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Paddock Grove: A Pony to Own
"Welcome to Paddock Grove, a boarding school for the best, providing equestrians of tomorrow with state-of-the-art facilities and world-class tuition in everything from stable management to competitive riding..."
A scholarship to Paddock Grove is a dream come true for George, but when her local riding school shuts down and the horse she hoped to borrow is sold, it seems her dreams are over before they've begun – until her parents surprise her with a pony of her own. Unfortunately, that pony is Bear, a scruffy cob with tangles in his mane, feathers around his hooves and a mischievous streak a mile wide. He's the complete opposite of the well-bred show horses her classmates are riding.
Between George's new-school nerves and Bear's naughty tricks, everything goes from bad to worse. If George and Bear can't learn how to work together, they might lose their place at Paddock Grove for good...
The first of four titles in a brand new pony series set in an elite equestrian boarding school from rising star J. P. Rose.
A scholarship to Paddock Grove is a dream come true for George, but when her local riding school shuts down and the horse she hoped to borrow is sold, it seems her dreams are over before they've begun – until her parents surprise her with a pony of her own. Unfortunately, that pony is Bear, a scruffy cob with tangles in his mane, feathers around his hooves and a mischievous streak a mile wide. He's the complete opposite of the well-bred show horses her classmates are riding.
Between George's new-school nerves and Bear's naughty tricks, everything goes from bad to worse. If George and Bear can't learn how to work together, they might lose their place at Paddock Grove for good...
The first of four titles in a brand new pony series set in an elite equestrian boarding school from rising star J. P. Rose.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2025
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 24, 2025
I used to go horse riding. Sometimes I had the perfect Shetland pony to ride, other times I had a pony named Shaun who was stubborn. I remember wanting a pony of my own.
Through my horse riding days, I fell in love with reading Paddock Grove, A Pony To Own.
The riding school Georgia has attended since she was four years old has been forced to shut down, and sell off all the horses. Georgia, whose nickname is George, has a surprise by her parents, they have bought George her own pony, from the ridding school, this is something she had always dreamed about having her own pony.
But it isn’t the pony that she loved at the ridding stables, with a gleaming coat, who won her a spot in the national showjumping competitions. Instead her parents have bought her a pony, that is scruffy.
George has a scholarship to attend Paddock Grove, an elite school for the best equestrians, that wear smart jodhpurs. Bear, is a stubborn pony, who shows George up, for all her new classmates to laugh at her.
The girls at elite Paddock Grove have well-bred, well-behaved horses.
This is George’s story all about her scruffy stubborn pony, Bear, she owns. A beautiful story, that all girls will love to read, and the most exciting thing ever Paddock Grove is going to be a series of books, which all these books in the series are going to look absolutely amazing on girls books shelves.
July 26, 2025
This is a brilliant book for horse-mad kids.
I adored this book from the beginning, and was transported back to my childhood. I welled up several times from nostalgia (the new grooming kit, head collar and lead rope for starters! Not to mention Bear!) There are lots of poignant moments throughout, which also triggered my tear-ducts!
A Pony to Own is really well done: it has enough technical terminology (and the typical types of yard characters) to be authentic and appeal to the already affiliated without alienating readers new to the mad world of horses! Like Mallory Towers or Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches, Paddock Grove is a school that is out of touch for most people- an elite riding establishment and the place of total dreams for a horse-mad kid. Down-to-earth Georgia gets a scholarship there, and is a bit of a fish out of water. Can she put up with the bullies’ barbs? Can a cob cut it amongst athletic warmbloods, born to perform? Will Georgia and Bear ever click?
A story about team work and friendship, resilience and the rewards of hard work.
I’m looking forward to the next installment and I’m going to get my riding gear back out of the loft!
I adored this book from the beginning, and was transported back to my childhood. I welled up several times from nostalgia (the new grooming kit, head collar and lead rope for starters! Not to mention Bear!) There are lots of poignant moments throughout, which also triggered my tear-ducts!
A Pony to Own is really well done: it has enough technical terminology (and the typical types of yard characters) to be authentic and appeal to the already affiliated without alienating readers new to the mad world of horses! Like Mallory Towers or Miss Cackle’s Academy for Witches, Paddock Grove is a school that is out of touch for most people- an elite riding establishment and the place of total dreams for a horse-mad kid. Down-to-earth Georgia gets a scholarship there, and is a bit of a fish out of water. Can she put up with the bullies’ barbs? Can a cob cut it amongst athletic warmbloods, born to perform? Will Georgia and Bear ever click?
A story about team work and friendship, resilience and the rewards of hard work.
