This companion novel to Summer Pony is mostly about how hard it is to take care of horses. Sheesh, no wonder we all drive cars now. ( )

Basically it's about a girl who gets her dream pony- which turns out to be an unkempt mare from a rundown pony-ride circle. Keeping Mokey is more hard work than she ever thought. Winter Pony takes place after Ginny has learned more or less how to care for her pony through the summer, and made a small space for it in the backyard. She's looking forward to riding in the snow, especially when she finds out her friend's dad has an old (but well-kept) sleigh in storage. With the help and close tutelage of the stable hand (a guy who used to race in steeplechases, had to retire after an injury and now works in the stable- familiar character from other horse stories I think) she learns to harness Mokey to the sleigh and how to drive her pony. It is a very long process and Ginny often gets impatient. Finally they are able to ride in the sleigh, driving Mokey in circles around the property and across nearby fields.Then one day when they are unsupervised, the girls unwisely take the pony driving on a road and have a very close call with a snowplow.

That's the entire first half of the story. The second part is about Ginny's shock and delight when she finds out her pony is expecting a foal. She endures a long anxious time waiting for the foal to be born, and then is appalled when her pony doesn't react in a loving manner to the newborn. Once again the stable man teaches- coaxing the pony to accept her offspring, and instructing Ginny how to care for them both.

It's a nice horse story for kids, but somehow is rather lackluster compared to the first book.

from the Dogear Diary ( )

Ginny's family rents a pony for the summer for her. It's her first time caring for a horse, and she makes some mistakes and learns from them. Of course, her family ends up keeping Mokey, and Ginny and her friends teach Mokey to drive a sleigh in the second book.

Books like these set up unrealistic exceptions for me (and others) when I was younger. I mean, Ginny's parents cleared out the garage for her to keep a horse, and they built a little pen next to the house. She could ride down the road and in her neighbor's yards.
Why couldn't mine to that (20 years later than the publication date and in the suburbs)? ( )

A nice little story about a young lady and her first pony. It's well-written, with information about handling and training horses that is instructive to the novice, but without seeming to do so. I liked it well enough to now look for the first book in the series. ( )

GINNY FINALLY HAS the pony she has always dreamed of, and now she and Mokey are looking forward to a winter full of new adventures. Together, they explore the snow-filled woods and even learn to drive a sleigh. As usual, Mokey has plenty of surprises in store, including one that Ginny can't believe: Mokey is expecting a foal!This classic Jean Slaughter Doty tale-now with all-new illustrations by Ruth Sanderson-is back in print after more than 20 years for yet another generation of riders to enjoy.From the Trade Paperback edition.