I Rode a Winner

by Christine Pullein-Thompson

That mare's mad, Tina had said, but I knew that Cleo could be a champion, now I had to prove it. As we waited in the collecting ring, I knew we stood between Bullrock Stables and disaster, Cleo had to win.

Genres: Horses

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

The Pullein-Thompson sisters — Josephine Pullein-Thompson MBE (3 April 1924-[1]), Diana Pullein-Thompson (born 1 October 1925) [2] and Christine Pullein-Thompson (1 October 1925–2 December 2005[2] — are British writers of several horse and pony books (mostly fictional) aimed at children and mostly popular with girls. They started at a very young age (initially writing collectively) and they were at their peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but their popularity has endured. They have written a collective autobiography Fair Girls and Grey Horses.

All 3 sisters have written at least 1 book under a different name; Josephine wrote 1 under the pseudonym of Josephine Mann, Diana 3 books under her married name of Diana Farr and Christine wrote 2 books under the name of Christine Keir.

Their mother, Joanna Cannan (1898–1961), sister of the poet May Cannan, wrote similar equestrian stories, but is better known for detective mysteries.

Reviews

[Tania · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written exploration of broken homes and the bond between siblings, I Rode a Winner will give you hope and break your heart at the same time. Young Debbie finds herself displaced as her mother and father go through a painful divorce. She's sent to live with her much older brother, but she's surprised at how much nicer and happier he's become since getting married and setting out on his own path. He owns a horse stable and rides event horses, and Debbie is expected to earn her keep. She's not at all amused, and yet the horse life quickly gets to her and soon she's unrecognizable - strong and confident and perhaps even happy. Challenges don't end, but Debbie finds she's ready to tackle them, even as her parents start to think about what might be best for her future. This is a wonderful horse book, a fantastic coming of age story, and a realistic look at how broken homes affect the children.

[Christa Schönmann Abbühl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I discovered Jane Badger Books on Facebook and was reminded by their articles of how much I used to enjoy reading what is apparently called „pony books“. I love that they reprint so many of the classics, with new or restored covers. I bought several ebooks from their site, and this one was the first I finished reading. I was warned in advance that it does not have the usual pony book ending, but that the outcome is happy all the same. And so it was. I did shed a fair share of tears, though.

[Debbie Tink · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have loved this story since I first read it from our local library.
At first Debbie is a very mixed up young girl after her peronts devours, but then she go's to live with her much older brother and his wife at there riding yard.
And Debbie finds she really gets and under stands horses.