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Animal Ark: Summer Special #2
Ponies at the Point
An alternate cover for this ISBN can be found here.
Mandy and her friend James are vacationing in Ireland, home of the wild Connemara ponies. A wounded foal offers clues that someone is trying to steal the ponies, and Mandy and James set out to find the horse thieves.
Mandy and her friend James are vacationing in Ireland, home of the wild Connemara ponies. A wounded foal offers clues that someone is trying to steal the ponies, and Mandy and James set out to find the horse thieves.
144 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
About the author
Ben M. Baglio
216 books156 followersBen M. Baglio created the brief for two series of children's books - Dolphin Diaries and Animal Ark. Dolphin Diaries features a girl and her family from Florida, who travel around the world as marine biologists and study dolphins. Animal Ark features two children who work together to help animals and solve animal-related mysteries. The books were written by commissioned writers in the UK under Baglio's instruction using the pseudonym Lucy Daniels. Each ghostwriter is named with a 'Special Thanks' on the copyright page.
Using his real name he also wrote the book series The Pet Finders Club, featuring a group of three children who search for peoples lost pets.
Using his real name he also wrote the book series The Pet Finders Club, featuring a group of three children who search for peoples lost pets.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
September 20, 2021
I just love horses so of course I had to read this one when I saw it! And it was wonderful too! It tells the touching story of children trying to save a young colt that has something stuck on his face. And if they don't get it off he will die. But the horse is wild. What will they do?
I really loved how the story was about the natural type of horsemanship called "Join Up" - but they don't call it that in the book. But if you are familiar with Monty Roberts and his way of handling horses you will definitely recognize it! And that is what the book is about... These two different types of horsemanship clashing against each other. The old way of training and this new way. People who are used to the old way have a very hard time believing in this new way, that it can work. But it is all about horse language!
Lots of thrills in here too. Danger and excitement.
This is going onto my shelf of horse books!
I really loved how the story was about the natural type of horsemanship called "Join Up" - but they don't call it that in the book. But if you are familiar with Monty Roberts and his way of handling horses you will definitely recognize it! And that is what the book is about... These two different types of horsemanship clashing against each other. The old way of training and this new way. People who are used to the old way have a very hard time believing in this new way, that it can work. But it is all about horse language!
Lots of thrills in here too. Danger and excitement.
This is going onto my shelf of horse books!
August 23, 2020
I used to read these Animal Ark books as a kid. I definitely would have read this growing up. And I wish I had, because I would have gotten more out of it. It wasn’t a bad story, not at all, just wasn’t great either.
I liked that Mandy’s best friend James came along on their vacation to Ireland, as he always does on their vacations. I wonder if there’ll be some romance between them if this series covers them growing up. (Always looking for romance in stories).
I loved the mention of basking sharks, because I just saw on Shark Week this year, that the only sharks Ireland has are basking sharks. So that was a cool mention.
Ponies are flight animals that run when attackers come, like deer and zebras do.
The Connemara pony came with the Celts when they raided Ireland over a thousand years ago. They tamed them, used them for farm work and pack carrying.
Coast guard cottages, away from the village, had good views of the ocean.
I always find it weird when books use parents’ first names instead of calling them mom or dad. I kept getting Adam, the dad, mixed up with James, Mandy’s friend.
There was an overuse of exclamation marks. It ruined what a character was saying. Just like that episode of Seinfeld, where Elaine writes with exclamation points. Totally unnecessary and changes what’s being said. A lot of them didn’t need to be used and should have been taken out.
It annoyed me that Mandy and James didn’t want to go to the race, they wanted to try and get the halter off the foal, when the horses come to drink water twice a day. Just go to the race and try afterwards!
I liked that both Mandy’s parents were vets. I like when couples are in the same/similar careers.
Mandy’s parents happen to have their vet bag and rifle to shoot tranq darts with them on their Ireland vacation. Why would they bring that stuff with them? Were they expecting to be taking care of horses on their vacation? Unless this was a medical trip, it didn’t make any sense to have their gear with them.
