Old Pony Books?

Bede said:
Some of Joanna Cannan's books, and Silver Snaffles and Fly-by-Night among others have been reprinted by Fidra Books with the original illustrations
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I picked up the Fidra reprint of Six Ponies last year. Had no idea the original was shortened for publication!

Has anyone read Dream of Fair Horses by Patricia Leitch? It's wonderful but so sad :(

I love Caroline Akrill's books too. They don't seem very well known but the eventing series is brilliant and her book of articles is hilarious.

While I'm busily talking books, does anyone want a HB of Pat Smythe's autobiography? I found a copy in a charity shop last year for £1 and it turned out to be an autographed copy! My other one is now in the spares pile but I'd rather it went to someone horsey :)
 
MCTM said:
Does anyone remember Rosina Copper? I think based on a true story.....
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Had the book as a child, as others say it got chucked out and bought a copy last year off Amazon. I loved, and still read The Brumby by Mary Elwyn Patchett, The Wild Heart by Helen Griffiths and the Flambards series by KM Peyton.
 
shadeofshyness said:
She was very realistic wasn't she! I wanted Saffy too and Jupiter who wad Hanif's strong pony.

Are the Saddle Club ones still going? I had loads, and was never near up to date with them. Must be thousands of them! Never loved them as much as the old pony books though.
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I think there must be at least 150 Saddle Club books if you count the spinoffs. I had about 70 when I stopped collecting them - I eventually gave them to the primary school where mum worked so they got read to death there. They aren't as good as a lot of the older British books but they aren't bad.

Did anyone else ever read Heronsway? I think there were only ever 2 of them. The heroine was called Sandy and had a pony called Quest.
 
I grew up from a very early age with the tales my grandad (now 89 bless him and still telling tales), told us of his time chasing bandits across the Arabian deserts as a cavalry man during and after WW2. He had a little chestnut Arab mare whose name translated to "pig head" in English because she was stubborn and very flighty. His stories empassioned me to Arab horses from the beginning so when I read the Jinny series, Shantih seemed so real to me I was well and truly hooked on them. Now my daughters are enjoying them as much as I did, blooming glad I hung on to them for all these years but cross with myself that I only kept 9 of my Saddle Club books at I had about 30 I think but lent a few out which never came back and probably the rest got donated to charity by my ever so helpful Mum!
 
Nice to know I'm not the only one sentimental about those books. They represent years of saved pocket money and presents from my ponyless childhood.

I've never managed to give them away and they live in a box in the wardrobe. I'm a Black Stallion fan from way back - but the book I am missing is King Of The Wind. I remember my school library having a hard back copy with wonderful pictures.

I just need a bigger bookcase ....
 
Lexi_ said:
I picked up the Fidra reprint of Six Ponies last year. Had no idea the original was shortened for publication!

Has anyone read Dream of Fair Horses by Patricia Leitch? It's wonderful but so sad :(

I love Caroline Akrill's books too. They don't seem very well known but the eventing series is brilliant and her book of articles is hilarious.

While I'm busily talking books, does anyone want a HB of Pat Smythe's autobiography? I found a copy in a charity shop last year for £1 and it turned out to be an autographed copy! My other one is now in the spares pile but I'd rather it went to someone horsey :)
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I have that in hardback... funnily enough I found it again the other day and was reading bits and pieces. I do love the story of her taking her driving test!
 
Lexi_ said:
While I'm busily talking books, does anyone want a HB of Pat Smythe's autobiography? I found a copy in a charity shop last year for £1 and it turned out to be an autographed copy! My other one is now in the spares pile but I'd rather it went to someone horsey :)
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Yes please c:. How much are you looking for, for it?
 
I love all my old pony books :) we did a clear out recently and made sure any horsey books didn't go in the charity pile!

I loved the Jinny and Shantih series but I think KM Peyton is probably my favourite ... has anyone else read her Swallow series, or Blind Beauty?
 
Anyone else read the Chill Valley Hounds trilogy from Christine Pullein-Thompson? I discovered them last year and loved them. I was a huge fan of the 'Jill' books by Ruby Ferguson too (they were so funny.

I also liked The Saddle Club but made the mistake of reading the Pine Hollow series that continued the story :-(
 
Was the six ponies book the one that ended with a pony going into space?? I loved that book if it was, it started quite sensibly about a riding school closing a followed the ponies stories and then ended with one going into space and learning to fly, hilarious.
 
hayley.t said:
Was the six ponies book the one that ended with a pony going into space?? I loved that book if it was, it started quite sensibly about a riding school closing a followed the ponies stories and then ended with one going into space and learning to fly, hilarious.
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Nope haha, I'm pretty sure you mean Ponies Plot.

