Pony Books in the 1970's

My favourite is A Pony Of Our Own by Patricia Leitch. A brother and sister in Scotland desperately hanker after a pony, do paper rounds and part-time jobs to earn money, eventually save enough to buy a black Highland pony, but then have to save for the tack to go with the mare, and riding lessons and suchlike.

All those books follow a lovely formula with a healthy moral running through them, a near-disaster somewhere in the middle but all comes right in the end (except some of the (Diana?) Pullein Thompson ones which were far more gritty - e.g. the show jumper one where the young girl had the ride on a talented show jumper all summer but the pony was sold and she went back to her horseless town-life at end of year)
 
Two lovely books I've picked up recently, American publications, are A Cup of Comfort For Horse Lovers, edited by Colleen Seen, volumes I and II. They are delightful books, anthologies full of short (4-6 pages each) true stories written by adults recalling lovely tales of their early lives and how a horse or several horses entered their lives and shaped their lives. Highly recommended, will make you smile.
 
I adored the Jill books growing up. I also loved K.M Peyton 'Fly by Night'and 'The Team'.

I also love the Eventing Trilogy by Caroline Akrill, 'Eventers Dream' 'A hoof in the door' and 'A Ticket to ride'. Can get them on Kindle :) Probably aimed at a slightly older audience than the Jill style pony books though
 
Did anyone else read the Jackie books? The first book is about a young girl who wins a competition and gets to choose from a selection of ponies but she chooses a driving pony instead. The other ones are about various adventures they go on with her cousin.
 
There was a great charity shop nearby when I was young and via that I got to read every pony book going. Three White Stockings by Moya(?) Charlton was a favourite. Once there was a whole set of first edition hardback Jill books which I couldn't afford. There were also other horsy books - Tschiffely's ride written by a man who rode two Criollo horses through South America, showjumping annuals from the era of Dawn Palethorpe and Pat Moss, and instructional books variously ancient but interesting, hilariously bad or still very useful eg Henry Wynmalen. A lot of these have wonderful drawings by Lionel Edwards, which I believe some people cut out and sell.
 
Red-1 said:
A midnight conversation made the pair think that if the family rode Captain Podhasky's horses, then they would also be dangerous, as they had been trained to be quiet and sensitive riders.
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Captain Stefinsky perhaps? Podhajsky, Alois Podhajsky, was put in by the Nazis as director of the Spanish Riding School. I learned to ride in the saddle he designed.
 
There is a wonderful FB group run by Jane Badger 'our old pony books' and a selling related too it that are worry checking out. A couple of christmases ago Jane wrote a final 'Jill' book catching up with Jill and Ann doing a secretarial course. It was brilliant and written in ruby Fergussons style perfectly.

It wasn't until recently I realised Jill's dad must have died in the war :(

I have an extensive pony book collection including many first editions, I really need to catalogue it properly ?
 
Teajack said:
There was a great charity shop nearby when I was young and via that I got to read every pony book going. Three White Stockings by Moya(?) Charlton was a favourite. Once there was a whole set of first edition hardback Jill books which I couldn't afford. There were also other horsy books - Tschiffely's ride written by a man who rode two Criollo horses through South America, showjumping annuals from the era of Dawn Palethorpe and Pat Moss, and instructional books variously ancient but interesting, hilariously bad or still very useful eg Henry Wynmalen. A lot of these have wonderful drawings by Lionel Edwards, which I believe some people cut out and sell.
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I could cry when I think about the books I've lost over the years - "Three White Stockings" was a favourite of mine too "I Wish for a Pony" and "I Wanted a Pony" also - I had all three in original hardback copies with the beautiful drawings and many more including several by Pat Smythe - I think either my mum donated them to charity at some stage or else they are in an attic somewhere ?
 
ElleSkywalker said:
There is a wonderful FB group run by Jane Badger 'our old pony books' and a selling related too it that are worry checking out. A couple of christmases ago Jane wrote a final 'Jill' book catching up with Jill and Ann doing a secretarial course. It was brilliant and written in ruby Fergussons style perfectly.

It wasn't until recently I realised Jill's dad must have died in the war :(

I have an extensive pony book collection including many first editions, I really need to catalogue it properly ?
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Oooh - do you know where I might get hold of the 'new' Jill/ what its called please? Tried the Jane Badger site and googling but no luck.
 
ElleSkywalker said:
Did you enjoy it?
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I thought it was interesting and she's caught the spirit of the books and Ruby Ferguson's style and tone. But I couldn't help reading it in a knowing way and regarding it as an exercise, I don't have the innocence that I approached the originals with.
 
Red-1 said:
Loved the Jinny at Finmory books too. Personally I would have liked to ride Bramble the Highland pony. I recollect a disabled girl from the city, who sounded common with checked shopper bag, made friends with the arab horse and went for a gallop.
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Marilyn?
 
Tihama said:
I could cry when I think about the books I've lost over the years - "Three White Stockings" was a favourite of mine too "I Wish for a Pony" and "I Wanted a Pony" also - I had all three in original hardback copies with the beautiful drawings and many more including several by Pat Smythe - I think either my mum donated them to charity at some stage or else they are in an attic somewhere ?
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That happened to me too. One could weep. My Mum gave all my childhood books to my younger sister and when she grew up they were either sold or vanished. I did manage to replace them plus one or two jackets. Not first editions. Sometimes inexpensive 'reading copies'. I often used Sarah Keays childrens bookshop in Cambridge. And these days the internet.
 
Red-1 said:
There was another where the girl could ride a ride and drive pony. I think it was her father's pony who pulled the milk float. Of course there was posh girl who had clipped and blanketed horses, and I had to look up what a passage was, as apparently the posh horses could do this whilst out hacking, but the milk float pony could not. I thin the milk float pony went and won a show too.

Seems now like they were all awfully to a formula, although when I was young it did not seem that way!
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I am pretty sure that is 'The Wednesday Pony' by Primrose Cumming: a brother and sister ride their father's butcher cart pony every Wednesday (when it's half-day closing at the butcher's shop). They spend a lot of their time riding on the common looking for their dream pony, and lamenting that the butcher's pony (Jingo) has a docked tail and the action of a driving pony, and that he can't passage like the posh livery horses. Of course, in the true spirit of the genre, they realise by the end of the book that Jingo is in fact their real dream pony.
 
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