About the author
Captain Cecil Hudleston Dent was born on 7 July 1889. During the First World War he was in the East African Mounted Rifles, attached to the Indian Army. He became a Captain in the Indian Army Reserve. He wrote numerous short stories for magazines and periodicals: under the pseudonym John Hudleston he wrote a story for The Thriller in 1937, and under that of Cecil Fanshawe wrote several stories for The Triumph.
It’s probably fair to say his stories are more horse and racing stories than pony books. His work is most notable for its illustrations: Copper Horse, Head High, Hands Low and Second Fiddle are all illustrated by Lionel Edwards.
Pictures: for copyright reasons I can’t put photographs of these books on the site.
Finding the books
All titles are becoming expensive. Head High, Hands Low is the easiest to find; The Copper Horse a bit less so. Second Fiddle is hard to find, and the most expensive of the lot.
Sources
The National Archive
Bibliography
The Copper Horse: The Story of a Steeplechasing Horse From His Point of View
Hutchinson & Co, London, 1948, illus Lionel Edwards, 192 pp.
“…the autobiography of Copper Knight, a horse whose racing career started with failure, went on to success, and finally
ended in failure. The story is told partly by Copper Knight himself, whose feelings towards his owners, trainers, riders and
stable companions are very frankly expressed; they are indeed “straight from the horse’s mouth.” Copper Knight has very strong likes and dislikes where human beings are concerned and will only give of his best on the race course to those who treat him properly. The story of Copper Knight is told with sympathetic understanding and great knowledge of horses and racing.”
For copyright reasons, I don’t use images by Lionel Edwards
Head High, Hands Low – A Story of Horses, Ponies and Riders
Hutchinson & Co, London, 1949, illus Lionel Edwards
A racehorse called Brassbound helps restore the health of four children after their wartime experiences in Germany.
For copyright reasons, I don’t use images by Lionel Edwards
Second Fiddle, Son of Viola
Hutchinson & Co, London, 1951, illus Lionel Edwards
For copyright reasons, I don’t use images by Lionel Edwards