The blog.
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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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Dog
by Janet Rising Several years ago I joined the local writing group. Every month we are tasked with writing one or two short stories. I challenged myself to write not one word about horses and, so far, I have succeeded. One month the title was Dog, and here is the result. *** Jack Russell Agent…
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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…
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A visit from the Ministry for the Future of British Sport and Recreation
Janet Rising © 2022 Have you ever wondered in what direction the horse world is going? Janet Rising, author of My Horsy Life, looks into the future in this story, and sees something radically different. I have to say I have some sympathy with turning out horses as much as possible, though that’s not necessarily…
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The Jill books ride again
One of the questions I used to get asked quite often as a publisher of classic pony books was, ‘Why aren’t the Jill books available?’ The last time the Jill books were in print was when Fidra Books managed to license the rights in the 2010s, and printed the first few of the series. And…
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The beginnings of Polocrosse
I’ve written earlier about the National School of Equitation, and its contribution to the sport of polo and women’s sport. This wasn’t the NSE’s only contribution to sport: it was also where the modern sport of polocrosse began. The origins of polocrosse had become rather obscured until relatively recently, as the NSE’s contribution was forgotten…
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Lights! Camera! Action! The joys of the photo shoot.
by Janet Rising For many years I taught riding. I also used to run riding school pony weeks – five full-on days of being responsible for up to 12 youngsters and ponies. This was a nerve-shattering responsibility, and I was constantly on the lookout for danger signals and opportunities for accidents in order to nip…