What was your favourite pony book as a child?

[AmyMay]

loved all of those too.
King of the Wind, The Perfect Horse and Dream of Fair Horses and the Jill books were particular favourites.

The Perfect Horse was one of my favourites too.

 

[CatInTheSaddle]

Any other takers for Cobbler's Dream? I still have my copy somewhere and read it to death as a child. It was a bit more "adult" than other pony stories I remember, very strong anti-cruelty themes and mostly about horses that couldn't be ridden, which was unusual. In a more traditional vein, I got a lot of mileage out of Sophie in the Saddle, by Dick King Smith. We had that one on cassette! I also loved I Am the Great Horse which wasn't really a pony book- a child-friendly history of Alexander the Great told from Bucephalus' point of view.

Does anyone remember a story for young children about two trick ponies? They were little palomino ponies that lived in somebody's garden and pulled the carriage in the panto. I seem to recall learning from that book that horses can go up stairs but not down them, which was why the ponies were only allowed in the house via the front door! I think they were called Moonshine and Mystic, or some other 'M' name.

 

[Gallop_Away]

The Silver Brumby
Horses of Half Moon Ranch
Not really a pony book but I thoroughly enjoyed War Horse also.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Another here for Cobblers Dream, still have my copy. My 'Friend Flicka', 'Thunderhead' and 'Green Grass of Wyoming' also still with me. I love Gillian Baxter's books too and have all her new ones as well as most of her old ones.

 

[onlytheponely]

The Silver Brumby series and I absolutely loved the Black Stallion books. I still have both these sets.

 

[cauda equina]

I have an extensive and expensive pony book collection, all brought as an adult, the PTs, Joanna Cannan, Ruby Ferguson, Patricia Leitch and so on

My favourite would have to be 'Friends must Part' by Diana PT. It was quite a short story and was published with 'horses at home' second favourite probably Patrick's Pony.

I loved Joanna Cannan, especially the Jean books

 

[Supertrooper]

The Jill series of books

 

[Fransurrey]

I had loads of pony books when I was a teenager, including Riding Course Summer. I gave them all away in the early 1970s. When my son was at primary school in the late 1980s, his school had a book sale and while he was browsing, he came across Riding Course Summer, opened the cover and found my name inside (I used to write my name inside all my books). He had spent his money on other books, but told his teacher he had found a book that had once belonged to me. She gave him the money to buy it back for me. He was so proud to come home from school with a surprise for me. I still have it today.

I love this story. I have a similar one, in that my mother always loved 'The Lamplighter' as a child. I set out to find her a copy and found one on ebay I think. Anyway, it arrived and I presented it to her and not only was it the right book, it was the very copy that belonged to her grandmother - she'd also written inside the cover!!

My favourite horsey books were The Silver Brumby series.

 

[Leandy]

The Jill books, all of them! I read them over and over again and still think about them now, several decades on.

 

[Identityincrisis]

Jinny and Shantih, her beautiful chesnut Arab, i still pinch myself that i have my very own chesnut Arab just like my childhood dream!

The saddle club series and of course The black stallion

 

[Cortez]

The Jill books, Cobbler's Dream (I named my first pony The Cobbler). I read the Pullein-Thompson's books too, and of course Black Beauty, which still has me in floods of tears when I re-read it nowadays (death of Ginger). I loved them all, despite my life totally not resembling any of the characters' experiences.

 

[Burnttoast]

Jinny (of Finmory?) and her chestnut Arab, Shantih.
Also, my very favourite was Dream of Fair Horses.
When recovering from surgery, I got all my old favourites out and re lived those childhood memories.

Dream of Fair Horses is an amazing book but I can't reread as the end is so heartbreaking. Love Jinny. Also KM Peyton - Fly-by-Night, The Team, Flambards. I was a voracious reader as a kid (also we had no TV) so have read huge numbers of pony books but Patricia Leitch and Peyton are the standouts for me.

 

[Snowfilly]

Any other takers for Cobbler's Dream? I still have my copy somewhere and read it to death as a child. It was a bit more "adult" than other pony stories I remember, very strong anti-cruelty themes and mostly about horses that couldn't be ridden, which was unusual. In a more traditional vein, I got a lot of mileage out of Sophie in the Saddle, by Dick King Smith. We had that one on cassette! I also loved I Am the Great Horse which wasn't really a pony book- a child-friendly history of Alexander the Great told from Bucephalus' point of view.

Does anyone remember a story for young children about two trick ponies? They were little palomino ponies that lived in somebody's garden and pulled the carriage in the panto. I seem to recall learning from that book that horses can go up stairs but not down them, which was why the ponies were only allowed in the house via the front door! I think they were called Moonshine and Mystic, or some other 'M' name.

Pantomime Ponies by Gillian Baxter! I think they were Magic and Moonshine?

Gillian is still writing and is active on Facebook if you want to drop her a line.

 

[Merrymoles]

I, too, was a voracious reader with no TV so most of the above. I also loved the Three Jays series by Pat Smyth and found one and reread it during lockdown - stood the test of time mostly!

 

[Snowfilly]

The Silver Brumby series was my all time favourite. I took my username from that when I first set up an online account for something as a kid and I’m still using it.

Jinny was the first series I read which really delved in fantasy and I ended up writing fantasy stories for most of my adult life so I think it was formative!

