Jenny Oldfield (1949-
s at the drop of a hat; she can write in any currently fashionable
idiom, is equally happy setting series in America and the UK, and is astonishingly
prolific. She published her first book,
She has focused on the pony book market with two series: Half Moon Ranch, and
My Magical Pony. The Half Moon Ranch series is set in Colorado, on a ranch run by
the Scott family. Kirstie Scott is the heroine of the series, which tends to focus
on a different horse in each different title, whom Kirstie must save or rehabilitate.
My Magical Pony is a fantasy series. Krista, the heroine, is a devoted attender
at a local stables, but she’s helped in her adventures by Shining Star, a mystical
pony who descends from the clouds, dispensing wisdom as he goes. The Dreamseeker
trilogy is possibly not exclusively pony-
Jenny Oldfield was born and brought up in Harrogate, studied English at Birmingham
University, and taught before writing full time. She learned to ride so that she
could research the Half Moon series and know what she was talking about. Six weeks
before she left England for Colorado, she took riding lessons, and it must have paid
off. She said: “When you're writing for kids you have to have a good memory of
childhood, so memory, observation, travel, reading, everything, there's never a moment
where you're walking through a street and don't look at somebody and say I wonder
what's going on there and store it and reuse it.” She’s certainly generated a lot
from those first few riding lessons.
She is, I think, the most prolific pony author working in the UK today. Her output
dwarves her contemporaries. She’s already at over 50 titles under her own name,
and will soon no doubt overtake Christine Pullein-
She has been rather less prolific over recent years: three books under the Jodie
Mellor pseudonym, and a retelling of As You Like It for A&C Black in 2009. She has
started a new pony series, Black Pearl Ponies, the first of which were issued in
2011. It is another American-
Finding the books: the majority are still in print. All are easy to find, and generally reasonably priced.
Sources and links:
Jenny Oldfield’s website (link no longer working)
Jenny Oldfield at Hodder -
The Lucy Daniels authors, The Guardian, 22nd March, 2000
Many thanks to Hannah Fleetwood and Annette York for their help with the photographs.
Links accessed but no longer live:
An interview with the author (Joseph Pike, 2001)
Another interview at Jubilee Books
Jenny Oldfield
Crazy Horse (Half Moon Ranch 3)
Hodder, 1999, 152 pp.
Crazy Horse’s best buddy is the beautiful horse Cadillac: both horses vanish, and Kirstie suspects Crazy
Horse has been used to steal Cadillac. When Crazy Horse turns up back at the ranch,
Kirstie thinks he
can lead her to Cadillac.
Horse and pony titles only
Johnny Mohawk (Half Moon Ranch 4)
Hodder, 1999, 154 pp.
A ranch guest falls from one of Kirstie’s favourite horses and breaks his arm. He
blames the horse, but
Kirstie is sure he is lying
Diamond Charm (Half Moon Ranch Special)
Hodder, 2002, 156 pp.
Sandy Scott has let Taryn West stay for free at the ranch, even though it is their
busy time. Her family is in
terrible trouble, and Taryn disappears on her favourite
horse, Diamond Charm. Kirstie has to find her.
Animal Alert
Quarantine
Heatwave
Skin and Bone
Home Farm Twins
Solo the Homeless
Stevie the Rebel
Sultan the Patient
Scott the Braveheart
Star the Surprise
Home Farm Twins: Specials
Home Farm Friends (short story about a Shetland)
Smarty the Outcast
Half Moon Ranch
Wild Horses
Rodeo Rocky
Crazy Horse
Johnny Mohawk
Midnight Lady
Third Time Lucky
Navahoe Joe
Hollywood Princess
Danny Boy
Little Vixen
Gunsmoke
Golden Dawn
Silver Spur
Moondance
Lady Roseanne
Steamboat Charlie
Skylark
Eagle Wing
Half Moon Ranch: Wild Horses
El Dorado
Santa Ana
Chiquitita
Half Moon Ranch: Specials
Diamond Charm
Jethro Junior
Starlight
Dreamseeker
Silver Cloud
Iron Eyes
Bad Heart
My Magical Pony
Silver Mist
Shining Star
Dawn Light
Summer Shadows
Midnight Snow
Bright Eyes
Pale Moon
Summertime Blues
North Star
Sea Haze
Falling Leaves
Red Skies
Secret Whispers
New Beginnings
Starlight Dream
Black Pearl Ponies (out 2011)
Red Star
Wildflower
Miss Molly
Stormcloud
Quarantine (Animal Alert 4)
Hodder, 1997, 124 pp.
A contagious disease has affected the ponies at a local stable. When one of them is stolen Carly is worried
that when the thieves find out they will destroy or dump the horse.
Rodeo Rocky (Half Moon Ranch 2)
Hodder, 1999, 152 pp.
Large print edition: Galaxy, Bath, 2006
Whitebrook Farm’s review of Rodeo Rocky
Kirstie persuades her mother to buy a badly treated rodeo horse, but after he throws
her, his fate is in the
balance again.
Heatwave (Animal Alert)
Hodder, 1999, 140 pp.
Three horses have been left in a field, and Carly and her father care for them. Neighbours say the owners are on
Holiday. When Carly turns up one day and the horses are gone, she wonders if the
owners have removed the
evidence of their neglect.
Midnight Lady (Half Moon Ranch 5)
Hodder, 1999, 152 pp.
Large Print Edition, Galaxy, 2006
A neighbouring rancher is breaking in some horses, and Kirstie is horrified by his
treatment of one in
particular: Midnight Lady. She sneaks out to rescue the horse,
but manages to let all eight loose. She’s
in trouble.
Home Farm Friends (short stories)
Hodder, 2000, 120 pp.
Short stories: one features Scott the Shetland pony in a hospital drama.
Hollywood Princess (Half Moon Ranch 8)
Hodder, 2000, 158 pp.
Hollywood is beautiful but tough, but then an accident strikes her and Lisa down.
Danny Boy (Half Moon Ranch 9)
Hodder, 2000, 152 pp.
Danny Boy is left in great danger, balanced on a ledge after a guest’s carelessness.
Kirstie remembers
the old mine workings, and hopes they’ll be a way to get to him.
Jethro Junior (Half Moon Ranch Special)
Hodder, 2000, 155 pp.
Jethro Junior is a star jumper, and Kristie has worked with him over the summer.
Some careless trippers
start a fire, which rapidly gets of out hand, and the only
way to get help involves Jethro making the jump
of his life.
Gunsmoke (Half Moon Ranch 11)
Hodder, 2000, 157 pp.
It’s Kids’ Week, and Lacey is visiting. She goes off on her own on Gunsmoke, and fails to return.
Golden Dawn (Half Moon Ranch 12)
Hodder, 2000, 154 pp.
Golden Dawn gives birth to Tatum, but then a flood carries him off, and Kirstie and the mare go in search of him.
Lady Roseanne (Half Moon Ranch 15)
Hodder, 2001, 155 pp.
Matt’s new girlfriend, Lauren, has left her lovely horse at the Ranch. She is found
covered in scratches, and
Matt blames the new wrangler, but she suspects someone,
or something, else.
Eagle Wing (Half Moon Ranch 18)
Hodder, 2001, 153 pp.
Kirstie comes across an abandoned mare, heavily in foal.
Chiquitita (Wild Horses of Half-
Hodder, 2001, 154 pp.
Rob Raburn is working with Chiquitita to gentle her, but a ranch hand is secretly
using brutal methods.
Kirstie exposes him, and he takes his revenge.
El Dorado (Wild Horses of Half-
Hodder, 2001, 156 pp.
Kirstie and Lisa are in the Sierra Nevada, and see the wild black stallion El Dorado,
who some say is
crazy. When a foal is found battered, El Dorado is suspected.
Little Vixen (Half Moon Ranch 10)
Hodder, 2000, 154 pp.
Brad Martin is a famous reining expert, and visits the ranch with his mare, Little
Vixen. Kirstie doesn’t
entirely trust him, and wonders if he is responsible when
a fire traps Little Vixen.
Moon Dance (Half Moon Ranch 14)
Hodder, 2001, 155 pp.
Moondance is a bargain: beautiful but only half schooled.
Navaho Joe (Half Moon Ranch 7)
Hodder, 2000, 155 pp.
A beautiful Appaloosa has appeared on the range, and Kirstie tries to catch him but
can’t. Two strangers
turn up claiming ownership, but not only does Kirstie not trust
them, Joe doesn’t either.
Santa Ana (Wild Horses of Half-
Hodder, 2001, 156 pp.
