Dark Champion Arthur Waterhouse

I seem to be having a run of choosing really good reads at the min and this one, although not in The same league as The Milkman's Cob, is also a well written enjoyable story. I have also come to the conclusion that although I like school stories, apart from No Ponies For Miss Pobjoy, school stories and ponies don't mix that well, which was further confirmed when I read the (in my opinion) rather forgettable Ponies At Westways recently. The blurb stated you want to read it at least twice, or words to that effect, but I think once was enough for me!

Now I've gone somewhat off track and must point out that Dark Champion is not a school/pony story. The Author Arthur Waterhouse, appears to have written a number of children's books, including some under the pseudonyms Vera Painter, but this seems to be his only foray into the world of pony books. I would hazard a guess that he did not really know one end of a horse from another as, as I found with Peter Greys Kit Hunter series also, although the story/ies are great there are rather large and gaping blunders where the horses are concerned, in this one the main thing is how the children gallop and jump Jim straight from the stable and cold. Warming up is never given a second glance and like Peter Grey's books it is assumed/taken for granted that all horses need regular good gallops and can be jumped day after day after day without getting fed up/soured. Another thing that struck me is how very much times have changed, this book having been first published 60 years ago next year (tomorrow...scary yet another one gone). I couldn't help but think all the time I was reading it that there was something rather sinister in Mr Martin and his son Colonel Martins interest in two young (ish) children, especially the extra interest in Brenda, but this is clearly a sign of the times and is rather sad really that the first thought is that the sad lonely old man must be a paedophile. I guess in it's era it was perfectly acceptable but I fear now he would have been persecuted.

The story struck me as almost two stories in one, one of which was a pony story. It begins as a lovely pony story, Framer Webster inadvertently buys a poor bedraggled black horse at an auction. When the mistake is realised, he agrees to keep the horse and condition it ready for the next auction in a months time. So Connemara Jim comes to live on the farm and immediately wins the heart of Farmer Websters daughter Brenda. In true female style Brenda can wind the opposite sex round her little finger and with David's help persuades her father they would like to keep Jim. He soon looks a whole lot better and it's time for the next auction, Farmer Webster tries to pay for Jim but the auctioneer won't hear of it so to please Brenda, David takes drastic measures and goes into hiding with Jim until the coast is clear.

Shortly after this episode their Father agrees to them riding Jim, and old Farm hand Danny, who saw his potential as soon as he arrived, becomes more and more convinced he is an Irish hunter and it is he who suggests the name, Connemara Jim.

One Gloriously sunny morning however a shock is in store for Brenda and David, as Jim is missing from his paddock. He is later traced as having made his way (via some rather fearsome hedges it would seem) to Red Hall the home of a rather fail old gentleman Mr Martin. Old Danny is delighted as it would seem his surmise of Jim had been correct. Brenda and David set out to fetch Jim home and this is where the story opens out and almost has a second storyline running Pararell with the pony one woven around Jim and his new life. The children meet Mr Martin and Brenda, usually quite shy, takes an instant liking to the old man and shocks David by her talkativeness. Brena also shows a peculiar attraction to a photograph of a young woman on Mr Martins wall and a strange friendship occurs between the old man and the children. In between training Jim for the whitenside show, where David is to jump him, they regularly visit Mr Martin and Brenda's fascination of the picture continues. It is around now the reader learns that unknown to the children Brenda is in fact adopted.

The Whitsentide show brings disappointment as David's nerves cause Jim to run away with him in the jumping but at the same time everyone is delighted at the potential Jim shows and the next goal is set. At this point he auctioneer rears his head again offering to buy Jim but Farmer Webster refuses his offer to the children's delight. The Children also make another new friend in the form of Mr Martins son Colonel Martin, again David is baffled by Brenda's unusual behaviour/attraction to another stranger. He owns a fine mare Ladybird and allows the children use of her and Brenda rides her to victory at the September show in the riding class. David jumps Jim to a clear in the first round of jumping but then a freak fall injures his wrist and it looks as though Jim will never get his chance to prove his worth. However it is finally agreed that Brenda will take Davids place in the jump off (something that would never happen nowadays) and she rides Jim to victory. On entering the ring the commentator makes an error and announces her as Brenda Martin, which rather confirmed what the second story line already had me thinking and also what Mr and Mrs Webster had been thinking. It comes out shortly after in conversation between the Websters and Colonel Martin that Brenda is in fact their adopted daughter and this leads to the colonels own sad story being told. While away in the army his wife and daughter had vanishes, presumed killed in a train crash....the same train crash the orphanage had found Brenda at the scene of. He immediately sets out to visit the orphanage to see how plausible it is that Brenda could be his long lost daughter. Within her records a locket is found, that had not been noticed before then, and in it a picture of Colonel Martin, suddenly her attraction to the two men and of course the photo are instantly explained. If this is not unbelievable enough the fact that both children hardly batter an eyelid at the news and all go off to live happily ever after rather spoilt the ending for me, as in reality I am sure it is not so simple. However don't be put off as Connemara Jim's story is a lovely one, abet a little over shadowed by the adoption story towards the second half of the book.