Her pony books have a touch of humour, as well as romance, and are aimed at the teenage market. In common with several of today’s British pony book writers, she has found it easier to be published outside the UK. Most of her recent novels have been published under the Pony Club imprint of Stabenfeldt, though Kenilworth have published some in paperback in the UK. Her books are, she says, written with English settings, but Americanised by the Stabenfeldt editor. The UK paperbacks are easy to find (and mostly still in print). The Pony Club titles are starting to appear on the second hand market here, and I usually have a few in stock.
Sources:
Jenny Hughes
Jenny Hughes’ website
Jenny Hughes’ biography on the Pony Club book club site
A Horse by any Other Name
Kenilworth, 1994, pb, cover Sheila Ratcliffe
Half Halt Press, 1994
Many thanks to Annette York for the picture.
Fran wants to save the neglected chestnut Charlie, but the she can’t understand the
stranger who helps her.
Why does he look at her with such contempt?
The Horse from Nowhere
Kenilworth, 2000, pb
Stabenfeldt, 2005, hb, 152 pp.
The blurb:
“When a beautiful horse unexpectedly comes into Kate's life she is completely smitten
and is reluctant to find his real owner. Then she meets Jason who also turns her
world
upside down as they risk everything to track down the horse thieves bringing
misery into
so many lives.”
The Painted Horse
Kenilworth, 2000, pb. Cover art Sheila Ratcliffe
Rich girl Stacey thought she could ride until she was bought Diablo. Dean knows
she can’t, and her father
takes Dean on as groom and gardener after he loses his job
with the mysterious and unfriendly Mr Randall.
Stacey’s lessons with Miss Crabtree
don’t go well at first, but Miss C thaws out when Kris, half American
and half English,
arrives. Kris, Dean and Stacey between them try to work out just what is the mystery
next
door, and why Mr Randall is so determined no one gets to look at his horses.
A Horse Called Gem
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2002, pb
Many thanks to Konstasnze Allsopp for the picture.
The blurb:
“Jack's not keen when his girlfriend, Billie, offers to help with a new girl's riding
problems but becomes more involved
when they discover she's a victim of the local
bully, Kyle. Now there are three things to put right, the horse's
behaviour, Kyle's
destructive cruelty and the strange enigma of the Longrigg Emerald.”
The Dark Horse
Kenilworth, 2004, pb, cover Sheila Ratcliffe
Many thanks to Lisa Catz for the picture.
Tanglewood is in financial trouble, and Darren and Liz might have to sell up and
leave. This puts the spirited
Thoroughbred, Toshak at risk, and so Liz and Darren
start a bizarre treasure hunt in a desperate attempt to
save the stables.
Mystery at Black Horse Farm
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, pb, 2004
Cover and illustrations Jennifer Bell
The blurb:
“When Yasmine and the gorgeous Oliver travel together to summer camp it
seems her dreams have come true.
They're getting on well and the riding's great but
trouble seems to be brewing at Black Horse Farm. When
someone's attacked it takes
all Yasmine's bravery and riding skill to find the solution and bring about an arrest.”
The Horse in the Mirror
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2004
The blurb:
“Ellie is the proud owner of Aslan; to her the cleverest horse in the world. Ellie
falls heavily for Jonah but soon she has
a lot to worry about. Is Jonah interested
in her or just her pony, and is he really willing to help with their show jumping
in time for the big competition? Suddenly there's something far more sinister to
solve -
it's vital they discover if he’s exactly whom
he says.”
The Fantasy Horse
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2005
Cover and illustrations M Stokes
Emma has the lead in the Fantasy Horse show at the new theme park. Then odd and
sinister things start
happening: thefts; someone threatening to hurt horses and people,
a terrible accident, and Emma’s
boyfriend turning sulky and weird.
A Horse Called Trouble
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2006
The blurb:
Amy arrives at the prestigious Caspian Riding Centre as one of a group
of prize winning riders. The good-
makes an impact and Amy also finds
an instant connection with a talented but difficult horse nicknamed Trouble.
he riding
is brilliant and the atmosphere competitive but it's clear there's an element of
real danger when the spoilt
'star' of the group is threatened and finally kidnapped.
Suspicion falls on the charismatic owner of the centre and it
takes Amy, helped by
the now devoted Trouble, to uncover the truth.
Legend of the Island Horse
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2006
Cover and illustrations Jennifer Bell
Tia’s summer is being spent on a remote island, and it’s going well: she’s met the
wonderful Daniel,
marvellous with horses and a fantastic rider, there are moors,
cliffs, private beaches and coves for
swimming, and it looks as if it’s going to be
a wonderful romantic summer until people start getting
hurt. It looks as if it’s
something to do with the legend of an Island Horse who washed ashore after
a shipwreck
150 years ago.
The Horse in the Portrait
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2008
The blurb:
“The eagerly awaited sequel to THE HORSE IN THE MIRROR finds Ellie and
her friend Tara back at Garland House.
They help the gorgeous Jonah and his family
with their new project but soon things start going wrong Is the ghost of
Silas haunting
the old place or is there a wicked human force at work? Ellie and her wonderful pony,
Aslan, brave
a secret passage, a wild moor and a raging river to discover the amazing
reality.”
Bibliography
Hero Horse
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2008, 153 pp.
Cover and illustrations Jennifer Bell
Dana promises her best friend Lucy that she’ll give up a few weeks’ summer competition
so she can go with Lucy
to her family’s estate in the country. This sounds ideal,
but Lucy’s Uncle James is horrible and no one gets on
with him, and the estate is
falling down from neglect.
The Iron Horse
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2009, 153 pp. Cover Jennifer Bell.
Green Acres has been a wonderful place for Gemma and her siblings to grow up, but
then a gang shows up; property
is vandalised, and the horses are in danger. Gemma
doesn’t want to believe it’s the gang, one of whom is a friend, but
someone seems
to be trying to drive Gemma and her family out.
The Sea Horses
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2009, 153 pp.
Cover and illustrations Jennifer Bell
Sofie is depressed when she finds out her mother is going on a bit photo shoot during
the summer: but without Sofie.
Hhowever, Sofie gets sent on an excellent riding holiday
where she gets to ride and swim every day. However, when
Caitlin arrives at Beacon
Lodge, tempers explode.
Horses Get Lonely Too
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt,
The blurb:
“Sian has been raised on a farm with her mom. Her life is pleasant chaos, filled
with lots of chores, lovely animals,
especially her beautiful pony Marnie, and several
rescue horses, but she's in need of a friend. Then Jess moves in next
door. Jess has
had a life of luxury: a father who will give her anything, servants who are like
family, and now a new
house in the country and a new dream horse, Tag. The best of
everything! Yet she, too, has a problem. Something is
terribly wrong with Tag. He
seems misterable and lonely. Sian wants to help, but there's a catch; their parents
don't get
along and have forbidden the girls from seeing each other. The answer to
both girls problems will launch them into all
sorts of trouble!”
The Problem Horse
Pony Club, Stabenfeldt, 2010, 140 pp. Illus Asbjørn Tønnesen
Tamzin lives at a stable which retrains problem horses, and life seems good, even
though she doesn’t have a horse
of her own. However, when Sophie arrives, Tamzin’s
friend Seb has eyes only for her. Tamzin falls for the mare
Rosa and spends hours with her, although she knows the mare must return to her owner.
