Favourite books/characters?

[ElleSkywalker]

Jill, Jinny, every one of the PT sisters hero's & heroines... think my fave PT one is Augusta from 'i wanted a pony' & 'A pony to school' & Jean from the PT sisters mum's book 'A pony for Jean'

I liked them coz they gave me hope that one day I'd find a bargin horse at a sale or similar & live happily ever after...... which I did aged 15, and my beloved gingerknobbermare & her wee foal (foalinstripeywellies) are outside now in the feild some many many years later!

I once added up how much my 'pony book' collection is worth/has cost me, and was horrified with the figure!!

 

[tabithakat64]

I've read all of the books mentioned on here so far and heaps more.

I loved the Follyfoot series, Silver Brumbie, Black Beauties family, Jinny, hhmm actually I loved pretty much all of them.

My favourites were the Jill series and I Wanted a Pony (about a girl called Augusta and how she got a pony no-one else wanted called Daybreak and won lots of calsses at a show beating her cousins).

Favourite hero has to be Luke from Jilly Coopers Polo.

Favourite horse has to be Tero also from Polo.

 

[ElphabaFae]

Black Beauty! I have a lovely hardback copy with black and white illustrations in that I got from a charity shop

The Heartland series

Sheltie the Shetland pony

PT sisters books

 

[Sarah1]

Did anyone read the eventers trilogy? I read 'Ticket to ride' when I was a kid and absolutely loved it - there was a big grey horse in it called Balthazar and I thought it was such a cool name!

I didn't realised it was a trilogy at the time though!

 

[Hells Bells]

Of course the Hovis diaries too thats a definite exception to the oldies rule!!

Haha rumpy pumpy and horses that did make me laugh!!

I've not heard of the eventiing trilogy, worth a read?

 

[Sarah1]

Of course the Hovis diaries too thats a definite exception to the oldies rule!!

Haha rumpy pumpy and horses that did make me laugh!!

I've not heard of the eventiing trilogy, worth a read?

It was when I was about 10! I've actually just ordered a copy (can only find 2nd hand though) to save for my daughter to read when she's old enough! She might love it as much as I did!

 

[Kat]

I was just on the Jane Badger Books site trying to work out which book a certain character was in and found the list of JPT characters, as I was scrolling down I couldn't help but stifle an immature giggle at:

Gay Crusader, show jumper owned by Maj. Holbrooke

Classic name for a showjumper!

 

[JFTDWS]

I was just on the Jane Badger Books site trying to work out which book a certain character was in and found the list of JPT characters, as I was scrolling down I couldn't help but stifle an immature giggle at:

Gay Crusader, show jumper owned by Maj. Holbrooke

Classic name for a showjumper!

 

[Hells Bells]

I was just on the Jane Badger Books site trying to work out which book a certain character was in and found the list of JPT characters, as I was scrolling down I couldn't help but stifle an immature giggle at:

Gay Crusader, show jumper owned by Maj. Holbrooke

Classic name for a showjumper!

Ahhh yes, i remember the jill books in particular had lots of references to feeling gay, and whilst to me it was perfectly normal, but my daughter thinks its obsurd!

 

[welsh horse rider]

I'm gutted no ones said Hovis LOL [JOKE!!!]

I loved Black Beauty and the Horse Whisperer.
I am a total Jilly Cooper fan - who can not love Lysander, Ricky, The Carlise twins, RCB, Jake, Billy and Luke?! Rumpy pumpy and horses? Fab combo!!

have to say I agree with you about the Jilly cooper books they are fab xx

 

[DaisyDoll]

My all time favourite is Gill & Perdita from Dream of Fair Horses, just the front cover makes me well up!

 

[KVH]

The Jill series were my favourite.

The Jinny and Shantih books, which started off my life long Arab obsession..

And ofcourse anything written by the P-T sisters.

 

[CarolineJ]

Did anyone read the eventers trilogy? I read 'Ticket to ride' when I was a kid and absolutely loved it - there was a big grey horse in it called Balthazar and I thought it was such a cool name!

I didn't realised it was a trilogy at the time though!

Oooh yes, I loved those She wrote a stand-alone novel about dressage as well, called Flying Changes, which was good, but not quite as good as the trilogy.

No-one's mentioned Fiona Walker yet - love the Tash French books.

 

[JGC]

Yes, I loved 'Dream of Fair Horses' (sob) too and the Eventers' Trilogy.

I also loved The Silver Bridle trilogy (I think I was in love with the leading man - I was sixteen, what can you do?) and am in fact going to go to order a copy on Amazon for a bit of nostalgia ...

Of, Jinny and Shantith and Jill and her ponies, anything by the P-T's but especially the Phantom horse books. Silver Brumby too.

Obviously love a bit of Jilly Cooper nowadays - I'm a little bit in love with Luke (although I'm no Perdita)

My mum threw out all my old pony books. Sob. My mission now is to buy them all back ...

 

[Tubbs]

Flambards is a lovely horsey book which I loved as a child. Can't remember the name of the author but it is still available to buy I believe.

 

[Maesfen]

Surprised nobody's mentioned the Tamzin & Rissa series (Romney Marsh) and the Punchbowl series, both by Monica Edwards; they were brilliant.

I was a lot older when I read my first Jinny book and didn't like it at all, felt it was very childish and unbelievable compared to when I read the Jill, the PT sisters, Gillian Baxter, Monica Edwards and the like when I was at junior school. Perhaps it was because I was older but I can still read my old books and relate to them unlike the children in the Jinnies.

