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Sandy Lanes Stables #2
The Runaway Pony
When the riderless palomino pony clatters into the yard, no one is more surprised that Jess. Hot on the pony's hooves comes a man waving a halter. Jess helps him catch the pony and waves them on their way. Little is she to know the far-reaching consequences her simple actions will have...
100 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1900
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92 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 13, 2025
I enjoyed it and thought the plot was good!
However the reading level is a lot lower than mine! I'd recommend to readers ages 10-12.
However the reading level is a lot lower than mine! I'd recommend to readers ages 10-12.
Want to read
August 29, 2017The book that I read over the summer is called The Runaway Pony, which is one of the books in a series named Sandy Lane Stables. It is written by Susannah Leigh. I think the book is realistic fiction and adventure. I chose this book because I love horses a lot and enjoy reading about them. Also I really like riding and spending time with horses.
The action takes place in a stable called Sandy Lane. The main characters are Jess, Belinda and Tom. Jess is a girl who loves to ride horses and really wants to go to a big Southdown competition. Belinda is the girl whose pony, Golddust, was stolen. Tom is a professional horse rider and a good friend of Jess’s. Belinda gets her horse stolen at the beginning of the story, and that makes her very sad. So she goes to the Sandy Lane Stable to ask for help finding the pony, and Jess really wants to help her. At the same time, a coach starts choosing which riders will participate in the Southdown competition. Jess is sad because she is not selected, but then Tom gets sick so he can’t go, and in the end the coach lets Jess go. When they go to the Southdown competition, something happens that concludes the story. Everyone is happy at the end!!
The story made me feel happy and excited. The plot was believable and easy to follow. The characters felt very real. There were not really a lot of funny bits. The story made me think about different situations that happen to horses and how people care about them. I learnt to be positive even if I don't get to do something immediately because one day it might happen. My favorite part was at the end of the story. I really liked the book because it was very interesting and easy to read. Also it was great because many unexpected things happened. I would recommend it to friends who like horses and read about them. I think this book is suitable for ages 12-14. My rating of the book is 9 out of 10.
The action takes place in a stable called Sandy Lane. The main characters are Jess, Belinda and Tom. Jess is a girl who loves to ride horses and really wants to go to a big Southdown competition. Belinda is the girl whose pony, Golddust, was stolen. Tom is a professional horse rider and a good friend of Jess’s. Belinda gets her horse stolen at the beginning of the story, and that makes her very sad. So she goes to the Sandy Lane Stable to ask for help finding the pony, and Jess really wants to help her. At the same time, a coach starts choosing which riders will participate in the Southdown competition. Jess is sad because she is not selected, but then Tom gets sick so he can’t go, and in the end the coach lets Jess go. When they go to the Southdown competition, something happens that concludes the story. Everyone is happy at the end!!
The story made me feel happy and excited. The plot was believable and easy to follow. The characters felt very real. There were not really a lot of funny bits. The story made me think about different situations that happen to horses and how people care about them. I learnt to be positive even if I don't get to do something immediately because one day it might happen. My favorite part was at the end of the story. I really liked the book because it was very interesting and easy to read. Also it was great because many unexpected things happened. I would recommend it to friends who like horses and read about them. I think this book is suitable for ages 12-14. My rating of the book is 9 out of 10.
August 25, 2018
As an equestrian and bookworm, I love reading books about horse-riding. The only thing that tends to bother me in those books is the fact they don’t use proper vocabulary(as in, call a bit a bit, not some other thing) and they are a bit unrealistic. This book is quite the different thing, I’ve read it around five times and I’ve enjoyed every time as if it was my first.
Really recommend this book whether your equestrian or non-equestrian!
Really recommend this book whether your equestrian or non-equestrian!
May 15, 2017
I think that the theme for this book is that we might assume something but it's really the opposite, like Jess's problem in this story and also friends could come out of those mistakes.
September 16, 2022
jess adams is literally a lesbian btw
primary-school-books
November 8, 2025:)
December 22, 2025
Re-discovering middle grade horse books. Can't believe I didn't read these ones as a child, I would have loved them.
March 10, 2014
One day jess, the owner of sandy lanes, was walking through the woods. After three hours of walking in the woods she saw a lost horse. It was tall, brown haired, and it had a white nose. Jess looked at it for a long time and decided to bring it home with her.
Jess walked three hours back to the sandy lanes. Jess brought the horse to the stables, she feed it, groomed it, and watered it. She hung out with the horse more than she hung out with her friends. Jess went online and she looked up “horse’s names”, and she picked out the name Belinda.
A few years later Belinda got pregnant and had a baby. Jess thought for a long hard for a name for her. Jess was walking through the woods with the baby the baby ran right over to a field of Lilly’s. Jess decided to name the baby horse Lillie.
After a few years passed, Lillie started to join companions, she won all but one except for one.one day jess was at the starting line but when the man said ready, go jess and Lillie were running so fast that Lillie tripped and fell. Lillie ended up breaking her leg. Since the fall she has to wrap it every day.
The next day jess went into town to try to find money because sandy lanes was going out of biasness man that made a deal with her. The deal was if she gave him a horse than he would give the money to jess that she needed. To save sandy lanes. It broke jess’s heart to give up Lillie, but she had no choice.
As years passed jess longed for another horse. She decided to buy a black horse. The new horse grew up to become one of the best racing horses in town.
Jess walked three hours back to the sandy lanes. Jess brought the horse to the stables, she feed it, groomed it, and watered it. She hung out with the horse more than she hung out with her friends. Jess went online and she looked up “horse’s names”, and she picked out the name Belinda.
A few years later Belinda got pregnant and had a baby. Jess thought for a long hard for a name for her. Jess was walking through the woods with the baby the baby ran right over to a field of Lilly’s. Jess decided to name the baby horse Lillie.
After a few years passed, Lillie started to join companions, she won all but one except for one.one day jess was at the starting line but when the man said ready, go jess and Lillie were running so fast that Lillie tripped and fell. Lillie ended up breaking her leg. Since the fall she has to wrap it every day.
The next day jess went into town to try to find money because sandy lanes was going out of biasness man that made a deal with her. The deal was if she gave him a horse than he would give the money to jess that she needed. To save sandy lanes. It broke jess’s heart to give up Lillie, but she had no choice.
As years passed jess longed for another horse. She decided to buy a black horse. The new horse grew up to become one of the best racing horses in town.
March 1, 2016
very exciting. stolen ponies and mistaken pones.
sadly this is a real thing that does happen in the horse world. happens a lot to race horses. some times they sell them with wrong names and a fake pedigree. once in a while people can find them by their
tattoo. but sadly a lot of them are never found again. a sad reality to horse racing and owning. there are a lot of crooked people out there.
sadly this is a real thing that does happen in the horse world. happens a lot to race horses. some times they sell them with wrong names and a fake pedigree. once in a while people can find them by their
tattoo. but sadly a lot of them are never found again. a sad reality to horse racing and owning. there are a lot of crooked people out there.
March 4, 2016
I recently found the Sandy Lane Stables books that I owned and I decided that I'd really like to read them again.
They're really basic and super cheesy but I loved them when I was 7.
I forgot how quick they were to read, given that they're only about 100 pages long.
It's been fun revisiting my childhood, ha!!
They're really basic and super cheesy but I loved them when I was 7.
I forgot how quick they were to read, given that they're only about 100 pages long.
It's been fun revisiting my childhood, ha!!
September 22, 2013
A great horse story, filled with some ups-and-downs, a bit of tragedy, stolen horses, and intrigue that is perfect for young readers. I did find the writing style a bit choppy in places, but it's still a good book.
April 13, 2014
Well at first it was a little boring but in the end the story was so great. And I love her on storm cloud.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews