What was your favourite pony book as a child?

Cherryblossom

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There was a book I read as a child and I cannot remember the name or author, but I’ve often thought I’d like to read the series, so maybe someone here will recognise it!

It was a girl who had a talented but very tricky horse and after the girl in her club who had the very expensive horse got injured, she was given the ride of this lovely horse. She spent lots of the book riding this great horse and being upset that she didn’t have the same opportunities. At the big competition at the end the lovely horse tried it’s wee heart out, but she realised it didn’t have the scope to manage the last massive fence and left it out to give the horse a good experience. she then went home and popped her difficult horse over a massive hedge, realising that she’d rather have her difficult horse with talent.
Anyone recognise it? I’d love to read the whole series!
 

Mouse19

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There was a book I read as a child and I cannot remember the name or author, but I’ve often thought I’d like to read the series, so maybe someone here will recognise it!

It was a girl who had a talented but very tricky horse and after the girl in her club who had the very expensive horse got injured, she was given the ride of this lovely horse. She spent lots of the book riding this great horse and being upset that she didn’t have the same opportunities. At the big competition at the end the lovely horse tried it’s wee heart out, but she realised it didn’t have the scope to manage the last massive fence and left it out to give the horse a good experience. she then went home and popped her difficult horse over a massive hedge, realising that she’d rather have her difficult horse with talent.
Anyone recognise it? I’d love to read the whole series!
If the H&H hive mind can’t answer I recommend putting it to Jane Badger on her FB page.
 

YoLaTango

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My Fiend Flicka. I ❤️❤️❤️❤️‘Ed that series so much (esp the first book). I dreamed of moving to the US and having a ranch. I possibly still have that dream…..
 

Kunoichi73

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I'd forgotten about the Phantom horse series! This thread is great. It's reminding me of all the books I loved as a teenager!
 

Lois Lame

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I

I'm not very good. I don't have the confidence I had when I was twelve, I am far more self critical. ?. I wish I hadn't lost my story though, I was really upset at the time.

Self criticism is a bummer. How many of us have not done what we could have done well if not for it?
 

HashRouge

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Does anyone remember this one? It was about a girl and her mum who bought a rocking horse in an antique shop, but at night it turned into a real horse and the girl could ride it. I can't remember anything else but I know I really loved it as a kid! Also, it always stuck with me that there is this bit where she is picking out the horse's hooves after it has transformed from the rocking horse, and the horse holds its feet up so she can pick all the hooves out from the same side instead of walking all the way round. According to the book, this is the correct way of doing it. I was very impressed by this as a kid and tried to teach my pony to do it, but she was less keen!
 

silv

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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 .

I agree with your comments about Black Beauty, I still have a copy and think often of the lives many working horses had.
 

Patterdale

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One I forgot is Small Gains, another KM Peyton. One of my absolute favourites, I liked it more than Flambards!

There’s a sequel too, Greater Gains. Really good books! I must re-read actually!

Does anyone remember this one? It was about a girl and her mum who bought a rocking horse in an antique shop, but at night it turned into a real horse and the girl could ride it. I can't remember anything else but I know I really loved it as a kid! Also, it always stuck with me that there is this bit where she is picking out the horse's hooves after it has transformed from the rocking horse, and the horse holds its feet up so she can pick all the hooves out from the same side instead of walking all the way round. According to the book, this is the correct way of doing it. I was very impressed by this as a kid and tried to teach my pony to do it, but she was less keen!

The Enchanted Horse by Magdalen Nabb. The children and I are about to start our annual Christmas re-read, on the 1st of December.
One of my absolute favourites! But it wasn’t a rocking horse, which is part of the mystery…
 

Indy

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My favourites are the Fly by Night and The Team followed by The Heronsbrook Gymkhana followed by Tam the Untamed , our local library had a huge selection of horsey books. My mum used to take me on a Thursday afternoon every fortnight after school to pick a book and those were the ones that I can remember.

She also used to take me to Taylor and Colbridge in town every Saturday - and bought me a book my favourite was the Phantom Horse series. I loved books as a kid
 

lynz88

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I LOVED the Thoroughbred series and I think there was another spinoff series which I also read (I think it was called Ashleigh).

Also read another mini series - I can't think of what it was called but I remember the covers. I think that series started with a book called Dancer.

There was also another small Thoroughbred/racing series starting with The Sweet Running Filly by Barabara Van Tuyl and Pat Johnson that I read when I was younger as well.
 

lynz88

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Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Hendry I loved that book

Omg yes!!! Wow I was just transported back in time! Also of course, Black Beauty is on there - my mom has a hardcover that is falling apart it is so old and I remember reading it. I also remember it being written in British English and asking why some words were spelled differently!

Of course also read The Black Stallion series as well that other have mentioned. I'm sure there is more in my arsenal but they are all back home.
 

scats

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Was Fly by Night the one where the kid is mis sold a pony or was that another? I remember a book where a girls parents buy her a cheap pony and are told things like “mouth is as soft as a brush” but it turns out to be quite the opposite.
I think the cover had an illustration on it of a coloured pony though, and I think Fly by Night had a different cover?
Perhaps I’m mixing up books. I definitely read Fly by Night, but I think the one I’m thinking of was a different one.
 

scats

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No, this one is about a young girl buying an unbroken pony and keeping it in the garden to start with. Very well written and a great favourite of mine.

Ah yes, I remember now. I wonder what the one I’m thinking about was called. Would love to read them again.

I’m sure the one I’m thinking of, the girls parents took her to a dealer to get this pony. I think she pretended it was easy to ride and that she liked it because she was so desperate for a pony.
 

Tarragon

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Well, as a child of the 60's, I am also a fan of all the Jill books and the Silver Brumby series, and Black Beauty of course, but a decade on and I read all of the Dick Francis books; all the main characters were really likeable and believable, and I loved the link to the racing world (I was brought up near New Market).
And, I know this is about a donkey, but I loved "Brighty of the Grand Canyon"
 
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