Griffin said:
Anyone else read the Chill Valley Hounds trilogy from Christine Pullein-Thompson? I discovered them last year and loved them. I was a huge fan of the 'Jill' books by Ruby Ferguson too (they were so funny.

I also liked The Saddle Club but made the mistake of reading the Pine Hollow series that continued the story :-(
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I love the Chill Valley ones, they're all fab.

chestnut cob said:
I had all of the Jill books and I also loved the Follyfoot books. Ah, reminds me of being little now! I am actually quite looking forward to having children so I can subject them to having them all read to them!! ;)
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Oh yes, folly foot. Good, but always depressing.
 
dibbin said:
I love all my old pony books :) we did a clear out recently and made sure any horsey books didn't go in the charity pile!

I loved the Jinny and Shantih series but I think KM Peyton is probably my favourite ... has anyone else read her Swallow series, or Blind Beauty?
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I've read some of the Swallow books, they are very good

Griffin said:
Anyone else read the Chill Valley Hounds trilogy from Christine Pullein-Thompson? I discovered them last year and loved them. I was a huge fan of the 'Jill' books by Ruby Ferguson too (they were so funny.

I also liked The Saddle Club but made the mistake of reading the Pine Hollow series that continued the story :-(
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I missed out on Pine Hollow which may be a good thing

hayley.t said:
Was the six ponies book the one that ended with a pony going into space?? I loved that book if it was, it started quite sensibly about a riding school closing a followed the ponies stories and then ended with one going into space and learning to fly, hilarious.
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Err no - though that does sound like a great book. Six Ponies starts with the pony club DC being sent 6 ponies for breaking in. The ponies are given to various PC members and the bulk of the book is about the breaking and training of the ponies. There is also stuff about the member's existing ponies, a mounted paper chase etc. It ends with the PC annual show where there is a contest to see which of the ponies has been best trained. It's a very well written story but it has a lot of information in it too.
 
I've got a fair few of the Jinny and Shantih books, and I loved The Silver Brumby and The Black Stallion series too. My favourites were the Jill books, though I've never quite worked out if that's what it was actually like to own a pony back then?!
 
I love my old books too. particularly Monica Edwards, Wish For a Pony, in fact I used versions of the characters names for my 2 daughters.

Will def look up that FB group too.
 
Lexi_ said:
I picked up the Fidra reprint of Six Ponies last year. Had no idea the original was shortened for publication!
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I had a first edition hardback that a friends mum gave me because I was horsey. My mum gave it away with a load of other books when I went to uni. I picked up a later paperback in a job lot and realised it was different.

The Noel and Henry series were my favourites though I liked the Woodbury ones too. I think in both you had people who didn't change for the better. As others have said Sarah in the Woodbury but I think in the others Evelyn Radcliffe never came round to the new way of riding and believed to the end her way was best and Christopher started off OK but got worse as the series progressed.
 
I loved ' Wish for a Pony' too,but the Jill books were my absolute favourites; I was heartbroken when I found out there were only nine! Has anyone read the 'update' on the Jane Badger website? Written very well by someone as a grown up Jill-brilliant :-)
 
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As I mentioned earlier, Wish for a Pony is one on my absoloute favourites.

I haven't heard anyone apart from me mention Ribbons and rings by Gillian Baxter. I'm guessing that's because you haven't read them (yet :p). Go, go and do it now. I promise, they are fabulous.


Yep, I've read Jane Badger's Jill update, it was good. :-)
 
Is Ribbons and Rings a series? Not heard of them...
I do still have my original Jills,still re read every so often. And confess I think of my mare as Begorra from A Stable for Jill..how sad am I?!
 
Ah,thankyou,will have a look for a copy 😀
My Julip model horses (chestnut and a dark grey/black points) were called Blackboy and Rapide,stable made from a cardboard box and a Yorkie bar horse box,halters made from string and hours and hours of fun... Oh to be 10 again!
 
FrostyFeet said:
Ah,thankyou,will have a look for a copy ��
My Julip model horses (chestnut and a dark grey/black points) were called Blackboy and Rapide,stable made from a cardboard box and a Yorkie bar horse box,halters made from string and hours and hours of fun... Oh to be 10 again!
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And haynets made with the net the oranges came in!
 
What about the illustrators too, some are just wonderful. My favourite is Victor Ambrus, he illustrated some of the Silver Brumby books and also Haki the Shetland pony by Kathleen Fidler... He's often on Time Team now doing reconstructive drawings.
 
Had forgotten about those Boxers but yes! And loved the smell of saddle soap (Carr & Day & Martin round tin) so used to clean tack with that,just for the joy of using it 😀
 
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