The Swallow Series

No one is better at depicting an obsessively pony-mad child than K. M. Peyton. Ruth of Fly-By-Night and The Team is certainly the most vividly drawn, but eleven-year-old Rowan, the protagonist of the 1990’s Swallow Series (also known as The High Horse Series), is equally memorable, if more exasperating. Ruth reads old riding instruction books, watches Pony Club events longingly, and plots to withdraw her savings to buy a pony. Rowan has a crush on handsome teenage neighbor Charlie Hawes and longs to be notices by him and his family, Rowan lacks Ruth’s sense of humor and ability to laugh, albeit ruefully, at her dreams and obsessions. She shares with Ruth the inability to judge a pony on its suitability, choosing looks over character every time. For them both, only cocky, pushy Fly, strong-willed Toad, and confirmed bucker Swallow will do. Both are fortunate in having mentors - Ruth has Peter and his father and Rowan has the Hawes family. Both sets of mentors come with complications, however. Peter and his father want Toad back, although for different reasons, and are willing to wait until Ruth admits she cannot handle him. The Hawes family members and their riding skills constantly remind Rowan of her own inexperience and timidity. Both series demonstrate that K. M. Peyton is a brilliant story-teller and a flawless writer in full command of her talents.

The Swallow Tale
In The Swallow Tale, Rowan meets her dream pony when her father’s new car collides with a half-wild animal that has been running loose in the area for weeks. When the slightly injured pony is caught with help from her friends, the Hawes, Rowan, awed by its looks and spirit, is determined to have it for her own. Despite the warnings of her stocky, plainspoken friend Barbara (“Babar”) that beginners need a pony that can teach them, Rowan knows that she and the runaway, now named Swallow, are meant to be together. Unexpectedly, a man, declaring himself Swallow’s owner, turns up and claims the pony, but inquiries reveal that the man is a fraud. Sent to market, Swallow is purchased by the owner of a struggling riding school and Rowan has no money to buy him back. In partial compensation for Swallow’s loss, her friends at High Hawes farm, a horse dealer and his five children - all expert riders - attempt to take Rowan in hand and teach her to ride and handle horses. Unexpected changes in the Hawes family and a decision to establish to establish the High Hawes Equestrian Centre brings an unexpected bonus - the owner of the riding school is selling up and the Hawes are able to purchase her animals, including Swallow.

The Swallow Summer

The story of Rowan, her friends, and Swallow continues in The Swallow Summer. Rowan should be perfectly happy, having her dream pony at last, but, as Swallow becomes fitter, it is obvious that he is a strong pony with a will of his own - far too much ride for a rather fearful beginner. Rowan participates in her first Pony Club camp, worried the whole time about Swallow and her inability to handle him. Events take a serious turn for the worse when it seems that the High Hawes Equestrian Centre is a failure, the Hawes family may lose their farm and be forced to sell all the horses, and ponies, including Swallow. All’s well in the end, however, as an unexpected benefactor comes to the aid of High Hawes.

Swallow the Star

In Swallow, the Star, a film company producing a movie about legendary jockey Fred Archer needs a capable boy rider as a stand-in for the actor playing Fred as a child. The obvious choice is Hugh Hawes, a strong and fearless rider. Hugh suggests Swallow for his mount, as he has always wanted to show what the willful pony could do with the right rider. Swallow gives a wonderful performance, playing himself, and Rowan continues to doubt that she will ever be good enough to manage him. Other worries plague Rowan as well, as Charlie and the others continue their struggles to keep High Hawes Equestrian Centre solvent and her recently divorced mother wonders if they can afford to keep their cottage. The story ends on a hopeful note, however, as Rowan finds an unusual way to repay the Hawes family by removing one obstacle to their success.