Sunshine Stables: Willow and the Whizzy Pony: Willow and the Whizzy Pony

By Olivia Tuffin and Jo Goodberry

At Sunshine Stables, dreams become adventures! Young pony fans will love this fantastic pony club series from Olivia Tuffin.
Pony camp is the best thing Willow has ever done. She adores Luna, her chestnut pony, and just like her, Luna loves to run. Together, Willow feels they can do anything! When an older pony gets into trouble, Willow and Luna will need all their skills to save the day.
Packed with adventure and full of heart, Olivia's huge knowledge and passion for ponies shines on every page. Beautifully illustrated throughout by Jo Goodberry, this is a perfect pony story for readers aged 7+.
Don't miss the other Sunshine Stables stories!

- Poppy and the Perfect Pony
- Sophie and the Spooky Pony
- Gracie and the Grumpy Pony
- Jess and the Jumpy Pony
- Amina and the Amazing Pony

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nosy Crow Ltd
• Release date: Jul 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9781788009836

Olivia Tuffin

Olivia Tuffin lives on an arable farm in Dorset with her farmer husband Clive, two children, and an assortment of ponies, dogs, pet sheep and chickens. She never outgrew the pony-mad stage and her favourite thing to do is to ride off for hours into the countryside with her children. She's always loved writing and wanted to write the kind of pony story she adored as a child. Her own ponies and their funny antics provide inspiration for her stories every day.

Book preview

FOR DOREEN, FOR YOUR KINDNESS,

ENCOURAGEMENT AND ENDLESS PATIENCE!

CHAPTER 1

That’s it, girl, go for it!

Willow crouched lower over Luna’s withers, feeling the silken strands of red mane whip her face as the little mare thundered on. Luna was a fast pony, whippet slim and a striking chestnut, and she and Willow both loved to run. The faster they went, the better.

As they galloped on, Willow glanced over her shoulder at her friends from pony camp: Gracie on Bobby, who was already trotting; Sophie on the gorgeous Exmoor, Gorse, who was bumbling along in a steady canter; and Poppy, Amina and Jess now trailing behind. They all had lovely ponies, but no one could catch Luna. Together, they were unstoppable. When Willow galloped on Luna, she could run from everything.

Willow had been thrilled when Lainey, who ran the Sunshine Stables pony camps, had paired her with Luna. Willow loved ponies, all ponies, in every shape and size, but there was something special about the chestnut mare who whickered softly as Willow approached her stable. Luna had a beautiful dished face and large amber eyes, and her coat was almost red, turning copper as the day wore on and the sun set. She looked as though she was always on high alert, her eyes searching for things Willow couldn’t see, ready to gallop. But she was safe too. Although she was the fastest pony at Sunshine Stables, Willow felt as though they worked as a team, as if Luna was looking after her. She trusted the little red mare totally.

There was something about Luna that reminded Willow of herself. But while Luna ran for fun, seemingly enjoying the thrill of it, Willow ran because … why? She wasn’t entirely sure. All she knew was that when she was running around the local athletics track, or galloping on Luna, she felt as though she could do anything. All of the name-calling, the mean remarks, they didn’t matter when she ran. But when she stopped, everything caught up with her again.

For a couple of minutes, as they reached the top of the meadow, Willow and Luna were completely on their own, waiting for the others to catch up. Luna was barely puffing and Willow was sure they could have done another lap around the field, even two. As she watched her friends amble up the hillside, bright-eyed, windswept and laughing as they trotted side-by-side, she smiled. Pony camp had been the best thing she’d ever done, and she was so thankful her mum and dad had suggested it, when she’d been having a really tricky time.

Meeting a bunch of strangers had been the scariest thing Willow had done since switching schools. However, unlike her new classmates – who’d all looked at her curiously, probably wondering why she was joining a new school right in the middle of term – everyone at Sunshine Stables had accepted her immediately, all drawn together by a love of horses, and bonding on the very first day by the discovery of a horseshoe they’d hung on the camp barn wall for luck. Willow had made friends right away, from Sophie, who loved playing tricks, to Poppy, who had shared her stash of sweets and pony magazines, and Amina, who was endlessly cheerful. No one laughed at her, or called her names and, as the week went by, Willow had relaxed, certain she was safe here, in her happy place. Almost…

A bit later, as they clattered back into the yard, all on loose reins, the ponies’ ears pricked as they spied full hay nets in clean stables. Willow gave a sigh of contentment. It was practically perfect.

Perfect – apart from one thing.