Book name: Strange Riders at Black Pony Inn
Author: Christine Pullein-Thompson
Publisher: Piccolo Books
Format: Print
Genre: Pony book
Publication Date: 1976
Star Rating: 5/5
Christine Pullein-Thompson was an essential author in pony stories of the twentieth century.
One of many things I admire about her writing is her constant ability to create new characters and fictional universes.
Harriet Pemberton and her family are faced with selling their ponies and losing their home. Their father’s business has been struggling.
An offer for their home falls through, so the family decide to use it as a guest house.
They name the business Black Pony Inn after the beloved first pony who taught them all to ride.
Mrs Pemberton sells the family silver to buy sheets and mattresses. Some of it is Georgian, so the proceeds go a long way.
In an effort to get their business up and running the Pembertons aren’t too fussy about who they accept so they soon have some guests and some money coming in.
Black Pony Inn also offers stabling for the horses of their visitors.
The Pemberton children look after the equine visitors, which soon include Apollo. He’s incredibly handsome, and adored by his owner Paul, but Harriet notices that he seems suspiciously docile.
Mary is another young guest. She is difficult and wayward, but Mr Pemberton shows more patience and compassion than his children, who decide that they don’t like her.
One morning, the Pembertons wake up to discover all their ponies and Apollo missing.
A hasty search follows, but they aren’t slow in deciding who to blame.
Strange Riders at Black Pony Inn was shorter than some other pony books, but I liked the fresh location and the new characters.
I felt so much sympathy for Harriet and her siblings. Some of their guests were pretty horrible, but others were lovely.
Thank you for reading my review.
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If you’ve enjoyed this review, you might be interested reading in my review of Jill’s Gymkhana by Ruby Ferguson.
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If you fancy something different, you might like to take a chance on my review of The Lost Fortune of the Tsars by William Clarke.
