About the author
Lady Kitty Ritson was born Lady Kitty Edith Blanche Ogilvy on 5 February 1887. She was married twice, and had two children with her first husband, both of whom died very young in 1914. The early decades of the 1900s were grim ones for Lady Kitty and her family. Her brother Patrick was killed in action in 1917, and her sister Mabell was killed in 1918, while exercising army horses.
Under her first married name, Lady Kitty Vincent, she wrote several comedies of manners. Under her second married name, Lady Kitty Ritson was a well known contributor of articles for Riding Magazine, with some of her more notable contributions including a pair on Western riding and sports. She went on to write pony stories, the first of which I believe to be A Kiss for Kara. This is described as a Ruritanian romance, where people have little interest in anything but horses. Review copies of the book certainly existed, as I have found it reviewed in Riding Magazine (September 1939) and The Straits Times (July 1939), and copies were deposited at the copyright libraries. I have never seen a copy for sale, so wonder if stock was destroyed in the war. Her later pony books included the Tessa books; an interesting series. Many fathers in books of the period are on the ferocious side, but Tessa’s is human and Tessa herself is delightful.
Kitty Ritson herself is better known by far in the dog world, having been a keen supporter of several breeds new to Britain in the 1920s and 30s, including the Norwegian Elkhound and the Finnish Spitz. As well as writing many books on dogs, she judged, and also helped set up Guide Dogs for the Blind. She died on 17 October 1969.
Other things
Lady Kitty Ritson was also responsible for describing the dogs on a series of cigarette cards issued in 1936 by Carrera. Entitled Dogs and Friends there were 50 in the set, featuring black and white photographs of young children with dogs. The set seems to be reasonably easy to find: it’s interesting seeing how much some breeds of dogs have changed since they were published.
Finding the books
Molly the New Forest Pony, John and Jennifer’s Pony Club, and Montana Adventure are all easy to find and usually cheap. The Tessa books are harder to find; the trickiest is Tessa to the Rescue. Pricing can be erratic. A Kiss for Kara is monumentally difficult to find.
Links and sources
Mabell Olgilvy, Countess of Airlie, Lady Kitty Ritson’s mother
Lady Kitty and her first marriage
There are photographs of Lady Kitty Ritson here.
Many thanks to Annette York, Sarah Beasley and Hannah Fleetwood for their help with the pictures
Thank you to Graham Burgess for the information about the cigarette card set
Series
The Tessa Series
Tessa and Some Ponies
Tessa and the Rannoch Dude Ranch
Tessa in South Africa
Tessa to the Rescue
Bibliography (pony books only)
a kiss for kara
Herbert Jenkins, London, 1939, 284 pp.
Romaine Carins becames Master of the Horse to the Royal Stud at Kiribia. Romaine falls for Aza Khan and has romantic adventures. The Kara of the title is the horse; the kiss was asked from his owner by the wicked horse thief who stole him.
Molly the New Forest Pony
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1940, 96 pp, illus W Neave Parker
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1954, illus W Neave Parker
Dick rescues Molly from hardship and misery, and under his father’s skilful guidance, Dick comes to know the real, rewarding friendship that can be brought about between animals and human beings.
Many thanks to Annette York for the picture
Montana Adventure
Faber & Faber, London, 1946, 211pp, illus Marjorie Owens
Scots Gavin McNaughton and his father are travelling to Wyoming, as Mr McNaughton needs the dry mountain air to heal his damaged lung. They are staying with Gavin’s uncle at the T Bar dude ranch.
Tessa and Some Ponies
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London,1953, illus Leslie Atkinson. 248 pp.
Nelson Juniors series, 1959, pb, 248pp.
‘Tessa Compton loved horses and longed to own one worth showing. But she had only her humble pony, Dusty. Her father – Colonel Compton – could not afford to buy another, but he showed Tessa how to groom, train and ride Dusty so that he could be entered for local shows ‘without disgracing the family’. During Dusty’s training Tessa had opportunities of riding some really fine ponies, and one day her most cherished dream came true.’
John and Jennifer’s Pony Club
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1955, illus and designed by Gee Denes, 38 pp.
Part of the John and Jennifer series.
All the titles I’ve found were illustrated by Gee Denes, and were written by different authors. John and Jennifer travel around having various adventures, including this one, in which they go to Pony Club.
Tessa in South Africa
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1955, 191 pp, illus Leslie Atkinson
Nelson Juniors, 1960, pb
‘Tessa Compton is broken-hearted when she has to leave her filly, Asva, in England and accompany her father to South Africa. But she finds South Africa a beautiful country with warm sunshine and lovely flowers. Although ponies seem very difficult to obtain, much to her surprise she does find Happy who has been sadly neglected and a stray dog to care for. She also finds an intriguing mystery.’
Tessa to the Rescue
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1957, 192 pp, illus Sheila Rose
Tessa, her father and Nanny have returned from South Africa. Colonel Crompton gets a job with a a rest home for sick and retired horses, and Tessa helps him. Unfortunately the centre is taken over by someone whose interest is in making money, not the welfare of the horses. It looks as if the centre will close, but Tessa has other ideas.
Tessa and the Rannoch Dude Ranch
Thomas Nelson & Sons, London, 1961, 209 pp, illus Sheila Rose
‘Tessa is delighted when she hears that her friends Marie and Laurie, with Marie’s part-Indian cousin Eric Many-Ponies, are returning from Canada to take possession of Rannoch, an estate in Scotland recently inherited by Laurie. And more delighted still when they ask her to come with them to help establish a Dude Ranch there.
Ponies are obtained, the guests arrive; under Eric’s wise guidance – and with the help of a wonderful surprise prepared for her by Laurie – Tessa wins back the confidence in riding that she had lost. Everything seems to be going with a swing, for who would have suspected that pony-rustling – the ever-present danger on a real ranch – would ever threaten the Rannoch Dude Ranch?’
