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Silver Snaffles
Silver Snaffles was a beloved pony book for many generations and is finally back in print via Fidra Books.
Anyone who has learned to ride must have wondered quite what the horse thinks of her: children must long for the ponies they love to talk to them. Jenny, the heroine of Silver Snaffles, talks to Tattles the pony every day, and then, one day, he says: “Through the Dark Corner, and the password is Silver Snaffles.”
This is the start of Jenny’s adventures with the ponies.
Anyone who has learned to ride must have wondered quite what the horse thinks of her: children must long for the ponies they love to talk to them. Jenny, the heroine of Silver Snaffles, talks to Tattles the pony every day, and then, one day, he says: “Through the Dark Corner, and the password is Silver Snaffles.”
This is the start of Jenny’s adventures with the ponies.
250 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 16, 2018
In the early 1990s, I almost squeaked out loud in the Munich Military Community library when I spied Silver Snaffles on the shelf while looking for books for my children. Of my favorite horse books when I was a kid in the 1950s -- Black Beauty, King of the Wind, Justin Morgan Had a Horse, Misty of Chincoteague -- Silver Snaffles stood out. It wasn't in the stable of the other horse books, it was as if it were in the part of the stable with Tattles the pony. This was the part of the stable where you could lie on a bale and dream yourself into the world of talking ponies, going through walls by saying "Silver snaffles" more than thirty years before J.K. Rowling could have even read of the trick.
Jenny, who has no place to keep a pony (according to her daddy), regularly visits Tattles in Mr. Pymmington's stable. After she has given Tattles apple peelings and carrot tops and tails, she confides to him her deep wish to learn to ride. Tattles returns the favor by talking. "Through the Dark Corner, and the password is Silver Snaffles." Like Harry, once Jenny walks into the Dark Corner that melts into The Extraordinary Riding School, she has lessons and adventures.
In my real world of adults when the Munich Military Community library closed its gates with the American military drawdown in Europe in the '90s, the library's books were destroyed. Library employees stripped the covers for counting and sent Dumpsters of pages off to be pulped. Booklovers throughout the community mourned. Luckily for me, my good friend was one of the librarians. Her gift to me before we parted ways as the community closed was the library's copy of Silver Snaffles; I don't know how she accounted for it. The book is as worn as any well-read children's library book can be, but all the words are still on all the pages. I can still read those words and be back with Jenny and Tattles and all the ponies.
Jenny, who has no place to keep a pony (according to her daddy), regularly visits Tattles in Mr. Pymmington's stable. After she has given Tattles apple peelings and carrot tops and tails, she confides to him her deep wish to learn to ride. Tattles returns the favor by talking. "Through the Dark Corner, and the password is Silver Snaffles." Like Harry, once Jenny walks into the Dark Corner that melts into The Extraordinary Riding School, she has lessons and adventures.
In my real world of adults when the Munich Military Community library closed its gates with the American military drawdown in Europe in the '90s, the library's books were destroyed. Library employees stripped the covers for counting and sent Dumpsters of pages off to be pulped. Booklovers throughout the community mourned. Luckily for me, my good friend was one of the librarians. Her gift to me before we parted ways as the community closed was the library's copy of Silver Snaffles; I don't know how she accounted for it. The book is as worn as any well-read children's library book can be, but all the words are still on all the pages. I can still read those words and be back with Jenny and Tattles and all the ponies.
November 28, 2021
Very cute. Nostalgic, yes, but I don't see any reason why modern kids shouldn't love it, if only the book wasn't so damn hard to get hold of. Kids love magical escapism.
August 7, 2011
Those 4 stars are pure nostalgia. I adored this book when I was little and pony mad. It's probably out of print now but wouldn't be suitable for modern kids. It's a historical novel now :D
The story, as far as I recall, is about a small girl who visits a tradesman's pony regularly and dreams of learning to ride. One day the pony speaks and tells her to walk into "the darkest corner" and she finds a 'door' through to a place where ponies can speak and train their riders in proper 'horse sense'. It's not just a riding primer, though. There's a disappearance and a terrifying encounter and a bittersweet ending that made me bawl.
There were fabulous black and white illustrations as with most of Primrose Cumming's books. I wonder some times what happened to them. I'd love to read them again and howl at their, probably, non-PCness.
The story, as far as I recall, is about a small girl who visits a tradesman's pony regularly and dreams of learning to ride. One day the pony speaks and tells her to walk into "the darkest corner" and she finds a 'door' through to a place where ponies can speak and train their riders in proper 'horse sense'. It's not just a riding primer, though. There's a disappearance and a terrifying encounter and a bittersweet ending that made me bawl.
There were fabulous black and white illustrations as with most of Primrose Cumming's books. I wonder some times what happened to them. I'd love to read them again and howl at their, probably, non-PCness.
December 16, 2012
What a lovely story! Jenny visits the stables every day and dreams of having her own pony. One day, Tattles speaks to her, giving her the password to a secret place - a stable full of talking ponies here for the children who love horses but can't afford any. Jenny learns to ride thanks to her new friends who teaches her exactly how to handle a horse, what to do and not do. The book concludes with an adventure as Jenny goes on a rescue mission in our world, where most people have no idea how to handle ponies properly.
This book is as much about riding as it is about having a symbiotic and compassionate relationship with your horse and I really enjoyed all the tips given to Jenny though I don't ride myself. A very heartwarming story.
This book is as much about riding as it is about having a symbiotic and compassionate relationship with your horse and I really enjoyed all the tips given to Jenny though I don't ride myself. A very heartwarming story.
April 5, 2015
My mum read this book with me when I was about 8 as my mum loved it when she was a child and managed to get an early edition before it went back into print. It was wonderful and I remember finding the whole book very atmospheric and out of this world. Lovely story, great for kids and I would probably enjoy it just the same if I read it now at 19 :)
January 15, 2009
One of my very favorite childhood books, I must have read it when I was about 8 years old. A wonderful combination of horses, adventure, and fantasy.
April 17, 2012
Was my great-aunty's, was found at my granparents and it was really good.
May 27, 2013
Just lovely.
July 20, 2013
I Loved It !!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews