Pony books - which ones did you read?

Here's a question - what series had Tamsin, (Cla)Rissa and tiresome little brother Diccon in them? There was a horse called Carrillon who got impaled on a stake (lived!) and a homing pony called Midge, who regularly ditched his rider and returned to the stables...
 
And thank you Jane as well, I started refinding all my old favourites through your website a few months ago! Another one I would like to get hold of again is Moorland Mousie, anyone remember that one? I seem to remember some lovely colour plate illustrations as well.
 
brighteyes said:
Here's a question - what series had Tamsin, (Cla)Rissa and tiresome little brother Diccon in them? There was a horse called Carrillon who got impaled on a stake (lived!) and a homing pony called Midge, who regularly ditched his rider and returned to the stables...
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I loved Monica Edwards! (Hmmn just noticed my daughter shares a name with one of her characters, not a coincidence I'm sure)

I have a copy of Moreland Mousie, great book and lovely illustrations.

I also have a lovely book I bought at the same time from the same charity shop in Wantage called 'Skewbald: The New Forest Pony' by Allen W Searby, it has lots of nature notes and illustrations of the New Forest. Published by Adam & +Charles Black my copy is a reprint in the early 60s (hardback book was 10s6d), but it was originally written in the 1920s, not too much has changed in the NF, just more cars! Has anyone read 'Dinah: The Dartmoor Pony' by the same author? Would like to read / buy a copy of that one too.
 
Dubsie said:
I loved Monica Edwards! (Hmmn just noticed my daughter shares a name with one of her characters, not a coincidence I'm sure)

I have a copy of Moreland Mousie, great book and lovely illustrations.

I also have a lovely book I bought at the same time from the same charity shop in Wantage called 'Skewbald: The New Forest Pony' by Allen W Searby, it has lots of nature notes and illustrations of the New Forest. Published by Adam & +Charles Black my copy is a reprint in the early 60s (hardback book was 10s6d), but it was originally written in the 1920s, not too much has changed in the NF, just more cars! Has anyone read 'Dinah: The Dartmoor Pony' by the same author? Would like to read / buy a copy of that one too.
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Moorland Mousie - fantastic - and we have Exmoor Ponies now from the Moorland Mousie Trust, who were unsuccessful adoptions, and now do a stirling job as conservation grazers.

Children names after books......Flambards was my all time favourite, and my daughter is called Isobel (Christina's daughter) and one of my sons is Fergus (do you remember the aviator with half a burnt face....) I did not realise that I had done it until years later when I read the books - one day I will call a pony Sweet Briar, Treasure, Wood Pigeon or Golden Willow!
 
siobhain said:
Oh I've thought of another one I would like to find a copy of!

It was about a girl who wanted to be an eventer and she went to work at a yard that rented out hunters. It was run by two eccentric sisters i think, All the horses were a bit dodgy but in the end she found her perfect event horse. There was a bit in it about a dead mouse accidentally being used as a teabag!?

It was a red book and had a picture of a chestnut horse cantering in XC gear on the front.
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It was Caroline Ackrill's eventing series - Can't remember the name, but the sisters were called the Fanes, and ran a stable with the grey who bolted (who turned out to have been a brilliant event horse) and the mare who sometimes slipped a stifle, amongst others......
 
dressedkez said:
And who remembers the Romney Marsh series.......lots of ponies destined for salughter were saved - and she di Punchbowl Farm as well.....
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You have answered my Black Hunting Whip question yes it was Punchbowl Farm and you preempted one I was going to ask about the ponies going for meat but I can't remember the titles.
 
tedster said:
Perdita is in Dream or Fair Horses Love this book but the ending is a bit sad :(
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I seem to remember this book but must have edited the sad ending from my memory - can anyone remind me what happened?

My personal favourites were Caroline Akrill's eventer trilogy and JPT's pony club books.
 