Every Irishman considers himself an expert on horses, and Ireland has a horse race 250 days of the year.
Sean Malone was a cool character, how he has a way with horses, and could approach an unbroken horse and have it eating out of his hand in thirty minutes.
I loved Sean training with the horse. How he didn’t use a lunge rein, and kept the horse trotting around the ring, which told the horse to keep her distance. He waited for the horse to ask him to come in from the fence again. The horse will give signals that she wants to talk. He switched from watching her head to her shoulders. Her ears flicked to Sean and then she lowered her head, telling him she’s listening and waiting for him to tell her what to do.
He kept her running until she lowered her head inches from the ground, and he let her slow to a trot and come away from the fence. That meant she was ready to “talk” and Sean was ready to let her.
He walked up to her without making eye contact and rubbed her, then slowly turned & she followed him wherever he moved.
The horse trusted him because he knows what she’s thinking. She didn’t want to canter in the ring forever, wanted him to be nice to her.
He’d saddle her next time and go through the process again, making her start out running beside the paddock until she was ready to make a deal with him.
It also annoyed me when Mandy asks Sean I bet you’re wondering why they came to his house and he says to apologize for yelling at him,& then neither her nor James actually apologize to him. He’s the one who says he’s sorry for being suspicious of them!
In her head Mandy was ashamed of thinking Sean put the halter on the foal. She should have said it out loud.
Then James says “We’re all sorry that Connie is still wearing that halter. But being sorry doesn’t get us very far. That’s why we came to see you.”
I loved that Sean snuck out to meet Mandy and James even though his dad had grounded him.
With deer and zebra in the wild, if their young were ill, the herd would move on to fresh pasture or to keep away from predators, but the mom would stay with her baby to protect it.
The horse training in here was like what I read in Heartland, and have seen on the show of the same name.
Sean worked with the wild horse, until she dropped her head and made a chewing motion. When he turned and the horse came to him, but shied when he went to put on the halter, he started over. The horse knew his signals more quickly, knew what he wanted, & would wanna come and talk sooner. When the horse got close he rubbed her over& was able to put the halter on.
I loved that James seemed jealous of Mandy talking about Sean and his way with horses, how she wants to learn how to do it.
“I’m going back to the cottages. I don’t feel like sitting around in Molloys all night listening to more stuff about brilliant Sean Malone!”
And:
‘“We could get Sean to help us.” For James, this was a hard suggestion to make. “I’m sorry I was rotten about him earlier,” he added.’
Mandy was seriously dense for not immediately knowing what Mr. Malone and O’Rourke were talking about. Pretty clear they were horse thieves& they were talking about Rosie.
Sean was such a cool character:
“It’s one thing take an odd foal or two out of a here every now and then. No one notices that, except your son, maybe.”
“Hmm.” It was Malone’s turn to stay quiet.
“He’s got eyes in the back of his head,” the farmer complained. “It’s a good thing he was away at school when I put that halter on the chestnut foal in the first place.”
-James thought Sean didn’t care enough to see the horses while they’re being held in the farmer’s field, but it turns out his dad sent him to Galway to get him out of the picture while they stole the horses.
I LOVED when he showed up!
“Sean!” Mandy gasped and got up from the ground. She began to run again. “What are you doing here?” He was supposed to be in Galway, miles from here.
“Causing a stampede—what does it look like?” he yelled back. He drove the ponies toward the farmer, arms raised, pushing them on. His face was pale and drawn in the morning mist, his dark hair wet with dew. “You didn’t think I was going to let them take Rosie, did you?”’
Of course Mandy had to steal the show and use Sean’s training methods to get Rosie and lead her out of the field. That was Sean’s place to do.
‘He approached Mandy and stood by her side. “You did it!” he whispered with a smile.
Holding her head high, steadying Rosie, she nodded. “I did what you do. I talked to her!” she agreed.’
“All thanks to Sean,” Mandy insisted. “I remembered what he did and copied every single movement!”
At least she gave Sean some Credit.
It skipped over the moment of them setting Rosie and Connie free, which was disappointing.
