Jill's Gymkhana (The Jill Books by Ruby Ferguson Book 1)

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Mummy sighed, and then she said, “Jill, I hate to have to, but you know what I’m going to say, don’t you?” Unfortunately there was very little money for Mummy and me, so Mummy sold our house and with what money she had she bought Pool Cottage at Chatton—which is quite a decent place really—and then she only had the little that was left and what she got from writing her children’s books.

Loads’ of sandwiches, luscious iced cake, an ice cream or two and ‘I don’t know how many cups of tea’

a b c d e f Horrell, Georgina; Jaques, Zoe (14 September 2023), "Ferguson [née Ashby], Ruby Constance Annie (1899–1966), novelist and children's author", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, doi: 10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.107939, ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8 , retrieved 2 October 2023 P116-7/93. Two paragraphs (19 lines) missing, describing a ride with Miss Harvey in which she tells Jill she should be ready for gymkhanas, and reference to the need for a new saddle. The illustrations are proving rather more complicated, but I’m hoping to get there in the end. What now?

P98/78. Missing two paragraphs (20 lines) of Cecilia describing her school at length and Jill feeling low at the prospect of the rest of her visit. P30/26. Missing last two paragraphs (nine lines) describing Jill’s enthusiasm for gymkhanas, telling her Mother about Martin and disappointment he had not come to Pool Cottage. P158/130. Missing an eight-line paragraph where Jill reflects on her upcoming visit to Cecilia’s suggesting she will be ‘at her mercy’; how Aunt Primrose treats Jill like a child and how she doesn’t like her Uncle Henry (her mother’s brother) much.P162/134. Missing four lines from first paragraph describing the frilled chintz dressing table and how her case sent by carrier was there. The relatives had loads of horses and ponies, all of them rode. But, they were a bit rough and ready. They laughed at the heroes and their 10 lessons. Of course, in the field was a beautiful grey gelding, who looked perfect but was considered dangerous. Mrs. Darcy, a local riding instructor, has had to go to London, and Jill along with some of her friends, is looking after the riding school in Mrs. Darcy's absence. These responsibilities extend to looking after Blue Smoke, Mrs. Darcy's own gorgeous hunter worth 500 guineas. However, Blue Smoke gets desperately ill in the middle of the night, and Jill is called up to the riding school to help get the vet, along with Wendy. Source: Jill Has Two Ponies, Chapter 11 One day when my father was stroking a horse’s nose a farmer came by and said, “Look-you-now!” (Which is a Welsh way of saying Gosh.) The reason was that this particular horse was supposed to be a nasty creature that its owner couldn’t do anything with. But my father could, and that was why the farmer said, “Look-you-now!” Pg 29/27. Reference to the Walters’ father reminding Jill of Charles Laughton in ‘The Barretts of Wimpole Street’ has been removed.

P172/142. Four-and-a-half paragraphs have been removed detailing Jill’s improved relationship with Mary and Pierce, her exams, a letter to her Mother, joy at being home and the observation the chapter is more about moral lessons than horses. Gymkhana is the first entry in the Jill series and sets us off on our journey as we see an 11 year old Jill, newly moved into town, gain her first pony and her riding skills and ends with the much awaited Gymkhana. Although May Fair/Armada did print all the titles, they did not, as far as I know, do a full set by any cover illustrator. I have found contemporary advertisements from Armada showing their pony stories, which include the Archer/Gernat covers, so I believe this is how the set was issued. Armada used the full text for all their printings: again, as far as I know. The earlier 1980s printing (the rosette series) had photographic covers, and kept the illustrations as in the 1970s editions.

One day when I was leaning over the gate, as I got into the habit of doing, I called the pony in the way Daddy used to call. He lifted his head from cropping and looked at me, but he didn’t come. However I persevered, and at last he came up to within about two yards of me, looked at me in a puzzled way, and then with rather a disappointed expression turned away.

Pg 31/28. A subsequent reference to Charles Laughton has been replaced with ‘As bad as I had imagined’.

When I was a child,' said Mrs Pyke, 'I was the youngest rider to hounds in the county. I remember the M.F.H. once lifted me on to my pony himself, and there I sat in my little habit with my long fair curls hanging down to my waist. Children had the loveliest hair in those days.' P131/105. Seven paragraphs (37 lines) detailing Ann’s bulgy saddlebags and the hiding of the vests under a hedge have been deleted. Liz Thiel. "The Dark Horse: Ruby Ferguson and the Jill Pony Stories." The Lion and the Unicorn 26, 2002, pp. 112–122. Full Text. Accessible through libraries subscribing to Project MUSE. P76-7/61. Missing nine paragraphs (41 lines) of Jill describing the essays (about horses at her suggestion) being read out aloud at school and subsequent report. In America, Jill’s Gymkhanawas published by Dodd Mead in 1950 as A Horse of Her Own;this I think because gymkhana was not a term known in America. And American children rode horses, not ponies. At least three other titles in the series were also published by Dodd Mead: A Stable for Jill, Jill Has Two Ponies and Jill Enjoys Her Ponies.As far as I know, no other titles from the series appeared.