Brandy said:
Ok had a look through my older books, the 'collection'

Some real classics:

The Wednesday Pony
Pat and her polo pony
Little Lass
Exmoor Lass
Silver Eagle (a series I think)
Brownie
Pharie - the adventures of a tibetan pony
Kyhberie the story of a ponyin the indian frontier.
Bobtail Shawn

Anythign by Glenda Spooner is always fab.


Anyone mentioned Pat Smythes Jump for Joy?

Ludo and the star horse was by Mary Stewart.

Oh the joys.
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Yes, I have a hard back edition of Kyhbrie.
And I loved the Pat Smythe 3 Jays series.
No one has mentioned the Maltese Cat in any of these posts.........
Lots of autobiographies I have enjoyed over the years, especially the racing ones.... Red Rum (Ginger McCain) and a Winters Tale - the year in a life of the Dunlops racing stable, I think it was that yard - in the 1970's 1980's - V tough
 
janebadger said:
Dressedkez, you asked if anyone was going to write a dissertation on pony books.

I have been commissioned to write a book on pony books (which should come out next year if I get my act together). It has been fascinating reading all your comments. One thing I'm looking at putting in the book is short pieces from people on what pony books they loved and why. It doesn't matter who you are, or how stellar or otherwise your equine career has been: what matters is the passion you have for what you read! 150-200 words should be enough. I can't guarantee to include everything I get as I have a strict word limit!

If you'd like to contribute, you can reach me via

janebadger dot books at btinternet dot com

and if you like pony books, you might like my website, which has information on over 300 authors. It's here: http://janebadgerbooks.co.uk/
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Just looked at your website - fantastic, and i am now going to do my best to track down all those Maybridge K M Peyton books that I don't have....but you do not mention Penningtons Heir, in that list, did it get re-named?
Can you answer the mystery why Jill's Danny Boy got renamed? I have 1960's version of the Amarda books where in books 1-3 he is Danny Boy - then becomes Black Boy......why??

Just been to a Classic Car show today, where there was a car boot - and have come home with 1957 Janet Must Ride (Diana PT) and a Walter Farley. On the former, trying to explain to my kids what the value of 2'6 is, was interesting!
 
dressedkez said:
Yes you are right - can you remember the book that Peter went on to star in as a NH rider?
I always hoped that K M Peyton would somehow try to bring Flambards characters into future books i.e have Isobel's (Christina's daughter) grand-daughter meet up with Ruth Hollis's son Ludwig (who I think was Daniel?) and re-vist Flambards that would probably have been turned into a Care Home or something similar..........!!
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Can't remember the name but seem to remember it was in the teenage section at the library! K M Peyton was very good at boyfriend girlfriend trouble in addition to horses.

What a great idea for Flambards! Is K M Peyton still about? Or perhaps I could become a ghost writer and make my millions....
 
kirstyl said:
Can't remember the name but seem to remember it was in the teenage section at the library! K M Peyton was very good at boyfriend girlfriend trouble in addition to horses.

What a great idea for Flambards! Is K M Peyton still about? Or perhaps I could become a ghost writer and make my millions....
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Just found name of that book 'The Last Ditch'. Going to have to buy it now!
 
I remember reading so many of those mentioned! Recently rediscovered The Pony Dopers, The Lost Pony, Prince Among Ponies and Jackie and the Pony Trekkers in a clear out. :o)

One of my earliest favourites was Polly's Oats by Marc Simont about a workhorse Polly who collapsed from being underfed while her owner's 3 'prize horses' got all the goodies. Loved the charcoal illustrations in that book. I always took it out of the library as my mum wouldn't buy it for me as it was 'too American'. I bought a hardback copy of it a few years ago from US eBay for 99c and it cost me $8 for shipping. Ironically it was an ex-library book marked 'Discarded from 20th Century Library Club'. Money well spent!
 
