Finding the books: Pony Plot and Missing Foal are very easy to find as paperbacks: The Great Pony Raid and The Pony Plot (hardback) don’t turn up particularly often, but are not expensive when they do.
The Secret of the Missing Foal
Wingate, 1975
Target, pb, 1975
The Pony Plot
Max Parrish, 1967, illus Michael Whittlesea
Wingate, 1975
Target, pb, 1975
Many thanks to Ruth for the picture of the hardback.
Lynn moves to the country. She is pony mad, and is desperate to have a pony of her
own.
She soon makes friends with the Barrington children at Whitscomb Manor, and
with Marie
and Jack, two gypsy children whose father works at the local circus. Then
Clive, a young
orphan appears, and the plot thickens... and Lynn’s loyalties are divided.
The Great Pony Raid
Max Parrish, 1967, illus Sheila Bewley
Many thanks to Hannah Fleeetwood for the picture.
The Overmarsten Summer Pony Camp is on; a wild mare and foal disappear -
pony campers think, and they get together with other pony camps to foil a gang of
horse
thieves.
If you can ignore the great gaping plot holes, in this, it’s a decent enough holiday adventure story. The pony element is minimal: the missing foal is missing in the story too. Uncle Benedict has died in rather mysterious circumstances: Ralph, Judy, Ginny Sam and Prissy arrive at the house to find a very sinister caretaker and a palomino foal who’s disappeared.
Bibliography