Christine Pullein-Thompson: The Horse Sale
The Horse Sale is one of those books Christine Pullein-Thompson did so well, where the stories of different people and ponies interweave. They all revolve around the local horse sale, which provides opportunites for people like Edwin, desperate to find a horse to alleviate his loneliness. But this same sale could change some people’s lives for the worse. Olga only loans her beloved horse, Crusoe, and his horse dealer owner wants to retire and sell up everything, including Crusoe. Maurice has ignored his pony, Titbits, ever since the family bought her, and now his father has decided to sell her. Can Maurice change his father’s mind? Can Olga find a way to buy Crusoe? By the end of the sale, everyone’s lives have changed. How all these stories work out makes for a particularly satisfying read: one of Christine Pullein-Thompson’s best.
Hazel M Peel: Darius the Eventer
A glimpse into the horse world of the 1960s. Ann and Jim Henderson breed horses, and one of their horses has a problem: he can’t concentrate. Not ideal when you’re trying to get a horse ready for the Badminton three day event. But even Darius pales into the horizon when Ann’s beloved first horse, Pilot, is desperately ill. Horses aren’t the only problem for the Hendersons. Pat O Hara’s father blames Ann for his imprisonment, and when he escapes, he’s hellbent on revenge.
Available in eBook and paperback
Hazel M Peel: Dido and Rogue
Will Rogue be the one horse for whom Ann and Jim have to admit defeat?
Ann and Jim Henderson have bred two very different horses. Sweet-tempered Dido can turn on a sixpence and brake alarmingly fast: all very useful for a polo pony. But Rogue is different. He has been difficult since birth, and the older he grows, the more menacing he becomes. His very survival depends on whether Ann and Jim can find the key to him.
Originally published: 1967
Available in eBook and paperback
Hazel M Peel: Night Storm the Flat-racer
Ann and Jim have bred a wonderful black colt who looks as if he could be a Classic winner. But nothing is straightforward: Night Storm has a furious temper and is difficult to ride. There are questions about whether he’ll ever get as far as a racecourse, let alone race. And once he does race, there are people around who want to stop Night Storm in his tracks.
Part of the 1960s Leysham Stud series, where a couple fight to establish a prize-winning stud.
Originally published: 1966
Available in eBook and paperback
Josephine Pullein-Thompson: All Change
The Conways have lived at Charnworth all their lives, and they love it. They love the farm, and the estate where their father is the land agent. But now Lord Charnworth has died, and the estate has been sold to a Mr Smithson, a financier from the city. The family know that things can’t possibly stay the same, but Mr Smithson seems determined to listen to strident modernising voices, and not their father, and the relationship between him and Mr Conway deteriorates by the day. But the Conways are determined to fight back, with the help of their mysterious new friend, Nick.
Originally published: 1961
Ruby Ferguson: Jill’s Pony Trek
“Really, Jill I never knew anybody like you for falling on your feet. When other people would be landed in an absolute mess, you find yourself a house and plenty to eat.”
Jill and her friends are going on a pony trek. Of course, nothing goes absolutely to plan, especially when Jill and Ann manage to forget where they’re supposed to be meeting up with the rest of the trek. This is not their only adventure, and this last Jill story sees Jill back where she belongs, surrounded by ponies and the people who love them.
Ruby Ferguson: Pony Jobs for Jill (Challenges for Jill)
Jill and Ann have left school, and their whole lives stretch before them: lives, they think, that will be enlivened by working with horses. So that’s what they try.