It was ridiculous they didn’t even tell the cops on Sean’s dad and his accomplice, just swept the matter aside! Sean’s dad came around way too easily, and is just gonna accept Sean’s gift of horse training even though he never has. Not very likely. Only in a novel would that happen this suddenly and easily.
Molloy got back at Tom O’Rourke by banning him from his shop/bar which apparently is worse than going to jail in a town like that. But no punishment for Malone?
The ending could have been better. It would have been nice to end with Sean watching the horses with them. I wanted more friendship between them, and a real apology on Mandy and James’ part.
I really liked Sean’s character, his ability with the horses, the fact that he struggled with knowing his dad was stealing horses but not wanting to turn him in. How his parents were divorced and he goes away to school, & checks on the horses while he stays with his dad. And how he could be a real trainer in a few years.
The book centered a little too much on the horses, & I wanted more on Ireland. More sight-seeing and fun in Ireland, rather than getting caught up in horse thievery and it taking up their whole vacation. And I still want an explanation of why her parents had their vet stuff on vacation in Ireland!
Simple, action-packed book on horses. But could have been better in certain areas.
I liked that Mandy’s best friend James came along on their vacation to Ireland, as he always does on their vacations. I wonder if there’ll be some romance between them if this series covers them growing up. (Always looking for romance in stories).
I loved the mention of basking sharks, because I just saw on Shark Week this year, that the only sharks Ireland has are basking sharks. So that was a cool mention.
Ponies are flight animals that run when attackers come, like deer and zebras do.
The Connemara pony came with the Celts when they raided Ireland over a thousand years ago. They tamed them, used them for farm work and pack carrying.
Coast guard cottages, away from the village, had good views of the ocean.
I always find it weird when books use parents’ first names instead of calling them mom or dad. I kept getting Adam, the dad, mixed up with James, Mandy’s friend.
There was an overuse of exclamation marks. It ruined what a character was saying. Just like that episode of Seinfeld, where Elaine writes with exclamation points. Totally unnecessary and changes what’s being said. A lot of them didn’t need to be used and should have been taken out.
It annoyed me that Mandy and James didn’t want to go to the race, they wanted to try and get the halter off the foal, when the horses come to drink water twice a day. Just go to the race and try afterwards!
I liked that both Mandy’s parents were vets. I like when couples are in the same/similar careers.
Mandy’s parents happen to have their vet bag and rifle to shoot tranq darts with them on their Ireland vacation. Why would they bring that stuff with them? Were they expecting to be taking care of horses on their vacation? Unless this was a medical trip, it didn’t make any sense to have their gear with them.
Every Irishman considers himself an expert on horses, and Ireland has a horse race 250 days of the year.
Sean Malone was a cool character, how he has a way with horses, and could approach an unbroken horse and have it eating out of his hand in thirty minutes.
I loved Sean training with the horse. How he didn’t use a lunge rein, and kept the horse trotting around the ring, which told the horse to keep her distance. He waited for the horse to ask him to come in from the fence again. The horse will give signals that she wants to talk. He switched from watching her head to her shoulders. Her ears flicked to Sean and then she lowered her head, telling him she’s listening and waiting for him to tell her what to do.
He kept her running until she lowered her head inches from the ground, and he let her slow to a trot and come away from the fence. That meant she was ready to “talk” and Sean was ready to let her.
He walked up to her without making eye contact and rubbed her, then slowly turned & she followed him wherever he moved.
The horse trusted him because he knows what she’s thinking. She didn’t want to canter in the ring forever, wanted him to be nice to her.
He’d saddle her next time and go through the process again, making her start out running beside the paddock until she was ready to make a deal with him.
It also annoyed me when Mandy asks Sean I bet you’re wondering why they came to his house and he says to apologize for yelling at him,& then neither her nor James actually apologize to him. He’s the one who says he’s sorry for being suspicious of them!
In her head Mandy was ashamed of thinking Sean put the halter on the foal. She should have said it out loud.
Then James says “We’re all sorry that Connie is still wearing that halter. But being sorry doesn’t get us very far. That’s why we came to see you.”
