Horsey books

[TessaTassom]

Dd (11) has read and adores all the Stacy Gregg and Lauren St John books as well as Finding Wonder. She has re-read them all several time and is desperate for some new and interesting horsey stories. Any recommendations?

Don't know if these are the sort of thing she'd be interested in but the two obvious ones that spring to mind are Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and War Horse by Michael Morpurgo.

Those are good options @InnerPlop, thank you. I believe we have both books so should try and find them.

Has she read the Jinny at Finmory series? Highly recommend, they're a bit old fashioned now perhaps but tbh pony stories are timeless!

Starlight Stables Gang by Esme Higgs

Bit dated now but Saddle Club as well

Ruby Ferguson – Jill books series,- Jill’s Gymkhana etc – quite are old fashioned. The Silver Brumby books are about wild horses in Australia from the horses mindset if you see what I mean so not sure if this would appeal. Monica Edwards – Punchbowl Farm series – again old fashioned and more about the farm but horses have a reasonable role.. I read all of these but can’t remember how old I was. Also the Story of Heather – bit of a rip off of Black Beauty

Monica Dickens – Follyfoot Series and Cobblers Dream – again quite old fashioned. Follyfoot was a TV series – I think you can find on YouTube

I second Jinny at Finmory - the first 2 are especially wonderful - For Love of a Horse and A Devil to Ride. I adored those books - I still do.
Follyfoot as already mentioned.
Finally, Flambards by KM Peyton has lots of horse action as well as wonderfully recreating a lost pre war world.

They may be a bit old fashioned now, but as a child going through my horsey stage I loved the Phantom Horse series of books by Christine Pullen-Thompson.
I'm looking at getting some for my 11 year old DD.

Jane Badger books reprints lots of classic pony stories and may give ideas, even if you don't buy there.

janebadgerbooks.co.uk/

Thanks! Have just ordered the first 2.

Follyfoot Monica Dickens

I wanted a Pony
Riding with the Lyntons
Three Ponies and Shannan

Riding With the Lyntons ( early version ) is very realistic - Diana Pullein Thomson

And have just bought a small bundle of Saddle Club books on eBay, thanks 😃

I loved reading these.

The almost century old “A pony for Jean “stories are wonderful
You simply cannot beat the classics.

Silver Snaffles by Primrose Cummings

We do have this but I'm not sure she has read it yet.

The classics ( Pullein Thomson) books speak of a different era , when people hacked to gymkhanas and bought cheap ponies for £15 and turned them into stars!

Rosina Copper is a true story though- Pony bought for £2!!
Ended up at Wembley

Read that at 10 and loved it.

The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley is also a good one.

You beat me too it. I loved Saddle Club, it was like The Babysitters Club but with horses

A devil to ride was my absolute favourite book growing up, been racking my brains trying to remember the name of it

I was obsessed with the Jinny series and read them all multiple times!

Try Pippa Funnell’s children’s pony stories. They’ll be more modern than most things suggested (written by one of our top eventers). I re-read a few of my old childhood pony books last year. The Ginny ones were still a good rest, but my beloved Gill books were pretty dreadful they were so dated!

Caroline Akrill Eventing Trilogy
Loved these as a teen and still loving them as an adult ☺️

I had about 15 of Walter Farley’s The Black Stallion books at that age. Some of them are great.
Also Misty of Chincoteague, although that might have been when I was younger.
I was probably 12 or 13 when I read Secretariat, and that was good.

The Pullein-Thompson sisters - did they ever write anything that wasn’t horsey and gymkhanas? Sort of 1950s/60s feel, if I recall

They sounds great.

My fave ever and I still have my 45 yr old copy is A Stable for Jill.

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