Veronica Westlake

A sadly lesser known British author who really is an excellent writer, and who manages different styles equally well. Unfortunately very little info seems to be available on her! It is often thought she only wrote one book, The Ten Pound Pony, because her other books are rare and not widely known. However it is worth reading the others if you can find them as they are really good reads.

Ms. Westlake was excellent at humour, but is also adept at combining it with serious issues such as the unhappiness of the heroine in The Mug's Game, or the problems of bringing up children to be good people in The Unwilling Adventurers.

The Unwilling Adventurers is not really a pony book. It does have a horse-mad character and a couple of horsy interludes but is more of a general children's holiday adventure story. However it is not to be missed as is one of the author's best .

Horse & Pony Books:

THE TEN-POUND PONY
(BLACKIE 1953)
ILLUSTRATED BY PETER BIEGEL
Reprinted in hardback by Blackie in 1967
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, Blackie reprint
SUMMARY: When a family move to the country they feel they must have the pony they have dreamed of. But money is tight so they set out to try and earn enough to buy and keep their pony.
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

THE INTRUDERS
(ROUTLEDGE & KEGAN PAUL 1954)
ILLUSTRATED BY SHEILA ROSE
Rare
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition.
SUMMARY: John inherits an old and supposedly haunted house from his dead great uncle. Despite a stodgy lawyer's efforts to get him to sell the property, he sets off with his horse-mad friend Tod and Tod's three horses to spend the Christmas holidays there. But it is not quite the pleasant holiday he expected. There are strange happenings in the house, leading him to believe something very odd is going on. Is the place haunted...and how can he avoid his friends attempts to get him to learn to ride…?
A very funny book with male lead characters for a change.
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

THE UNWILLING ADVENTURERS
(BLACKIE 1955)
ILLUSTRATED BY ROBERT HODGSON
Rare
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, frontispiece of 1st edition
SUMMARY: A dreadful family of self-centred and unpleasant children are given the shock of their lives when their father inherits a large amount of money. Instead of the life of luxury with ponies and holidays which they hoped for, their long-suffering father decides to set them a series of tasks which they must complete before they can claim their rewards. He hopes that it may improve their characters. The children set off unwillingly, thinking their father has gone mad, but knowing that if they don't try or fail he will be packing them off to strict boarding schools!
Only a small amount of pony content but a very funny book.
PONYMAD RATING: 5 HORSESHOES

THE MUG'S GAME
(ROUTLEDGE & KEGAN PAUL 1956)
ILLUSTRATED BY SHEILA ROSE
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition
Rare
SUMMARY: Some pony content in this story of an unhappy young girl who goes to live in the country. After years of being brow beaten by a snooty Aunt she has no confidence but learning to ride and making friends with the children at her new home begins to work wonders on her. But it is not until she inadvertently becomes a heroine that she really feels she is a worthwhile person in her own right.
PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES

Collectors Info:
Ten Pound Pony, especially the Blackie reprint, although not common, is a lot easier to find than the others. They are all rare to very rare and can be expensive.