Exmoor Ben
Gryphon 1950, illus by Lionel Edwards
Alas I haven’t managed to read this one. The following snippet is taken from the beginning of Exmoor Ben, and gives you an idea of what it is about.
“This is the story of Benjamin, Ben for short – an Exmoor pony, bay, standing 13.2 hands high, and old enough to have been at the Manor longer than anyone else except Wood Bee, Colonel Kennedy’s old hunter, who is awfully old, even older than I...”
Blue Rosette
Witherby, 1950, illustrated by Michael Lyne
Many thanks to Hannah for the information on this book. The blurb says: “This novel presents the story of Terence Malone, a young man with a love of horses in his blood. At Dublin horse show he is offered a job as a nagsman and he goes off to England and becomes involved in the exciting business of dealing in and showing hunters.
It is the story of a man starting at the bottom rung in his profession, who is determined by any means to make a success of his life; a man who is loved by many women, accepts the love of only one yet finds his loyalties divided.” - which does suggest this book is aimed at an older readership than her other books!
Many thanks to June Madge for the Exmoor Ben pictures
Not Such a Bad Summer
Latimer House, 1950. Sheila Rose cover
The pony element is pretty minimal in this book: it’s more of a holiday adventure, in which a villain (who repents, perhaps not totally convincingly) escapes from Dartmoor and has to be rescued from worse criminals. The book is set on Dartmoor, where Roger, Helen and Tom are holidaying with their nervous aunt, for whom I do feel a sneaking sympathy. The children fear nothing and hurl themselves about Dartmoor looking for the escaped prisoner (with some feeling for the nervous aunt, or at least for not getting caught: much of the action takes place at night).
The Amateur Horsedealers
1951, Gryphon Books, illus Lionel Edwards
I do like this book. The family in question hit slightly hard times (though in the best traditions of penniless families in books of this period, they still manage to maintain a large house with staff, and a few horses). But I digress. In order to keep things going as they are, their father, whose regiment is downsizing, decides to go into horsedealing. The children are delighted, but their grandmother appalled, at least until the parents go horsehunting, when her true colours are revealed and she goes with the children to an auction to make sure they do not buy a dud. The grandmother is a wonderful creation. Thanks to Susan Bourgeau for the cover shot.
Clear Round
Collins, 1962, and 1963, later reprinted in Collins Pony Library, 1973, no 2
This was always my favourite of my Collins Pony Library titles. Fiona is a horse-mad London girl from a resolutely un-horsey family, sent to do her BHSI at the sort of finishing school purpose-designed for parents to approve of. French, flowers and cookery are also taught. Here she meets Gavin, son of the owners, and more importantly, their difficult youngster, Lucifer. Relationships blossom with both horse and man, and all ends in a thoroughly satisfying manner.
