The Summer Riders

Jinny #3

by Patricia Leitch

Jinny is never really happy unless she's with Shantih, her beautiful chestnut mare. Together they roam the wild Scottish moors around Jinny's home, but sometimes their peace is shattered by events beyond their control. These two stories feature the Red Horse and the awful Marlene.

Genres: Horses, Childrens, Classics, Animal Fiction, Juvenile

Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Patricia Leitch (July 13, 1933 - July 28, 2015) was a Scottish writer, best known for her series of children's books about a girl named Jinny Manders and her wild, traumatized Arabian horse Shantih, set in the Scottish Highlands.
The 12 books in the Jinny series were published between 1976 - 1988 by Armada. They are currently in reprint by Catnip Publishers.
Two more of her novels, Dream of Fair Horses (1975) and The Horse from Black Loch (1963) have been republished by Jane Badger Books.
Leitch has also written under the pseudonym Jane Eliot.

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh what the hell, I LIKE Jinny. She might never learn but how could I ever stay mad at a heroine who shivers with excitement when she looks at Scottish scenery???
What I wasn't remotely keen on and what has cropped up again now is this whole idea that slapping a horse around the shoulder will somehow help make it go past a tractor/not buck/behave. I kind of expected more from Leitch in terms of riding skills.

[Cheyenne Blue · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tricky one to rate. But the unlikeable characters at the start (including Jinny) are either redeemed or are understandable. This series has incredible depth for kids' books written 50+ years ago.

[Kristin Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've owned this book for years and re-read it multiple times, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I discovered it was a part of a twelve-book series (perhaps because it was an American edition). I've been collecting them all since.

Many pony books have heroines that are either perfect or perfectly flawed. Jinny, however, is a bit of a mess, who is easy to identify with despite your age. The series hold up beautifully decades later.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 3 out of 5]

I honestly don't have much recollection of this book - I'm pretty sure that I owned it, but I must have blocked it from my mind. Probably because my attitude to Marlene would have been exactly the same as Jinny's at the start of the book - and as an adult, just thinking of letting a complete beginner on a horse like Shantih makes me shudder! But it's still a good story, with Jinny learning an important lesson about sharing, even if she does sort of abet a crime and manages to end up with some new tack with little effort on her part! Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip into my pony mad past.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

3rd in the Jinny series and, once again, Patricia Leitch excels in working deep thoughts and ideas into a story about a girl and her Arab horse. This time it's about what you'd do for those you love.

Also, the prose? Gorgeous!

"Her hands low on Shantih's neck, her knees pressed into the knee rolls, Marlene was looking straight ahead as Shantih stormed the white brilliance of sea dazzle and gleaming sands. They went like flames, the flickering, burning, chestnut mare and the brightness of her rider laughing aloud into the silence of the morning. No longer lame."

[Debbie Tink · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one off my favourite but still a good read.

[fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

found these with the Christmas decorations!!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to love this story but reading it as an adult I found the inconsistencies in the overall arc irritating. Clearly Jinny needed to learn some moral lessons and Shantih of course had to play a part in that; ie learn to share your horse, be tolerant of people, don't see people as lower than yourself etc. Fine. The problem is, Marlene (especially her accent) was as irritating as F and Jinny was right in that Shantih wasn't suitable for her to learn to ride on. Had the Mander parents forgotten that, in the previous book, they threatened to stop Jinny (who knows how to ride) from riding Shantih if she didn't become more controllable. But somehow Jinny is in the wrong for pointing these same flaws out when Marlene (who can't ride and is lame) wants a go. Don't even get me started on the morals of the whole watch element either. Seriously. Leitch's writing is as fabulous as ever but somehow this particular story has lost its magic for me!