Veronica Westlake

Veronica Westlake is the author of one of my favourite pony books: The Ten Pound Pony. I spent years trying to find this book: fruitlessly, as I couldn’t remember the title, and had also managed to get some of the details mixed up with The Ponies Next Door. At last a friend and collector from America pointed me in the right direction, and I managed to find a copy. It was very well worth it. Some of the books I adored as a child I don’t find as thrilling now, but this one is every bit as good. It is the story of a family who move out of London, and manage to buy and keep a pony through their own very strenuous efforts. To me, it still, rings true. The character’s squabbles are wince-makingly realistic, and the sheer slog they have to go through to get their pony much more likely than the girl-gets-pony wish fulfillment of other stories. There is a fairytale ending, I will admit, but I love it. Every time I read it, it makes me cry. Every time.

The book is reasonably easy to find. It was reprinted by Blackie in their orange edition, which a changed cover. If you can wait for the original version with cover by Peter Biegel do. It is quite lovely.

Her The Mug’s Game is also excellent: it is the story of a miserable London girl farmed out to a bohemian family in the country. The pony element is fairly minimal, but it is a lovely family story.