Santa Ana is a badly injured yearling whose mother won’t let anyone approach to offer
help. Kirstie
enlists the help of a local Cherokee, Three Birds, but then he is injured,
and now they have two seriously
ill creatures to look after.
Scott the Braveheart (Home Farm Twins)
Hodder, 1999, 122 pp.
At the end of their Scottish holiday, the twins spot a Shetland tethered at the roadside,
together with an
motherless foal.
Silver Cloud (Dreamseeker 1)
Hodder, 2001, 229 pp. Cover illustration David Kearney
Four Winds is part of the White Water Sioux, and they are facing extinction. Four
Winds’ grandfather is dying,
and there are enemies everywhere. A spirit horse, Silver
Cloud, brings help: but Four Winds must leave his
homeland and complete three tasks
in order to save his tribe. Task number one is to fetch a diamond from a deep
mine.
Silver Spur (Half Moon Ranch 13)
Hodder, 2001, 154 pp.
Troy Hendren, the Ranch’s new wrangler, is full of stories about how wonderful he is. Not everyone believes
him.
Skin and Bone (Animal Alert)
Hodder, 1998, 138 pp.
A starving and savaged donkey is found tethered: can Carly and her friends rescue him after he breaks free?
Sky Lark (Half Moon Ranch 17)
Hodder, 2001, 156 pp.
Skylark and her foal become an artist’s favourite subject, but when the foal dies,
Leon Powel, the artist, is
convinced the Scotts are to blame.
Smarty the Outcast (Home Farm Twins)
Hodder, 2000, 121 pp.
Smarty has retired from the riding school, and moved to a new home. When the twins
find him cold and without
shelter, they’re not sure what to do.
Solo the Homeless (Home Farm Twins)
Hodder, 1996, 118 pp.
TV Tie in version, 1999
Solo’s owner doesn’t want him any more: the twins want him, but their parents can’t
afford
him. Maybe their dog Speckle can help.
Star the Surprise (Home Farm Twins)
Hodder, 1999, 122 pp. Illus Kate Aldous
A Thoroughbred foal is born at a livery stable. She is born early and needs special
care. Helen and Hannah
help to care for her, but while they’re left in charge, the
foal disappears.
Starlight (Half Moon Ranch Special)
Hodder, 2000, 152 pp.
Starlight’s owner, Jay, is ill, so the Scotts take him in. Kristie engineers a meeting
between the two, but it is
a disaster: has she made everything worse?
Steamboat Charlie (Half Moon Ranch 16)
Hodder, 2001, 144 pp.
Steamboat Charlie bucks, but all goes well with him and Kirstie until he is startled
by a gun shot. Was the
shot deliberate?
Stevie the Rebel (Home Farm Twins)
Hodder, 1997, 123 pp.
TV Tie in version, 2000
Stevie the donkey needs a home, but he’s so bad tempered no one can get hear him.
Sultan the Patient (Home Farm Twins)
Hodder, 1998, 119 pp.
Sultan, Laura’s horse, falls ill while she’s away at school. The twins let the news
slip, and Laura runs away
to be with Sultan.
Third Time Lucky (Half Moon Ranch 6)
Hodder, 1999, 154 pp.
Kirstie’s horse, Lucky, is ill with something no one can diagnose. IN desperation,
Kirstie takes Lucky to
find Zak Stone, a legendary horse doctor, and a recluse.
Wild Horses (Half Moon Ranch 1)
Hodder, 1999, 156 pp.
Reprinted 2000
Large print edition: Galaxy, Bath, 2006
Whitebrook Farm’s review of Wild Horses
Kirstie is leading a trek, but then gets trapped in a valley after a landslide. Trapped
in the valley with her is
a stallion and his band. The stallion is injured, and
Kirstie is desperate to help him.
Iron Eyes (Dreamseeker Trilogy 2)
Hodder, 2002, 199 pp.
Four Winds is now a warrior, and his second quest is to bring a feather from the
highest mountain. He faces
opposition in the form of Iron Eyes, a cruel wolf spirit.
Bad Heart (Dreamseeker Trilogy)
Hodder, 2003, 200 pp.
Four Winds’ last quest is to fetch a breath of wind from the furthest ocean, but
his grandfather has died, and all
Four Winds has is his spirit horse, Silver Cloud.
