Author: Jane Badger
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More model horses
This piece originally appeared on my old blog, but I’ve brought it over here as I know so many people have fond memories of the model ponies they had when they were little. I have many, many Pony and Riding magazines from the early 1960s, and they have adverts for a whole range of model…
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Model ponies and other toys of dreams
For many pony mad girls, if you didn’t have a pony, you had a model pony. Preferably lots. I was definitely in the lots camp, having a fine collection of Britains model horses, riders and stables. The big advantage to Britains was that they were cheap: my 5/- (25p) pocket money would buy one in…
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To Make a Star on a Horse
If your horse didn’t come fully equipped with facial markings, this was not a problem for the 17th century horse (or at least, for the horse’s owners. Most of these methods were a problem for the horse). A whole sheaf of recipes existed, the object of which was to provide a permanent star, not just a…
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The Cadogan Riding School: Horace Smith and the Queen
Horace Smith, who ran the Cadogan Riding School, taught Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret to ride. If you want to skip straight on to that bit, click here: Horace Smith and the Queen *** You would struggle to see a horse in central London today, but in the early decades of the 20th century, things…
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A real-life pony story: Jacqueline Darnborough
The story of this amazing lady and her struggle to get her own pony arrived in my Facebook inbox. I was lucky enough to catch up with Jacqueline last week, and she told me more about her story. *** Starting off At school I was good at needlework, and I was asked to make a…
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Thelwell and the ponies who plot
Norman Thelwell was probably best known for his ponies. He was the illustrator of many pony-mad children’s childhoods: not the lovely dream of a matchless grey swishing round the show ring, festooned with rosettes, but the foul tempered pony determined not to be caught and entirely deaf to any suggestion that it be schooled. Much…
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The Committee for the Advancement of Men in Equine Literature
It was time for the monthly meeting of the Committee for the Advancement of Men in Equine Literature. From the very dawn of the pony book, it had worked tirelessly with authors young and old to ensure the proper representation of men and boys in equine literature for the young. Its work, it must be…
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Caroline Akrill on Courses for Horses – the Return of the Fanes
It’s been thirty years, but the fourth and final part of the Eventers’ series – Courses for Horses – is now out. Here Caroline talks about what it was like to take Elaine and the Fanes on their latest journey. *** How did you get into writing the original Eventing series? I had written the…
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Writing a Pony Book: the Rules
Ever felt you would like to write a pony book? After a lifetime reading pony books, I have spotted the odd thing or two along the way I think prospective authors really should know before they start. And finally….. always remember the morally uplifting effect of a pony: someone in your book should be improved by contact…
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Was Jill’s pony black or piebald?
And what was his name? When Jill fans get together, there is one topic that always exercises them. Was Jill’s pony, Black Boy, black, or was he piebald, and was his name Black Boy or Danny Boy? The answer is ‘both’, and that it depends on what edition of the books you read. The original…