About the author
Selma Hudnut wrote three horse books, only one of which, A Horse of Her Own, was published in the UK. A Horse of Her Own is possibly the most popular title ever for a pony book; I found four other American books with the same title, as well as the USA version of Jill’s Gymkhana, which was given the highly imaginative title when it was published there. I have been told Selma Hudnut is a pseudonym used by Patsey Gray, but I have no documentary proof for this. If anyone can prove the story one way or the other, I’d be grateful to hear.
Finding the books
A Horse of Her Own is reasonably easy to find in the British reprint; plenty of ex-library copies exist at reasonable prices in the US. The other two titles are much more tricky. It’s hard to find them as other than ex-library. The ex-library copies are pricey; and the ones that have escaped library usage much more so.
Links and sources
Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau for all her help with the pictures.
Series
Rosemary
A Horse of Her Own
Irish Hurdles
Bibliography (horse books only)
A Horse of Her Own
D Van Nostrand Co, Princeton, 1963, illus R Anderson
Brockhampton Press, Leicester, 1965, 1975
Hodder Children’s Books, pb, 1974
Rosemary O’Connor gets a summer job at a hunt stables, and she finds her horse, the sort of Irish hunter she has always longed for. Alas, the horse is dying, and Rosemary faces a horrible dilemma: should she help him to live?
The Redhead and the Roan
D Van Nostrand Co, Princeton,1965, illus Sam Savitt
Tom uses cruel methods to make nervous horse Firebird jump. Brooke is sure she can handle the horse without cruelty.
Irish Hurdles
D Van Nostrand Co, Princeton,1966, illus Wallace Nall
Rosemary O’Connor now lives with her uncle, who is teaching her to play polo.
