H. M. Peel

Another author who is less well known today. Hazel Mary Peel (often known as H. M. Peel)  was born in London on 26 May 1930 and at the time of this web update is still alive and still writing, although today writes books for adults under the name of Wallis Peel.

She has had a very varied and exciting life. She worked as a telephonist, as a groom and in many different stables, and also in various office jobs. In 1950 she hitch-hiked around Europe. She has also lived and worked in Australia, the setting for two of her pony books. As well as being the author of many books, she is a TV playwright and author of many short stories in various magazines, including Riding.

All her pony books are aimed at an older readership and have adult characters, making them ideal reading for adults. Two of them (Fury and Jago) are about wild horses set in the Australian outback, and are quite unlike the normal British pony story, being much nearer in tone to the American novels of wild horses. It is interesting to read both of them together and contrast the effect of different handling on two essentially similar-spirited horses.

She also wrote a more traditional series about Ann and Jim and their horses, which brings together a number of different riding discliplines from racing to eventing to polo. Interestingly, the last book in this series also links with Jago. Unfortunately many of the books in the Ann and Jim series are now very hard to find and can be expensive.

Ann & Jim / Leysham Stud Series:
A series aimed at an older readership than the usual pony book as the main characters, Ann and Jim, are grown up. Slight element of romance in the first book, but after that it's got out of the way with!
Read a review of the series

1) PILOT THE HUNTER
(HARRAP 1962)
ILLUSTRATED BY KEITH MONEY
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition
SUMMARY: Ann buys a skittish oddly marked piebald at a local sale. Despite scorn and doubt from others around her she is determined to make Pilot into a superb hunter. Then she meets Jim who shares her dreams of training horses and they plan to start their own stud.
PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES

2) PILOT THE CHASER
(HARRAP 1964)
ILLUSTRATED BY KEITH MONEY
Very rare.
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition
SUMMARY: Ann and Jim decide to run Pilot in the National, hoping to make a name for their upcoming stud, not to mention raising capital for it! But their efforts are complicated by the odd behaviour of Easter, sister of Pilot, who was given to them by Ann's father as a wedding present.
PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES

3) EASTER THE SHOWJUMPER
aka THE SHOW JUMPER (USA title)
(HARRAP 1965)
ILLUSTRATED BY MICHAEL LYNE
Published in the USA as The Showjumper
Reprinted in paperback by Fidra Books in 2009.
EDITIONS PICTURED: USA edition, Fidra paperback.
SUMMARY: Focuses on the story of Easter, sister of Pilot, and destined to become another superb jumper. Possibly the weakest link in the series.
PONYMAD RATING: 2 HORSESHOES

4) NIGHT STORM THE FLAT RACER
(HARRAP 1966)
ILLUSTRATED BY CLYDE PEARSON
Very rare.
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition
SUMMARY: Ann and Jim think that their horse Night Storm could be a brilliant flat racer and send him to be trained. But not only is the horse very temperamental, there is also a dastardly plan to nobble the horse before he can run. Will he ever achieve success in a classic race and assure the fortunes of the Leysham Stud by becoming a top stallion?
PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES

5) DIDO AND ROGUE
(HARRAP 1967)
ILLUSTRATED BY PHYLLIDA LEGG
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition
Very rare.
SUMMARY: Jim and Ann are busy training a polo pony and trying to cope with a vicious rogue horse. Whilst Dido the polo pony proves amenable to their training, the same cannot be said for Rogue. After he attacks someone and almost causes a tragedy, the horse's fate lies in the balance. Jim comes up with a plan to save Rogue, but if it doesn't work, he will have to be shot...
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

6) GAY DARIUS
(HARRAP 1968)
ILLUSTRATED BY ROBERT HODGSON
Very rare.
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition
SUMMARY: There are plenty of highs and lows for Ann and Jim in this story. Ann wants to try her hand at eventing with her palomino horse Darius. But Darius is too curious to settle to his work. Meanwhile, a villain from the Henderson's past comes back to haunt them, and Jim faces his worst nightmare…
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

7) UNTAMED
(HARRAP 1969)
ILLUSTRATED BY MORTELMANS
Reprinted in hardback by Harrap in 1972.
Very rare.
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition
SUMMARY: Ann and Jim have the chance to visit Australia when they travel with some of their bloodstock to stay with the horses' buyer. Here they encounter Jago the man-hating stallion (featured in another book by the author: see Jago series below) and Anne becomes determined to capture one of his spirited fillies for her own.
NB) This is also the second book in the Jago series (see below)
PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES

Collectors information:
Apart from Easter which was fairly recently reprinted in paperback by Fidra Books and is still in print, these are all hard to find. Pilot the Hunter is by far the easiest, although still rarish The others are very hard to find and can be very expensive.

Jago Series:
A short series featuring an ill-treated stallion who eventually escapes into the Australian bush. The second book is also the last book in the 'Ann and Jim' series (see above) bringing the two series together.

1) JAGO
(HARRAP 1966)
Reprinted by Armada Paperbacks in 1973.
Reprinted in paperback by Giete in 2011.
In print
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, Armada paperback, Giete paperback
SUMMARY: Magnificent chestnut Jago is born to be a racer yet his wildness makes him impossible to handle. He is made even worse by the cruel handling of a man determined not to be beaten by a mere animal. Labelled a rogue, Jago's fate is sealed, unless he can escape into the wild hills where his untamed spirit can at last be free.
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

2) UNTAMED
(HARRAP 1969)
ILLUSTRATED BY MORTELMANS
Reprinted in hardback by Harrap in 1972.
Very rare.
EDITION PICTURED: 1st edition.
SUMMARY: Jago, now wild and free, comes face to face with Anne and Jim from the above series, when they are holidaying in Australia.

Collectors Info:
Jago has been recently reprinted by Giete in paperback and is still in print. Older paperbacks and hardbacks are quite rare. Untamed is very rare and may take you a while to track down! It is usually quite expensive.

Other Horse & Pony Books:

FURY, SON OF THE WILDS
(HARRAP 1959)
ILLUSTRATED BY JOAN KIDDELL MONROE
Reprinted in paperback by Armada in 1973.
Reprinted in paperback by Giete in 2011.
In print.
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, Armada paperback, Giete paperback.
SUMMARY: Born in the wild, son of a TB mare and a brumby sire, Fury grows into a magnificent stallion. He is captured by cattle farmer and horse-lover Dan. At first he rebels against captivity but he soon learns to trust his master, although in his heart yearns for the wild. Then when disaster strikes the cattle station, Fury must curb his wildness to win a prestigious race and save Dan's home.
PONYMAD VIEW: An excellent story, one of the author's best.
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

Collectors Info:
Fury has been recently reprinted by Giete in paperback and is still in print. Older paperbacks and hardbacks are quite rare.