I also liked the Black Stallion books, especially the weirder ones. Ghost, Flame and Legend are so so odd.

Jill annoyed me I’m afraid.

A Tale of Two Horses by Aime Tschiffley and Tschiffley’s Ride, both about his journey through America with two criollos is still a wonderful read.

Joyce Stranger’s Breed of Giants about a shire stud was one I loved as a teenager.

The Follyfoot series is painful and good. I can’t remember the exact details but there was a book where a horse was imported to the U.K. with a potentially fatal disease and it covered the panicked response of the first few weeks, of people trying to keep their horses safe or hide them, and it came strongly to mind when covid started. And The Cobbler and the little boy at the stables who overfed him because ‘he never got enough food at home, so he thought food was love.’

And my Mum’s favourite, Silver Snaffles. I must admit to trying whispering that in the dark corners of the stables!

 

[2ndtimearound]

When I was young, I read pretty much every pony book I could get my hands on, though many were from the school library or the town library (e.g. all of the Pullein-Tompson sequels to Black Beauty). The only ones I still have are my Jinny and Shantih books (and I never managed to get the whole series), two hardbacks I inherited from my horse-loving sister (Riding Course Summer and Wish for a Pony), plus the copy of Black Beauty that my dad won as a Sunday school prize in the 1930s. I'm annoyed that I didn't keep my Jill books or the copy of Silver Snaffles!
However, in my Kindle Unlimited queue I've currently got the first of the series of books written to carry on Jill's story (not by the original author, but I can't remember who they're by).

 

[blitznbobs]

Gay and the ponies (i think thats what it was called) no idea who it was by i read it so much it fell apart.

i also loved the jill books

 

[Spotherisk]

The Silver Brumby books were my favourites as a pre-teen, the Pullein-Thompsons were so prolific there always always something good to read.

My individual favourite is Wild Pony by Lucy Rees.

My favourite series is Monica Edwards Punchbowl books, and Monica Dickens Worlds End.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Just remembered more. To add, Moorland Mousie and Older Mousie, I have both and re read them in lockdown, the lovely drawings in them by Lionel Edwards.
Skewbald and the follow on - Sons of Skewbald, both a lovely read.
The Little Wooden Horse, that is so well thumbed!
Children of the New Forest.

All sitting on the shelves here and very much loved still.

 

[olop]

I used to love the Jackie books the one that I remember most was Jackie won a pony but I can’t remember the rest of them!

 

[Highmileagecob]

All the Jill books, Joanna Cannan, Pat Smythe, The Pullein-Thompson sisters......my favourite childhood book was about a family of children sent to live with uncle on the edge of the moor, and they met up with a boy and his horse who used to camp out on the moor whenever he felt like it. Can't remember the title, and the author was called Lucy. According to the fly leaf she was sixteen, had done the line drawing illustrations herself and her father had published the book for her. I read it over and over again from the classroom library cupboard. I'd love to find it again, but dare say it's a long shot.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I used to love the Jackie books the one that I remember most was Jackie won a pony but I can’t remember the rest of them!

Look up Judith Beresford, you'll get all of them listed x

 

[mini_b]

Jinny and Shantih - core memory unlocked thank you! ?

 

[Gloi]

It was called "The adventures of Porridge" and I wrote it between being about 10 and 13. I filled two exercise books. Sadly I lost my bag with it in when I was at school ? so I never found out what happened to him in the end.

 

[silv]

All the Pullein Thomson books, probably my favorite is Six Ponies which was the start of a series, plus the Jill books were pretty good too. I still have heaps of them and if I see any in charity shops usually pick them up too.

 

[catkin]

The three I remember most were 'Silver Brumby's Daughter', 'A Stable for Jill' and an older book called 'The Wednesday Pony'
Loved them, and have still got them along with quite a few others, mostly well thumbed paperbacks ( do you remember the Dragon books editions ?)
I still have my childhood Black Beauty but also a fabulous book called The Annotated Black Beauty which has lots of historical notes and pictures alongside the story. It's worth looking out for in secondhand bookshops.

 

[tiahatti]

I loved Judith Beresford too. I would get these out of the library constantly.

 

[Kunoichi73]

I loved so many of the above. The ones that stand out to me are the Black Stallion books (I still dream of having my own), the Jinny and Shantih series and Black Beauty. There was also a book about a mustang called Diablo Blanco that I repeatedly took out from the library.

I pretty much read all the pony books I could get my hands on!

 

[Goldenstar]

Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Hendry I loved that book .

However no book about a horse gets anywhere near Black Beauty if this book for written by a man we would all be studying it .
There are many great books of political campaigning , Mary Wollstonecrafts A Vindication for the Rights of Woman , George Orwell’s The road to Wigan pier .
Black Beauty stands with these and in my opinion above them the modern concept of animal rights was founded in a good part because of this clever well crafted intelligent book pointing out all the unfairness the insecurity and harshness of horses lives while masquerading as a cute book about a handsome horse .

 

[Tiddlypom]

All the Pullein Thomson books, probably my favorite is Six Ponies which was the start of a series, plus the Jill books were pretty good too. I still have heaps of them and if I see any in charity shops usually pick them up too.

I've not long finished Josephine Pullein-Thompson's Six Ponies and am now reading Pony Cub Team, the second book in the Noel and Henry series . They've been re released on Kindle.

I've also recently re read the whole Jill series. Also Show Jumping Secret.