Rosina Copper,called my first horse Rosina `cos of it,Flicka..she was a "sorrel".does`nt that mean chesnut?,Thunderhead and Green Grass of Wyoming.My absolute Bible "Youth in the Saddle",another one called "Bridlewise",Col. somebody,all about neck-reining and winding string around your bit ring to ring to get a wet mouth.My fav ,a book on army horses,I call it" Horses for the use of" but also great stuff like surviving mustard gas attacks with your mule/camel whatever! And a very ancient 1907 book I have called "Horses and Stables",everything from building a stable block to buying a horse and stuff in between about loads of ailments and the 1907 way to treat them. `nother one,still have my copy "Ponies in Secret". And of course Smokey,love the old film of that one too. and of course Mousie...luuuve cheeky little Exmoors! Ooohhh great thread!
 
My absolute favourites were the Jill books. I bought the whole set off ebay a few years ago and re-read them. They were as good as when I originally read them 30+ years ago! I work at a riding school and have encouraged some of the kids to read them. I thought they might be a bit dated but they devoured them as I had done! They describe them to others as being 'like Enid Blyton's but with horses in'.

I also liked the Pullein-Thompsons, Follyfoot, Worlds End series, Jinny and Shantih and Pat Smythe.
 
dressedkez said:
Can you answer the mystery why Jill's Danny Boy got renamed? I have 1960's version of the Amarda books where in books 1-3 he is Danny Boy - then becomes Black Boy......why??
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I don't know why Black Boy was renamed. As far as I know, it just happened in one paperback, in the first 1960s printing by Knight, which had covers by Bonar Dunlop. Hodder don't actually have any archives for that period (they rang ME to ask a question about the books recently!) so can't tell me why. In that same printing, Black Boy was transformed into a piebald, and the Caney illustrations were junked for the Dunlop ones. Whether it was early political correctness (unlikely I'd have thought, as I remember at that period reading Little Black Sambo at school and no one thought anything of it; and this was also the era of the marmalade gollywog) or because Black Boy had been changed to a piebald and Half Black Boy wasn't such a good name. I do not know. I am going to make more efforts to find out.
 
Been meaning to ask you Jane but where you want pictures of books, is it only hardbacks you want or will paperbacks do? I have a hardback of one you want but no dustjacket; sadly, a lot of mine are dustjacketless, mostly through age, they've fallen to pieces!
 
tedster said:
I think I remember this, was there one called The Perfect Horse, Minos or something? Ended up being jumped round Badminton (or equivalent) by the heroine?

Brilliant thread OP, I am sure a lot of us are now rummaging through our old book collections looking forward to a good read!
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These are by Gillian Baxter Difficult Summer is the book with the fire there are 3 in the series I cnat remeber the name of the first book but do have it at home the horse in called Shelta[/QUOTE]

Ah yes Difficult Summer!

Not sure if I read all of the series or just that one..... I'll have to google it and see if it reminds me.
 
Maesfen said:
Been meaning to ask you Jane but where you want pictures of books, is it only hardbacks you want or will paperbacks do? I have a hardback of one you want but no dustjacket; sadly, a lot of mine are dustjacketless, mostly through age, they've fallen to pieces!
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Anything! My aim is to have pictures of all the editions, because I think there's often a particular one we think of as "ours". "My" Jills were the 1970s ones, because those are the ones I had as a child! Jill was in fact the first thing I ever put on the site: a single page it was, with a publishing history, and a few pictures of the books! Jill has a whole mini site of her own now.

By the way, it's the website's 5th birthday on Wednesday, and I'm celebrating with a pony book competition (prizes!)
 
kirstyl said:
Can't remember the name but seem to remember it was in the teenage section at the library! K M Peyton was very good at boyfriend girlfriend trouble in addition to horses.

What a great idea for Flambards! Is K M Peyton still about? Or perhaps I could become a ghost writer and make my millions....
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She was a year or so ago - as there was a bit of correspondence in H&H about fav pony books, and I wrote and said KM Peyeton, she wrote in the next week (swoon) and said she appreciated my support, but in for her Joanne Cannan was the best........And I am going to write THAT book, but you can help if you like......!!
 
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