About the author
Nancy Caffrey wrote several pony books, including a series about a brother and sister and their ponies. She started riding at the age of five, and by 15 was teaching riding at the Hunt Club. She rode professionally, and specialised in riding difficult horses. As a reporter, she covered shows for the Middleburg Chronicle, the Virginia horse weekly.
Somebody’s Pony (1951) was her first book, and was illustrated by her childhood friend Jeanne Mellin. The two girls had a childhood pact to write and illustrate a horse book. Both author and artist were members of Margaret Cabell Self’s famous New Canaan Mounted Troupe, Junior Cavalry of America, and Jeanne Mellin later wrote on the Morgan horse breed.
The book most widely regarded as Caffrey’s best is the fantasy-tinged Mig o’ the Moor, illustrated by Jeanne Mellin, where a mystic Irish stallion helps a boy overcome his fear of race riding.
Finding the books
Not a cheap author to collect, alas. Horse Haven, Mig o’ The Moor, and Show Pony are very expensive, Somebody’s Pony, Hanover’s Wishing Star, Penny’s Worth, and Pony Duet are expensive, Lost Pony (the paperback version of Somebody’s Pony) is not necessarily cheap for a paperback, but there are plenty of them around. The UK version of Pony Duet is usually easy to find, and not expensive.
Links and sources
Dustjacket of Somebody’s Pony
Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau for providing all the information in this section.
Series
The Jan & Jay Series
Somebody’s Pony
Show Pony
Horse Haven
Bibliography (horse books only)
Somebody’s Pony
E P Dutton, New York, 1951, illus Jeanne Mellin, 72 pp.
As Lost Pony
Scholastic, New York, 1966, 64 pp
Jan and Jay find a lost pony and they school it for an upcoming horse show in an attempt to find its owner.
Penny’s Worth
Dutton, New York, 1952, illus Jeanne Mellin, 120 pp.
“The old bay riding school pony Penny wants more than anything to be privately owned, and her dream comes true when the Dawsons buy her for their young son to learn to ride on.”
Mig o’ the Moor
Dutton, New York, 1953, illus Jeanne Mellin, 158 pp.
A mystical stallion helps Danny overcome his fear of racing. Set, I think, in Ireland.
Show Pony
Dutton, New York, 1954, illus Paul Brown, 88 pp.
Jan and Jay buy a green and neglected three-year old pony and try to train her to be as good a show pony as their pony Top Honor.
Horse Haven
Dutton, New York, 1955, illus Paul Brown, 93 pp.
“Jan and Jay ignore their show ponies when a
neglected old horse is brought to their farm to recover from an abusive owner, and after they begin to ride the horse, they find out that he’ll jump a natural fence but refuses show ring fences.”
Hanover’s Wishing Star
Dutton, New York, 1956, 124 pp.
Hanover’s Wishing Star is essentially a non-fiction story of a girl getting a horse, illustrated with photos. “Karen Ann McGuire wants a horse badly, and when she learns that the racehorse Nashua and his stablemates are to be auctioned off, she writes to the bank in charge explaining that if there is any horse that no one else wants to buy, she would like to bid $24.03 on it!”
Pony Duet
Dutton, New York, 1957, illus Ronnie Mutch, 91 pp.
UK: J M Dent & Sons, 1959, illus Ronnie Mutch, 91 pp.
Reprinted J M Dent,1960
“Right when Cathy is thinking about giving up riding completely her Aunt Myla Lee sends her a skewbald pony named Duet, and riding this calm little mare helps restore Cathy’s confidence.”
non fiction
Scene from the Saddle
E P Dutton & Co, New York, 1958, photos by A L “Budd” Waintrob, 89 pp.
A boy enters his horse in a local horse show, and the book follows the preparation and the show itself, starting with filling out the entries, cleaning tack, preparing horse and rider, the show, and an exciting article in the newspaper afterwards.
