The farm was never mentioned in the book but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a connection to Hanover Bank. I will email you the photos next week, I don’t have a way to scan them at home.
[QUOTE=poltroon;3669719]
My teacher suggested it to me when I was in 4th grade. It was a classic, you see. And about horses. What could go wrong?
I swore never to read Steinbeck again, I was so upset.
Took me 25 years to get over it and try another novel of his.[/QUOTE]
Steinbeck never got me after that story either. I hated when the vulture pecked the pony’s eye.
I felt the same way, except I never got over it. From the time I read “The Red Pony” until now, I’ve only read Steinbeck if forced to.
[QUOTE=RugBug;3670280]
I felt the same way, except I never got over it. From the time I read “The Red Pony” until now, I’ve only read Steinbeck if forced to.[/QUOTE]
I was supposed to read the Grapes of Wrath in junior year of high school, but never finished it. Somehow, I’ve gotten through undergrad as an English major and grad school as an English teaching major AND 8 years of teaching never reading Steinbeck again (except exerpts from his King Arthur rewrite).
Not fiction, but did anyone else have Happy Horsemanship as a kid? Mine is dog-eared and I read it a million times as if it were the bible when I was a horseless young rider.
You mean it’s not the Bible???!!!???!!!:lol::winkgrin::lol::winkgrin:
I just like how every book thread on COTH turns into a “I hate John Steinbeck now!” “Me too!” conversation as soon as “Red Pony” comes up. d;
Steinbeck was very depressing!
Oh my gosh, this thread certainly brings back memories. I have read most of the titles mentioned here (many over and over again) with favorites being Fly By Night and The Monday Horses, I think. And anything illustrated by Paul Brown. sigh
My parents used to give me horsey books for every birthday & Christmas; since they weren’t horsey, the titles could be fairly varied. I have quite a lot of stuff on eventing, although the closest I ever got to that discipline was pony club, LOL. And I have books on racehorses, driving horses, etc. as well as a lot of fiction from my much-loved public library.
The one book that haunts me a bit though is about a young man who inherits a farm where there used to be racehorses trained. When he arrives it is in shambles and most of the assets have been seized for back taxes or something, but the old caretaker/trainer has hidden away a few colts from the last crop - which of course this guy and his best friend (Dave?) raise and then race, to much success. I have tried for YEARS to find this book again, but since I cannot remember the title or the author… no luck. Anyone know the book I’m referencing?
Meanwhile, as usual, this thread has cost me a fortune.
Love love LOVE the older books - circa 50s and 60s - such as the Cammie books, “Dream Pony” etc etc. Nothing better! I still go to the library and take them out, and I’m 17 so that looks kind of funny 
Also adore the Thoroughbred, Saddle Club, Black Stallion series and have read pretty much every horse book I could find. (Love Jilly Cooper’s Riders!!)
[QUOTE=SarahandSam;3673137]
I just like how every book thread on COTH turns into a “I hate John Steinbeck now!” “Me too!” conversation as soon as “Red Pony” comes up. d;[/QUOTE]
If you read the reviews on Amazon, I think it’s amazing to see how many people don’t get why we were upset about the book. We’re apparently a bunch of whiners who don’t appreciate Fine Literature. 
[QUOTE=rideforthelaurels16;3674213]
Love love LOVE the older books - circa 50s and 60s - such as the Cammie books, “Dream Pony” etc etc. Nothing better! I still go to the library and take them out, and I’m 17 so that looks kind of funny Also adore the Thoroughbred, Saddle Club, Black Stallion series and have read pretty much every horse book I could find. (Love Jilly Cooper’s Riders!!)[/QUOTE]
Don’t feel self-conscious. I’ve been pulling books out of the children’s section for my entire life. No one cares. If they think anything of it, they’ll think you’re picking out books for your sister.
Do libraries still have the older books?
Some libraries. It often depends on how well-off the library is. A large and/or prosperous community library usually will have replaced all it’s older books, while a smaller or poorer community will often have aged books hanging around. And it depends on the community makeup, too. My impression is that areas that have become heavily suburban or urban in the last fifty years have tended to cull horse-related book more aggressively as they don’t ‘represent’ the presumed lifestyle and/or interests of the children using the library.
I think this thread brought me luck - I just found “The Blue Mare At The Olympic Trials” at a library booksale this weekend. I’ve heard of the series, but never seen any of them before.
[QUOTE=copper1;3674747]
Do libraries still have the older books?[/QUOTE]
The catalog is your friend. My library system has its catalog online, so you can browse the catalog and place requests from home. The library may not have them on the shelves in your branch, but you might find it somewhere.
Most library systems will have all the Marguerite Henry books, for example. In my library system I’ve checked out a lot of books from the 40’s and 50’s that I didn’t even know about, including some old Margaret Cabell Self fiction. I’ve got Java Jive by Dorothy Lyons out now. I found the Kate Seredy books, too.
Librarians prune books when they are falling apart or when they are not being checked out. If you want to encourage librarians to stock and keep horse fiction, make sure they circulate! Librarians are very aware of what books are popular at their branch, and when they pull a book to weed it, the first thing they look at is when it was last checked out. I think the amount of money a system has is actually not closely related to how they prune, because money not only can be budget for books, but also budget for shelf space, buildings, and storage.
Even if your library, and even if your library system doesn’t have a book you want, your librarian may be able to request it from another library system.
Riverbell, I can’t believe you found a Pamela and the Blue Mare book at a library sale! Score! Our library system uses its Friends of the Library to do those sales, and they are very careful to go through the titles and look for books that are more valuable. They charge more for those, or sometimes put them on eBay.
You were lucky, I spent a small fortune on my copy, although I love the book so much I think it is money well spent. There are only 2 in the “series”, that is the second and final one, the first is Pamela and the Blue Mare.
[QUOTE=Lucassb;3673261]
The one book that haunts me a bit though is about a young man who inherits a farm where there used to be racehorses trained. When he arrives it is in shambles and most of the assets have been seized for back taxes or something, but the old caretaker/trainer has hidden away a few colts from the last crop - which of course this guy and his best friend (Dave?) raise and then race, to much success. I have tried for YEARS to find this book again, but since I cannot remember the title or the author… no luck. Anyone know the book I’m referencing?[/QUOTE]
This isn’t familiar so far, but:
- Set in America?
- What time period (roughly)?
- can you remember any of the names of the horses?
- About how long is it? Novel? Was it illustrated?
[QUOTE=MintHillFarm;3648715]
Jill’s Gymkhana, 1947
A Stable for Jill, 1951
Jill Has Two Ponies, 1952
Jill Enjoys Her Ponies, 1954
Jill’s Riding Club, 1956
Rosettes for Jill, 1957
Jill and the Perfect Pony, 1959
Pony Jobs for Jill, 1960
Jill’s Pony Trek, 1962[/QUOTE]
I had NO IDEA these books were written so long ago!! I read a lot of them and I was born in '83
MintHillFarm, I didn’t forget you, I am emailing you a photo today.
Marguerite Henry (EVERYTHING and I have the lovely letter and photo she sent me when I wrote her a fan letter framed and hanging in my bedroom at home), Walter Farley (even when he started getting REALLY WEIRD towards the end), CW Anderson, from whose work I also learned to draw horses, the Saddle Club (even when I knew it was hokey and highly unrealistic–hey, Baby-Sitter’s Club taught me a very high BS tolerance, though the Saddle Club TV show’s a bit much), and anything older I got my hands on at the used bookstore or swiped from classrooms.
