About the author
When I first saw this book, I thought I’d discovered a book by Jane McIlvaine I didn’t know about. Once I looked more closely I realised that there was a massive one letter’s difference in the name, and that this book was by someone completely different: Scottish, and not American, and the author of only one book rather than several. Pony Trekking Summer is set in the Spey Valley in the Highlands of Scotland, and is a holiday story about James and Kirsty Macpherson, who help at the local pony trekking centre, run by Murdo McLeod. With their friend Robin and his cousin Wayne (a girl, despite the name) the help out with the treks during the summer.
The book’s a good read: it’s not the only story of deer poachers confounded by any means, but it’s a good one, crammed with Highland ponies, the characters are well done and refreshingly normal, and the story is believable.
Finding the book
The book is reasonably easy to find, though is one of those that is difficult to find without browned pages.
Bibliography
Pony Trekking Summer
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1965, 186 pp., Not illustrated
James and Kirsty Macpherson help at the local pony trekking centre during the holidays, but this holiday is different. This holiday includes deer poachers, and a television film, as well as the more normal show and gymkhana.
SHORT STORIES
James Pigg
Pony Magazine, November, 1965, illus Harold Beards