Jill's Gymkhana (The Jill Books by Ruby Ferguson Book 1)

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quite honestly if anyone had told me three years ago that anything so terrific as buying the Jill books would ever be associated with my name I should have thought them completely mad. Yet such was to be my destiny. Jill’s Gymkhana Mrs. Darcy, a local riding instructor, has had to go to London, and Jill along with some of her friends, is looking after the riding school in Mrs. Darcy's absence. These responsibilities extend to looking after Blue Smoke, Mrs. Darcy's own gorgeous hunter worth 500 guineas. However, Blue Smoke gets desperately ill in the middle of the night, and Jill is called up to the riding school to help get the vet, along with Wendy. Source: Jill Has Two Ponies, Chapter 11

Ruby Constance Annie Ferguson, née Ashby (28 July 1899 [1] – 11 November 1966), was an English writer of popular fiction, including children's literature, romances and mysteries as R. C. Ashby and Ruby Ferguson. She is best known today for her novel Lady Rose and Mrs. Memmary and her Jill books, a series of Pullein-Thompsonesque pony books for children and young adults. One day when my father was stroking a horse’s nose a farmer came by and said, “Look-you-now!” (Which is a Welsh way of saying Gosh.) The reason was that this particular horse was supposed to be a nasty creature that its owner couldn’t do anything with. But my father could, and that was why the farmer said, “Look-you-now!” P172/142. Four-and-a-half paragraphs have been removed detailing Jill’s improved relationship with Mary and Pierce, her exams, a letter to her Mother, joy at being home and the observation the chapter is more about moral lessons than horses. Ooh, there was another. A brother and sister had riding lessons, living in a city. I think their trainer was Captain Podhasky or something. They were to stay in the country with some relatives, having had the grand total of 10 lessons.

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I thought of that,” I said. (Actually I’d thought of everything in the silent watches of the night.) “I thought I might lend him to one of the riding schools to use, on condition that they fed and stabled him in the winter.” This section possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. ( September 2023) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) The earlier 1980s printing (the rosette series) had photographic covers, and kept the illustrations as in the 1970s editions. A midnight conversation made the pair think that if the family rode Captain Podhasky's horses, then they would also be dangerous, as they had been trained to be quiet and sensitive riders. So. they got up I the middle of the night and started to ride the 'dangerous' pony. Food rationing ended completely on 5 July 1954, but the books that appeared after that do not lose their preoccupation with food. The cakes, biscuits and sausages roll on. The food is all of the traditional and solid sort: the only exotic dish mentioned is the ragout Mrs Sound cooks in Pony Jobs for Jill. Its exoticism was probably helped by the immersion of Pride and Prejudice in its bubbling depths.

Pg 114/112. The ‘two shilling piece and a shilling for Alison’s lesson’ is changed to ‘twenty five pence for Alison’s lesson’. P38/35. Nine lines of dialogue missing from conversation as Jill and her Mother thank Martin for coming to teach her. Starting a riding club seemed like a good idea at first. But then the bossy Clarissa Dandleby joins, the Intimidating Major Hooley scares off some of the members and Miss Durdon takes over as President in return for letting the club use her field. Suddenly it all seems a lot less like fun for Jill and her friends. Will champion show-jumper Captain Cholly-Sawcutt's help and the riding club's own gymkhana save the summer holidays? Jill is finishing up a great day at Chatton Show, the equestrian event of the year in her part of the world. Her best friend, Ann Derry, has done quite well too. Source: Jill's Gymkhana, Chapter 18. One of the questions I used to get asked quite often as a publisher of classic pony books was, ‘Why aren’t the Jill books available?’Titles listed to rear: Jill’s Gymkhana, A Stable for Jill, Jill Has Two Ponies, Jill Enjoys Her Ponies, Jill’s Riding Club, Rosettes for Jill, Jill and the Perfect Pony. Inside rear flap: Pony Jobs for Jill If someone lists a first edition as ‘first edition, fifth impression’ it’s not the very first edition off the press. It’s the fifth lot off the press, using the same text as the first edition. In the illustration below, which is my edition of Jill’s Riding Club, you can see it’s not a true first edition. It gives a first edition printed date, but states this is the third impression, printed in 1960. You might see it listed in a catalogue as first edition, third imp. Jill and her friends are having tea with Susan Pyke, a snooty, superior sort of girl with wealthy parents. Susan rides very well and is a perennial rival for Jill. Here, Susan's mother waxes nostalgic about her own horse-riding past. Source: Jill's Gymkhana, Chapter 16.

Mummy sighed, and then she said, “Jill, I hate to have to, but you know what I’m going to say, don’t you?” So after a while I said, “Oh, Mummy, do you think I could possibly have riding lessons? All the children here seem to ride.” Between 1949 and 1962 she gained great popularity with the "Jill" books for her step-grandchildren, Libs, Sallie, and Pip. Her last book in 1967, Children at the Shop, is a fictionalised memoir of her childhood. [4] Of course! I ought to have brought him something. I rushed home, and shouted, “Mummy! Can I take some lump sugar for a pony up the road?” P158/130. Missing an eight-line paragraph where Jill reflects on her upcoming visit to Cecilia’s suggesting she will be ‘at her mercy’; how Aunt Primrose treats Jill like a child and how she doesn’t like her Uncle Henry (her mother’s brother) much.P131/105. Seven paragraphs (37 lines) detailing Ann’s bulgy saddlebags and the hiding of the vests under a hedge have been deleted. You know it’s all impossible. Why are we talking about it? Oh dear, I wish you could have got interested in anything else but horses. Some girls just love doing lino cuts.”