome
Snowman was born on a pasture in Idaho and had a life of adventure ahead of him. His given name was First Snow and this turned into his stable name Snowman, or Snowy for short. He passed away at age of 22 on Sept. 11, 2024.
Snowman was a curly horse, a rare breed that features tightly curled hair, a thick mane and thus offering great insulation in cold winters.
He first came to Nome in 2007 to be with the Thompson family at Triple Creek. In 2008 he was gifted to the Haecker/Hahn family, who moved with him to Talkeetna until returning to Nome in 2011. He found a loving home and developed a tight bond with the Hahn’s sled dogs, especially his personal pet dog Pepsi, and with Diana, his human. In Talkeetna, he was quickly known in the neighborhood on our daily rides through Moose Meadows. With his paddock right next to the yurt we lived in, he heard when the bed covers moved to get up and he immediately gave his spirited “Good morning” whinny.
Back in Nome, we continued our daily riding adventures. He was well-known by travelers on the Beam Road and scores of cars stopped to say hello to him, to pet him and to just marvel at him. Many kids, who have never before seen horses, were introduced to equine etiquette and loved on him as he was an angel with children.
But he was also one of the most courageous horses that ever lived, sometimes picking fights that could’ve ended badly. One time, a bull musk ox broke through the enclosure fence and they chased each other around until Snowman could be enticed to go into his barn to be locked up and safe. We got chased horseback by every animal imaginable: moose, musk ox, even a beaver went after us once, and curious young ravens, cranes or a pair of young owls were flying with us for a portion of our rides. The most memorable chase, however, was when riding on a nice August evening, a good-sized blond grizzly chased us for a mile down the Beam Road. The bear came barreling down the hill in fast pursuit, and we were not lollygagging. Snowman kept his cool and galloped at full speed away from the bear who seemingly gained on us. After a mile or so, the bear gave up and continued down the trail towards the Nome River. It took an exceptional horse to not freak out in this situation.
Over the years, ravens have figured out that his thick, curly coat makes great nesting material. At first, a nearby nesting raven came by to pick up hair that was brushed out. Then, the raven got bolder, landed on his back and picked out the hair. If Snowman was in his barn, the raven came, called and Snowman would get out of his barn and patiently let the ravens groom him.
Snowman brought lots of happiness to many people and his manure nourished many gardens in Nome.
He was the last horse in Nome at the time of his passing.
We would like to thank Cheryl and Talitha Thompson for the gift of a lifetime; we thank Deedra Mobley for her expert care in hoof trimming, Thane Piscoya, Dr. Gil Van Sciver, Leesa Jones and the crew at the Nome Animal House, Dr. Kimberly Henneman of Utah and Anderson Hay for the annual hay delivery.