Margaret Cabell Self

American author of many equine books. Born in Ohio in 1902, her life was completely dominated by horses. She leaned to ride before she could walk and became a highly accomplished rider as a child. Upon marrying, she and her husband kept a number of horses. When the Depression of the 1930s struck she began to work as a riding instructor and publish horsy books in order to earn money to keep her horses. Her books stretched to over 40 titles and included both non-fictional works about riding, showing and caring for horses and also pony stories (most of which were based on her real life experiences and real horses).

Margaret Cabell Self later went on to form the New Canaan Mounted Troop, which was an organisation which aimed to promote qualities of confidence, responsibility and teamwork in young people through riding and horse care. Ms. Self continued to be involved in the troop for over twenty years and it still continues today. The troop was also to feature in a couple of her horse stories, Sky Rocket and The Happy Year.

Pony Books:

RED CLAY COUNTRY
(HARPER [USA] 1936)
Quite rare.
SUMMARY: A fox-hunting mystery story.

THOSE SMITH KIDS
(DUTTON [USA] 1944)
ILLUSTRATED BY GERTRUDE HOWE

PONIES ON PARADE
(DUTTON [USA] 1945)
ILLUSTRATED BY THE AUTHOR
Reprinted in hardback by original publisher.
SUMMARY: A number of ponies tell their stories. Based on the author's own horses.

COME AWAY
(A. S. BARNES [USA] 1948)
ILLUSTRATED BY
Reprinted by original publisher in 1967
SUMMARY: Young Colin, although bright,  is dyslexic and has speech problems, resulting in a lack of confidence and a dearth of friends. However when his father takes him to a local stables where he is doing some work, Colin finds himself drawn to the horses. The stable manager befriends him and lets him work there in exchange for riding. Gradually Colin finds confidence in himself and his own abilities and sets out to rescue a neglected filly so he can have a horse of his own.
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THE HAPPY YEAR
(CHANNEL PRESS [USA] 1963)
ILLUSTRATED WITH PHOTOGRAPHS
SUMMARY: Blend of fact and fiction. A girl named Jennifer and a horse named Mr. Buttercup join the New Cannan Mounted Troop.

SHAGGY LITTLE BURRO OF SAN MIGUEL
(DUELL, SLOANE & PIERCE [USA] 1965)
ILLUSTRATED BY BETTY FRASER
SUMMARY: Younger reader's story set in Mexico. Peludo, the shaggy little burro, makes friends with a boy named Paco. With Paco's devoted care the shaggy burro is shaggy no longer!

SUSAN AND JANE LEARN TO RIDE
(MacRAE SMITH [USA] 1965)
ILLUSTRATED BY ROBERT L. JEFFERSON
SUMMARY: Riding and horse care instruction in the form of a story about two girls learning about ponies and how to ride.

SKY ROCKET THE STORY OF A LITTLE BAY HORSE
(DODD, MEAD & CO [USA] 1970)
ILLUSTRATED BY SAM SAVITT
SUMMARY: Pony point-of-view story based on an ill-treated pony rescued by the author. A boy at the New Canaan Mounted Troop helps rescue and rehabilitate a talented thoroughbred who has been badly treated.

Collector's Info:
In general these are reasonably easy to find in the USA, although one or two titles (Sky Rocket, Those Smith Kids) are slightly less common. Red Clay Country however is quite rare. All the books are much harder to find elsewhere, and can be expensive.