I loved that Sean snuck out to meet Mandy and James even though his dad had grounded him.
With deer and zebra in the wild, if their young were ill, the herd would move on to fresh pasture or to keep away from predators, but the mom would stay with her baby to protect it.
The horse training in here was like what I read in Heartland, and have seen on the show of the same name.
Sean worked with the wild horse, until she dropped her head and made a chewing motion. When he turned and the horse came to him, but shied when he went to put on the halter, he started over. The horse knew his signals more quickly, knew what he wanted, & would wanna come and talk sooner. When the horse got close he rubbed her over& was able to put the halter on.
I loved that James seemed jealous of Mandy talking about Sean and his way with horses, how she wants to learn how to do it.
“I’m going back to the cottages. I don’t feel like sitting around in Molloys all night listening to more stuff about brilliant Sean Malone!”
And:
‘“We could get Sean to help us.” For James, this was a hard suggestion to make. “I’m sorry I was rotten about him earlier,” he added.’
Mandy was seriously dense for not immediately knowing what Mr. Malone and O’Rourke were talking about. Pretty clear they were horse thieves& they were talking about Rosie.
Sean was such a cool character:
“It’s one thing take an odd foal or two out of a here every now and then. No one notices that, except your son, maybe.”
“Hmm.” It was Malone’s turn to stay quiet.
“He’s got eyes in the back of his head,” the farmer complained. “It’s a good thing he was away at school when I put that halter on the chestnut foal in the first place.”
-James thought Sean didn’t care enough to see the horses while they’re being held in the farmer’s field, but it turns out his dad sent him to Galway to get him out of the picture while they stole the horses.
I LOVED when he showed up!
“Sean!” Mandy gasped and got up from the ground. She began to run again. “What are you doing here?” He was supposed to be in Galway, miles from here.
“Causing a stampede—what does it look like?” he yelled back. He drove the ponies toward the farmer, arms raised, pushing them on. His face was pale and drawn in the morning mist, his dark hair wet with dew. “You didn’t think I was going to let them take Rosie, did you?”’
Of course Mandy had to steal the show and use Sean’s training methods to get Rosie and lead her out of the field. That was Sean’s place to do.
‘He approached Mandy and stood by her side. “You did it!” he whispered with a smile.
Holding her head high, steadying Rosie, she nodded. “I did what you do. I talked to her!” she agreed.’
“All thanks to Sean,” Mandy insisted. “I remembered what he did and copied every single movement!”
At least she gave Sean some Credit.
It skipped over the moment of them setting Rosie and Connie free, which was disappointing.
It was ridiculous they didn’t even tell the cops on Sean’s dad and his accomplice, just swept the matter aside! Sean’s dad came around way too easily, and is just gonna accept Sean’s gift of horse training even though he never has. Not very likely. Only in a novel would that happen this suddenly and easily.
Molloy got back at Tom O’Rourke by banning him from his shop/bar which apparently is worse than going to jail in a town like that. But no punishment for Malone?
The ending could have been better. It would have been nice to end with Sean watching the horses with them. I wanted more friendship between them, and a real apology on Mandy and James’ part.
I really liked Sean’s character, his ability with the horses, the fact that he struggled with knowing his dad was stealing horses but not wanting to turn him in. How his parents were divorced and he goes away to school, & checks on the horses while he stays with his dad. And how he could be a real trainer in a few years.
The book centered a little too much on the horses, & I wanted more on Ireland. More sight-seeing and fun in Ireland, rather than getting caught up in horse thievery and it taking up their whole vacation. And I still want an explanation of why her parents had their vet stuff on vacation in Ireland!
Simple, action-packed book on horses. But could have been better in certain areas.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2017
Always enjoy the Animal Ark books. It helps kids learn how to treat animals without being all medically confusing. Let's them know right from wrong when it comes to animals and how to fix a problem. This one got my attention because of the horse training and the wild horses.
October 22, 2019
This was a very good book a bit boring at the beginning but then amazing through the middle all the way to the end.read this book in a day because it was really nice, and I would recommend especially to younger children to teach them about animal cruelty and respect.
