Post by tintin on Dec 28, 2018 17:26:33 GMT 1
This belongs to a series of books about the Sandy Lane Stables and the girls and boys (HURRAH!) who ride there.
I picked up two at a charity shop and I was glad I did
This is a very amiable and traditional horse story. A boy Alec has been diverted from his riding by cricket (no accounting for taste) and cannot afford to go on a overseas schoolboy cricket tour. He hits upon the idea of buying a pony and selling it. The idea backfires badly, the horses at the sale are all out of his price range except the very woebegone chestnut Puzzle.
Alec is in a lot of trouble - he has told no one the full truth of his plan - not the stables and not his parents. This is a theme which you can see in other book (Black Horse of Culver springs to mind) where bad horse and bad boy sort each other out. Neither is really bad. Puzzle is neglected and Alec is inattentive and a bit self centred, but you see them come on through the summer until Alec is offered twice what he paid for the horse, by then though he is so fond of puzzle that he won't sell. But circumstances are against him keeping his pony BUT there is a happy ending. Noy quite as good as the sisters, but in the same mould and cheered me up.
The other book - Riding Holiday - a race horse doping mystery set in the US - was good, but not as good. Lacked the charm of this one which really cheered me up. Alec and his sister were believable kids you could like and be exasperated by and Puzzle was a believable horse. Hint of a possible romance with one of the other riders, which hopefully might mature and cure him of cricket for life
Nice book - 4 horseshoes
I picked up two at a charity shop and I was glad I did
This is a very amiable and traditional horse story. A boy Alec has been diverted from his riding by cricket (no accounting for taste) and cannot afford to go on a overseas schoolboy cricket tour. He hits upon the idea of buying a pony and selling it. The idea backfires badly, the horses at the sale are all out of his price range except the very woebegone chestnut Puzzle.
Alec is in a lot of trouble - he has told no one the full truth of his plan - not the stables and not his parents. This is a theme which you can see in other book (Black Horse of Culver springs to mind) where bad horse and bad boy sort each other out. Neither is really bad. Puzzle is neglected and Alec is inattentive and a bit self centred, but you see them come on through the summer until Alec is offered twice what he paid for the horse, by then though he is so fond of puzzle that he won't sell. But circumstances are against him keeping his pony BUT there is a happy ending. Noy quite as good as the sisters, but in the same mould and cheered me up.
The other book - Riding Holiday - a race horse doping mystery set in the US - was good, but not as good. Lacked the charm of this one which really cheered me up. Alec and his sister were believable kids you could like and be exasperated by and Puzzle was a believable horse. Hint of a possible romance with one of the other riders, which hopefully might mature and cure him of cricket for life
Nice book - 4 horseshoes