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Martin Rides the Moor

Smith, Vian
Author

Smith, Vian
Publisher

Constable

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Martin Rides the Moor

Smith, Vian

Martin has been deaf since an accident, and his parents buy him a Dartmoor pony to try and help him adjust to his new, silent world.

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Publishing history
Constable Young Books, London, 1964
Doubleday, New York, 1965, cover art and illustrations by Ray Houlihan
Carousel, pb, 1974, 1981

The UK first edition of this book has cover art in the same format as the original UK edition of King Sam. Both were part of Constable Young’s “Out and About” series, and had multiple black and white  pictures on a grid pattern with coloured  background.

Martin has been deaf since an accident, and his parents buy him a Dartmoor pony to try and help him adjust to his new, silent world. At first he wants nothing to do with the pony at all, until it snows, and he fights through the snowy night to get the pony to shelter. From that point on, Martin and Tuppence’s relationship develops. Disaster comes when Tuppence escapes back to the moors one day, but the wild mares from her old herd turn on her, and she is so badly hurt it looks as if she will die. Martin nurses her for months, and at first it looks as though she has recovered a little, but then she unexpectedly turns vicious: the explanation for this is a surprise for the whole family.

Other editions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vian Smith

Smith, Vian

Vian Smith did not write conventional pony stories. His books aren’t cosy, but they are very well worth the effort. His Come Down the Mountain is a taut picture of teenage stubbornness in the face of convention, as Brenda defies the village to rescue a horse. Author Gillian Taylor described them as 'more of a human drama than the pony adventure or wish fulfilment.'

Vian Smith was born in Totnes in 1919, and spent much of his holidays with his grandparents at their farm in Holne. Dartmoor was a presence in many of his books. After he left school, he worked as an office boy, and an apprentice before becoming a sapper during the war. During all this time he wrote, and his first published book in 1946, Song of the Unsung, was based on his war experiences. After the war he worked as a journalist on the South Devon journal, as well as writing. He died in 1969.

Finding the books
Come Down the Mountain, Parade of Horses, Martin Rides the Moor and The Lord Mayor’s Show are all very easy to find. King Sam is hard to find, but easy in its paperback version, Tall and Proud. Minstrel Boy, Moon in the River, The Horses of Petrock and Green Heart are reasonably easy to find, but more expensive. Question Mark/Pride of the Moor tends to be difficult to find.

Links and sources
Widecombe History

Many thanks to Annette York, Susan Bourgeau, Alison MacCallum and Danyele Foster for the photos.