Ruby Ferguson and the Jill books

Ruby Ferguson was most famous for writing “pony books" in the years after World War II.  I learned to ride but was never very good at it  - certainly not up to “pony club” standard, but I liked the stories. It was a little bit dull compared with “Wild West” riding and rodeos but still, her novels were pleasant and realistic. 

Ms Ferguson also wrote other adult novels including one called Lady Rose and Mrs Memmary, which is said to be one of the Queen Mother’s favourite books.

 She was born in Yorkshire, as Ruby Ashby in 1899. She was the daughter of a church minister.   She had a good education and went to college -which was becoming more common for middle class girls. She read English at Oxford but then got a job as a secretary in the early 1920s. She began to write and had some detective stories published. In 1926, she had her first novel published and wrote romantic fiction. 

 In 1934 she married a man (Samuel Ferguson) who had 2 children.  She went on writing mainly romantic novels…and it wasn’t until she began to write some stories to entertain her step grandchildren, that she got into the “pony” genre.  It was quite popular in the post war times.  Young middle class girls were keen on riding and competing in gymkhanas or going on pony treks. (There’s a comic poem by John Betjeman about the “pony club children"). 

 Girls who couldn’t afford horsey lifestyles were often interested in reading about it, just as they often enjoyed reading about boarding school.

 In the first book, Jill Crewe is a young teenager who has just moved to a country cottage with her widowed mother, who is a writer of children’s books.  She’s not well off and most of the local children have ponies so she feels out of place in the village. When her mother begins to make some money, Jill buys a pony and starts to train him with the help of a wheelchair bound ex pilot for a riding coach.  She becomes an ardent horsewoman and does well at the various events.

She is a reasonably realistic character, not much liking her mother’s “goody goody” books... or finding them very twee.  She does try to behave well, works hard with her horses, but she sometimes sulks and behaves badly. They are children’s books so there is a certain amount of moralising.  Honesty and “non snobbery” are praised and selfishness is criticised. 

I’ve never managed to find the last couple of Jill books, but the final one has had a lot of criticism from fans.. because Jill gives up on the idea of getting a job with horses.  Some fans think it is not fair not to give her a happy ending as a successful equestrienne.  Others felt that it is more realistic to point out to eager young “horsey” girls that it is very difficult to succeed in that field. And that they may have to give up any dreams and become at best “weekend riders”.