October 31, 2024
This is a review of the American Scholastic edition, attributed to the fake author name of Ben Baglio. This would be the tenth book of the Animal Ark series published in America, but it's about the 40th book published in its home country of the UK by Hodder. The real author was Jenny Oldfield, who wrote the majority of the first 40 books.
Oldfield did some real blunders about horses in the earlier books, especially Donkey on the Doorstep. She would write in an introduction to a horse story anthology that she realized that she should probably learn something about the animals she was getting paid five figures a book to write about.
Well, she did some homework here. A semi-wild herd of Connemera ponies are being snatched from the wild and sold ... to pony trekking centers. Um ... yeah .... that's not really on, Jenny. There's no way a public riding stable would buy wild, untrained ponies. Get back to school, Jenny.
Perhaps she didn't want to reveal the truth of what happens to ponies that disappear from UK or Irish semi-wild herds. They're sold to zoos and safari parks to feed the carnivores, particularly lions, with the "logic" being that ponies are the closest thing to zebras. There used to be many of these semi-wild herds about, but they've been decimated or obliterated since the 1990s.
Mandy, James and Mandy's parents are on holiday again. Why the Hopes didn't go out of business because they were away so often is yet another of the unrealistic quirks of the series. After a while, you just got to laugh. I am sometimes surprised when James recognizes his parents in the series, since he's away from them so often.
The story is ... okay. It does have it's moments. I did like the character of the son of a racehorse trainer (hmm ... son of a racehorse trainer ... sounds like an insult ...). He wasn't too over the top.
Illustrator Jenny Gregory did arguably her worst work here. She just could not draw horses and ponies. She also wasn't very good at dogs. Perhaps that's why she didn't last very long in the series. Her ponies look like anything but.
Oldfield did some real blunders about horses in the earlier books, especially Donkey on the Doorstep. She would write in an introduction to a horse story anthology that she realized that she should probably learn something about the animals she was getting paid five figures a book to write about.
Well, she did some homework here. A semi-wild herd of Connemera ponies are being snatched from the wild and sold ... to pony trekking centers. Um ... yeah .... that's not really on, Jenny. There's no way a public riding stable would buy wild, untrained ponies. Get back to school, Jenny.
Perhaps she didn't want to reveal the truth of what happens to ponies that disappear from UK or Irish semi-wild herds. They're sold to zoos and safari parks to feed the carnivores, particularly lions, with the "logic" being that ponies are the closest thing to zebras. There used to be many of these semi-wild herds about, but they've been decimated or obliterated since the 1990s.
Mandy, James and Mandy's parents are on holiday again. Why the Hopes didn't go out of business because they were away so often is yet another of the unrealistic quirks of the series. After a while, you just got to laugh. I am sometimes surprised when James recognizes his parents in the series, since he's away from them so often.
The story is ... okay. It does have it's moments. I did like the character of the son of a racehorse trainer (hmm ... son of a racehorse trainer ... sounds like an insult ...). He wasn't too over the top.
Illustrator Jenny Gregory did arguably her worst work here. She just could not draw horses and ponies. She also wasn't very good at dogs. Perhaps that's why she didn't last very long in the series. Her ponies look like anything but.
January 7, 2021
(LL)
Another great story with important lessons about: horses!
This was a great story for kids to learn about how clear your mood and intentions are around horses, as they can sense negative emotions like fear and anger in humans. This book, while at certain points (no pun intended) were a little too dramatic, does a good job teaching kids to stay calm and treat horses (domestic or wild) with respect.
Another great story with important lessons about: horses!
This was a great story for kids to learn about how clear your mood and intentions are around horses, as they can sense negative emotions like fear and anger in humans. This book, while at certain points (no pun intended) were a little too dramatic, does a good job teaching kids to stay calm and treat horses (domestic or wild) with respect.
December 7, 2019
This one had a delightful element of danger. I loved how Mandycand James, along with their new friend James, handled the urgency of helping Connie and stopping the horse thieves. There was excitement throughout this book.