I’m looking forward to the next installment and I’m going to get my riding gear back out of the loft!
January 4, 2026
I really enjoyed this book because I do horse riding and I used to have a horse like ted,his name was biker and he never really wanted to do things but now I have changed horses he trots amazingly and he is generally a great pony. He is called ably and he is a grey dappled pony (white) he is about 13.4 hands high.
He was a very annoying horse but some weeks his behaviour was excellent and other weeks it was horrendous
He was a very annoying horse but some weeks his behaviour was excellent and other weeks it was horrendous
August 18, 2025
A wonderful pony story!
January 9, 2026
A really lovely story Thoroughly enjoyed this book which is why I have given it 5 STARS,First time I have read a book by this Author
January 26, 2026
The first book in a brand-new series! Horses x boarding school = my fav!
🐴 I loved seeing Bear and George bond. We see how she has gotten him from her parents as a present, we see that she struggles with Bear as she really wanted another horse, and frankly, I could understand. She hasn’t had the best time with Bear whenever she had him back then and now she is stuck with him. She also misses her favourite horse that she rode a lot on. It was definitely understandable that she just wasn’t happy. And Bear of course needs a different touch + is maybe a bit set in his ways + he feels that his new owner is not happy with him. So I was hoping that George and Bear would come to an understanding and that George would love him. I loved it when we got small moments between them that you can see that they are getting closer.
🐴 I love the cover! OK, sure, at first I thought it may be AI given the style (sorry). But it is a sweet cover and I love seeing the school and our MC and her horse.
🐴 Loved the boarding school, reading about some classes (though it mostly focussed on horses which I loved), reading about the uniforms, about the care for the horses, and more.
🐴 Loved the friendship between George, Katie, Lili, Tabitha. Especially Katie/George/Lili were close. I loved how they tried to help George adjust to life at the boarding school, but also helped her with the very naughty Bear + help her get used to Bear and his ways. It was so sweet.
🐴 Lili’s secret. I had a hunch, but it isn’t until the end that we learn what Lili’s secret is, and I can well understand that she was keeping it secret.
🐴 I loved reading about the training, the practices, and all the other horse things. I wish I could be part of it all!
🐴 Bear’s escape stuff was just making me laugh so much, especially when he took another horse with him.
🐴 Then there is an exciting moment with horse thieves! That part I really enjoyed it was well-written and very exciting!
😐 Can we just FUCKING quit with the bullying in boarding school x horse books? It is getting VERY off-putting. This is yet another book/series with bullying. And this girl was even worse than many bullies I read, she endangered the horse, ruined someone’s big chances, and more. pukes
All in all, I did have fun with this one and I am considering reading the next book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
🐴 I loved seeing Bear and George bond. We see how she has gotten him from her parents as a present, we see that she struggles with Bear as she really wanted another horse, and frankly, I could understand. She hasn’t had the best time with Bear whenever she had him back then and now she is stuck with him. She also misses her favourite horse that she rode a lot on. It was definitely understandable that she just wasn’t happy. And Bear of course needs a different touch + is maybe a bit set in his ways + he feels that his new owner is not happy with him. So I was hoping that George and Bear would come to an understanding and that George would love him. I loved it when we got small moments between them that you can see that they are getting closer.
🐴 I love the cover! OK, sure, at first I thought it may be AI given the style (sorry). But it is a sweet cover and I love seeing the school and our MC and her horse.
🐴 Loved the boarding school, reading about some classes (though it mostly focussed on horses which I loved), reading about the uniforms, about the care for the horses, and more.
🐴 Loved the friendship between George, Katie, Lili, Tabitha. Especially Katie/George/Lili were close. I loved how they tried to help George adjust to life at the boarding school, but also helped her with the very naughty Bear + help her get used to Bear and his ways. It was so sweet.
🐴 Lili’s secret. I had a hunch, but it isn’t until the end that we learn what Lili’s secret is, and I can well understand that she was keeping it secret.
🐴 I loved reading about the training, the practices, and all the other horse things. I wish I could be part of it all!
🐴 Bear’s escape stuff was just making me laugh so much, especially when he took another horse with him.
🐴 Then there is an exciting moment with horse thieves! That part I really enjoyed it was well-written and very exciting!
😐 Can we just FUCKING quit with the bullying in boarding school x horse books? It is getting VERY off-putting. This is yet another book/series with bullying. And this girl was even worse than many bullies I read, she endangered the horse, ruined someone’s big chances, and more. pukes
All in all, I did have fun with this one and I am considering reading the next book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews