Books, Mud and Compost. And Horses.

I have changed my mind a couple of times over what book I would choose to round up the year with. In the end, Pony Jobs for Jill (1960) seemed ideal , because if ever a book encapsulated the tension between the pony-filled dreams of childhood and the harsh realities of adult life, that book is Pony Jobs for Jill. In the her earlier Jill stories, Ruby Ferguson created an idealised world which we, her readers, loved. Whilst we were prepared to accept (and might even have welcomed) the total absence of romance in the series, we did not feel the same when Jill was not allowed to take up the horsy career we hoped she would have. That's not to say Ruby Ferguson disapproved of working women as a species: the series is filled with them. Mrs Crewe supports Jill and herself through her writing; the local stable is run by Mrs Darcy. No one ever doubts that Jill will work when she leaves school. In Jill Has Two Ponies , Catherine Crewe says: “When all is said and done, Jill is the one...

Today's PBOTD is Joan Selby-Lowndes' Family Star (1961), it is Jenny's birthday. It's a day which starts well, but it ends badly when Jenny finds the family's pony, Kitty, is lame. Kitty is not just any pony: she works for her living, pulling Jenny's father's flower cart. The family is now up against it, as with no pony to pull the flower cart there is no income. Jenny, however, has some talent as an actress, and she gets a part in a pantomime. Fortunately, there's a part for Kitty too. ~  0  ~ More on Joan Selby Lowndes

Carol Vaughan did write some pony books, but her main literary output was short stories. If you've read a PONY Magazine Annual or a Pony Club Annual from the 1960s or 1970s, you'll almost certainly have read one of her short stories. She wrote Dancing Horse in 1966. It's the story of the Manorfields Stud, which is invaded by a herd of stray horses and ponies. They have come from a visiting circus, and escaped after the train transporting them derailed. The children who live at the stud dutifully return the horses to the circus, but they are very struck by the beautiful Arab, Roi Soleil. His rider, Fleurette, was injured when the train was derailed, and cannot ride him. The Manorfields au pair, Monique, provides an element of mystery when she refuses to have anything to do with either horse or rider. In the end, of course, everything works out, and Roi Soleil goes on to have his glory day at the circus. ~  0  ~ More on Carol Vaughan

The next little section of pony books are all on pantomimes and circuses. Circuses tend not to be the sort of thing you do now after Christmas, but they were extremely popular in the 1950s and 1960s, and were often advertised in PONY Magazine. Sue's Circus Horse is a very early Judith M Berrisford - the second. In it, heroine Sue buys the beautiful cream mare Ballita from the circus. Ballita is of course trained for the circus, and not as a riding pony, and this causes poor Sue all sorts of bother. ~  0  ~ More on Judith M Berrisford

Today's PBOTD doesn't fit in brilliantly to the panto theme I thought I'd fit in between now and New Year, but this is all my own fault because I'd already used Gillian Baxter's Pantomime Ponies earlier in the year. So, today's book is Ponies by the Sea, which is another from the same series. Actually, I will bung Pantomime Ponies  in too, just because I can, so here it is: The series is about the ponies Magic and Moonshine, who work on stage. In Ponies by the Sea, Magic and Moonshine have been taken to the seaside to star in a summer show. There. I told you it didn't fit in to the theme. Or the season. Couldn't fit in less, in fact. But there you go. If the weather's vile after Christmas (I am writing this well before), it's always good to look forward to the better weather, so that's what this post's here to do. Look forward to a time we can paddle in the sea with our trousers rolled up and not need to be treated for hypothermia...

Lorna Hill hasn't featured in the PBOTD at all, mainly because I am not a huge fan of her work. Her hero Guy is someone who divides readers sharply. There are those who appreciate his caveman attitudes, and there are those who don't. Be that as it may, today's book, Northern Lights (1999) , does feature a Boxing Day hunt, which makes it quite a handy book for today. The book is the fourth Marjorie story, but it was rejected for publication when it was written, in the late 1940s, as the publishers thought people would far prefer to read stories which did not mention the war. The book languished until 1999, when publishers Girls Gone By visited Lorna Hill and were told about the story. They published it. In Northern Lights , the children have a Christmas holiday in a vicarage, where Guy is mugging up his Latin as well as teaching at the local riding school. Guy maintains his position of moral authority, having not just his usual battles with Marjorie, but also spats w...

The Christmas Day pony book is Patricia Leitch's Horse of Fire , which contains some of my favourite Christmas pieces. Patricia Leitch isn't a judgemental writer, and she's certainly not judgemental about spirituality. Mysticism, Celtic mythology and Christianity all get equal respect in her books. Horse of Fire  (1986) is the eleventh book of the series, and in it Jinny and Shantih are roped in to the local nativity play. Jinny has fine and splendid dreams about how she and Shantih will appear as glorious king and even more glorious horse, but when the moment comes, it's not like that at all. Jinny is cast into utter misery, but then, as they're leaving, a little boy stops and stares up at Shantih. "The little boy stared up at Shantih, his eyes wide with tiredness and excitement.'I saw them,' he stated stubbornly. 'It was the golden wings it had.''You're right,' said Ken, speaking directly to the little boy. 'I saw them too....