April 26, 2020
This book is amazing! Ben M. Baglio has really done a great job with this enchanting tale.
Ben M. Baglio Ponies at the Point
Ben M. Baglio Ponies at the Point
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September 19, 2023I loved this book!
I loved how Sean had helped Mandy and James save the pony. What I didn't like was the fact of Sean not saying something earlier about his father stealing wild horses and selling them.
I loved how Sean had helped Mandy and James save the pony. What I didn't like was the fact of Sean not saying something earlier about his father stealing wild horses and selling them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2024
This was a really good book about the wild Connemara ponies in Ireland. Mandy & James solved the mystery of who has been stealing the wild ponies from the National Park.
November 12, 2014
predictions-page 24-prediction=Sean put the halter on-clue=Sean likes those ponies-why=Sean might have wanted to ride the pony
Page 25-why=Sean might have wanted to capture the pony
Page 32-clue=Seans dad runs a riding stable-why=Seans dad might want it
Page 41-prediction=not Sean, but a horse stealer-clue=against the law to trap Connemera ponies-clue2=only outsiders would do it-why=to sell it and get lot's of money
Page 104-prediction=Mr. O'Rourke-clue=Sean does not seem to like him very much-why=Mr. O'Rourke might hate ponies
My favorite part was when Mr. O'Rourke and Mr. Malone were stopped because they were going to sell six ponies illegally. The worst part was when Connie was very hurt because of Mr. O'Rourke. My favorite character was Mandy. she was very nice to Connie and helped her with the help of her parents. The worst character was Mr. O'Rourke. He was very mean to put a to small rope halter on a wild pony. It hurt the pony and the cuts were almost infected. Auryn 11 years old 2014
Page 25-why=Sean might have wanted to capture the pony
Page 32-clue=Seans dad runs a riding stable-why=Seans dad might want it
Page 41-prediction=not Sean, but a horse stealer-clue=against the law to trap Connemera ponies-clue2=only outsiders would do it-why=to sell it and get lot's of money
Page 104-prediction=Mr. O'Rourke-clue=Sean does not seem to like him very much-why=Mr. O'Rourke might hate ponies
My favorite part was when Mr. O'Rourke and Mr. Malone were stopped because they were going to sell six ponies illegally. The worst part was when Connie was very hurt because of Mr. O'Rourke. My favorite character was Mandy. she was very nice to Connie and helped her with the help of her parents. The worst character was Mr. O'Rourke. He was very mean to put a to small rope halter on a wild pony. It hurt the pony and the cuts were almost infected. Auryn 11 years old 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2011
This is an exciting and fascinating tale about the Connemara ponies in Ireland. We really enjoyed reading this book together and we will certainly look for more books in the Animal Ark series by Ben M. Baglio.
This story helps to bring to light the importance of protecting the wild horses from exploitation and tells a little bit about Ireland and the villages around Connemara. I like the mix of suspense and drama, with the historical background. And of course, our girls loved hearing about the ponies.
This story helps to bring to light the importance of protecting the wild horses from exploitation and tells a little bit about Ireland and the villages around Connemara. I like the mix of suspense and drama, with the historical background. And of course, our girls loved hearing about the ponies.
May 23, 2011
Animal Ark was also another series that I read when younger because of my love for horse stories. Not my favorite series, granted, because there were only say 5 or 6 horse books in a series of 40 or more, and I also did not like the charcaters/plot as much as several other series. But I did enjoy it. Ages 8-12, primarily for animal lovers.
December 16, 2010
it was a really good book i loved it it was fun to read.
January 31, 2011
For me it was one of the best books in the series!!!!!!! I really enjoyed it!!!
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April 12, 2011I really enjoyed this whole series as a child. Back then I'd devour each of the books as soon as I could get my hands on them.
July 25, 2011
Connemara ponies in Ireland, who knew?
November 20, 2009
good book
July 9, 2010
While in Ireland, Mandy and James suspect someone is trying to steal the Connemara ponies.
March 31, 2015
Loved it!!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews