The blog.
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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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Holidays on horseback
Welcome to another guest blog by Janet Rising. This originally appeared on my old website and blog, but I wanted to give it a new lease of life over here. *** When I was twelve, my friend Elizabeth and I went on a riding holiday. The brochure from the centre singled out for my experience…
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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…