Another vote for Fiona Walker too, brilliant believable series.

I love Jane Badger's site, lovely memories there.

 

[fallenangel123]

Can't believe we've not had 'The Black Stallion' and it's sequels, loved 'Son of the Black Stallion' more. Also 'My Friend Flicka' I even quite liked the recent film of it.

I have got my daughter the Pippa Funnell books for Xmas, can't wait to read them myself!

 

[wtdnh131]

black beauty!! ever since ive wanted a little grey called merry legs, a black one called black beauty and a chestnut called ginger hehe

 

[juliag]

again a fan of the Ruby Ferguson's Jill series, loved each and everyone of them! Bought one for my daughter recently in a charity shop and read it after she had. Loved it all over again , although seemed very old fashioned now. Cant remember the name but Jill went off to her cousins and set up a riding school at her friends yard. Maddy (12) loved it too! (Jills riding school maybe?)

 

[Oberon]

again a fan of the Ruby Ferguson's Jill series, loved each and everyone of them! Bought one for my daughter recently in a charity shop and read it after she had. Loved it all over again , although seemed very old fashioned now. Cant remember the name but Jill went off to her cousins and set up a riding school at her friends yard. Maddy (12) loved it too! (Jills riding school maybe?)

Off the top of my head it is A Stable for Jill

 

[Oberon]

I was a lot older when I read my first Jinny book and didn't like it at all, felt it was very childish and unbelievable compared to when I read the Jill, the PT sisters, Gillian Baxter, Monica Edwards and the like when I was at junior school. Perhaps it was because I was older but I can still read my old books and relate to them unlike the children in the Jinnies.

I have to agree with this. Reading Jinny now, as a mother of a teenager - I can see Jinny as a bit of a brat who sometimes needed a good kicking

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

Maesfen - I am a big Monica Edwards fan, just reading her biography at the moment - the first book of hers I read was Black Hunting Whip, and it was obvious from the start that she knew the area she was writing of, it wasn't a figment of her imagination.

Monica Dickens World End series is also fab, the older P-T books - the series someone was refering to earlier, with Noel in it, had Pony Club Camp, One Day Event, Six Ponies, and The Radney Riding Club in it.

One which I don't think has been mentioned is Lucy Rees Wild Pony - truly great, I think it would still grab me.

And THE classic horse story - Rudyard Kipling's The Maltese Cat. Welling up now at the final line 'past pluperfect prestissimo player of the game' gets me every time! Kipling was a great storyteller, and this short story pulls you right into it's heart.

 

[Maesfen]

I have to agree with this. Reading Jinny now, as a mother of a teenager - I can see Jinny as a bit of a brat who sometimes needed a good kicking

I'm so glad it wasn't just me then!

STR; ME did indeed know her areas, both of them. I used to badger Dad to take me to either the Punchbowl or Rye in the vain hope of meeting them all; would probably have **** a brick if I had but you can always dream>


Also love the KM Peyton books, she's very underrated as a writer for teenagers.

 

[Wobblywibble]

Oooh The Maltese Cat, an absolute classic. And how about Thowra the Silver Brumby and Tattles from Silver Snaffles?

 

[kirstyl]

Oh yes Laura-C Billy was lovely, he should never have married Janie though! I wish Jilly Cooper would write another horsey themed book, Jump! didn't measure up to Polo and Riders...

Sadly, Jump was well below parr. Riders, Rivals etc were read to within an inch of their book lives by me, brilliant books and I could read them again and again. Enjoyed the one set in the comprehensive school too - can't remember name?

 

[kirstyl]

Maesfen - I am a big Monica Edwards fan, just reading her biography at the moment - the first book of hers I read was Black Hunting Whip, and it was obvious from the start that she knew the area she was writing of, it wasn't a figment of her imagination.

Monica Dickens World End series is also fab, the older P-T books - the series someone was refering to earlier, with Noel in it, had Pony Club Camp, One Day Event, Six Ponies, and The Radney Riding Club in it.

The World's End series is excellent, many thanks for reminding me! What about K M Peyton? Apologies if someone has already mentioned her but Flambards was wonderful and I can read that as easily now as I could when I was 13. She also wrote Flybynight and The Team and various others about the same group of children/teenagers growing up. There was one about the Grand National, might have to go in the loft and dig it out!

 

[Madam Min]

Yes! The Jill books are lovely! Also loved Phantom Horse.

And yes Polo_han, 100% agreed on Jilly Cooper, but RCB didn't do it for me, my heart lies with Billy Lloyd-Foxe! x

Aww my fave was the tall, dark and handsome Ricky France-Lynch!

Loved The Saddle Club, Silver Brumby and Jinny books when I was a kid. Also liked the ones by K .M Peyton, I think one was called Fly by Night?

 

[kirstyl]

Did anyone read the eventers trilogy? I read 'Ticket to ride' when I was a kid and absolutely loved it - there was a big grey horse in it called Balthazar and I thought it was such a cool name!

I didn't realised it was a trilogy at the time though!

Was that Caroline Ackrill (or similar?) I loved them too, she has written books for grown ups too!

 

[team barney]

Oooh The Maltese Cat, an absolute classic.

Yes definitely, I forgot all about that one, really enjoyed reading it though and have read my copy multiple times

 

[team barney]

From horsey non fiction I really enjoyed Leopard: The Story of my Horse, he was an amazing character and Sir Michael Ansell brought him to life on the page.


Also really enjoyed The Byerly Turk by Jeremy James, though it did have me crying my eyes out in places.

Edited to add the are both in my top reads horsey or otherwise.