Step Back Into Childhood April 7–21 2025
It’s been a whirlwind few months, working on this exhibition. The Museum of the Horse in Tuxford is the most amazing place to visit. I love visiting the museum, and seeing all those things that connect us to a world that’s now gone.
The Museum’s new exhibition, Step Back Into Childhood, is about childhood and ponies. It’s about dreams, and escape, and about a world where it didn’t matter whether you had a pony.
I could make believe I did with my models, and my books.
The exhibition will feature pony books from the very earliest examples. If you remember Jill, Jinny and the Pullein-Thompsons, they’ll all be there. As well as books, there will be children’s horse magazines over the decades, and reminders of well-loved TV series like Black Beauty, Follyfoot and Flambards. There is even more on offer on the preview day:
Preview Day, 6 April 2025 – exclusives
If you want to see (and listen to!) all these special things, then come along to the preview day on Sunday 6 April. There will be:
- A tack-making demonstration by Jan Hague
- Aucott and Thomas will have vintage horse and pony books for sale
- A talk on pony book illustrators by Jane Badger
- Displays of miniature tack
- Model horse dioramas
and dioramas:
Books for sale
Jacquie Aucott will bring a selection of horse and pony books for sale.
The talk …
I will be talking about pony book illustrators, so if you want to reminisce about Anne Bullen, Caney, Lionel Edwards and many more, don’t miss that.
How to book for the talk (places are limited)
Please email the Museum on curator@museumofthehorse.co.uk.
The next door café is closed on Sundays.
The exhibition
Pony books, pony models, cover art … If you were a pony-mad child who never rode, or never got nearer to a horse than seeing one on television, you could still read a pony book or buy a model. You could still enter that world.
The exhibition will feature models too. From the pocket-money Britains toy horses to rubber models like Julip, there will be plenty of historic toys to see.
And books …
Early Black Beauty, Jill first editions, original pony book artwork, letters from the Pullein-Thompsons …
The Museum of the Horse
The setting for the exhibition is The Museum of the Horse, in Tuxford. It has won a Nottinghamshire Heritage award, and has been seen on Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt.
All its exhibition rooms will be open during the exhibition, and if you’re even remotely interested in the horse and its history there is plenty to see. There are saddles, harness, and many things that will give you insight into the time when the working horse was essential to human life. There’s even a mail coach kept in the carriage house in the yard. There’s the pad saddle grooms had to put on top of a lady’s sidesaddle if they were riding her horse, on pain of instant dismissal if they forgot. There are riding habits, hats, a truly enormous pair of breeches, and beautifully made children’s clothes.
Here’s a quick video of just a small part of the museum:
More on the Museum on its website
How to get there
The museum is just off the A1, about 30 miles from Nottingham. There is plenty of parking and a café (closed on Sundays). Downstairs from the Museum is a gallery devoted to equine art, as well as a bookshop.
Sally Mitchell, owner of the museum, says:
“Children have always loved ponies and right from the publication of Black Beauty the pony book genre and its spin-offs of magazines and TV programmes have recognised and encouraged that enthusiasm.”
Here’s a map:
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