Parkview Pickle the Show Pony

By Pippa Funnell

Tilly dreams of having a pony of her own. One that only she can ride to stardom. Will her wishes come true when she joins Silver Shoe Farm Stables?

Tilly and Magic Spirit are happy at Silver Shoe Farm. But when the dainty and elegant show pony Parkview Pickle arrives, Tilly knows straightaway that something is wrong. She wants to help, but she's not sure that Pickle's owner will let her.

Collect all 18 titles in this series of irresistible, uplifting and heartwarming pony adventures. Printed in a dyslexia friendly font and packed with up to date tips from three times Olympic Medallist, Pippa Funnell, as well as a helpful glossary and black and white illustrations on every spread.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jan 4, 2024
• ISBN: 9781804543061

Pippa Funnell

Pippa Funnell has been pony mad for as long as she can remember. She is a three-times Olympic medallist, three-times Badminton winner, and BT Action Sports Woman of the Year (2019). She was also the first person to win the Rolex Grand Slam (2003). Pippa lives in Surrey with her husband, international show jumper, William Funnell. Twitter: @pippafunnellPPT Facebook: PippaFunnell Instagram: pippafunnell.official

Book preview

For George Nolan, my nephew, named after my father

Hello Everyone,

The idea for my stories grew while I was out on long rides and driving to various competitions. I found my imagination full of characters and storylines. So Tilly and her horsehair bracelets, based around a simple bracelet that was made out of the tail hairs of a wonderful horse I once rode, were created.

I wrote the series to help us all understand the responsibilities we have when involved with horses and ponies, whether looking after them, riding them or even dreaming about them - building those partnerships based on trust and mutual respect.

I love the saying ‘If you want to have a good friend, you need to be a good friend’. This is how we should all be to both horses and humans!

More than anything, I want you to realise how wonderfully special our four legged friends are. I have been so very lucky and privileged to have had many, many great moments with them. They are absolutely my whole life and it’s thanks to them these stories about Tilly following her passions came into being.

I hope you enjoy them –

One

A normal day for Tilly Redbrow involved getting up early to feed, muck out and groom her favourite horse, Magic Spirit, before taking him for an early morning ride across the fields. When she got back there was usually time for a slice of toast in the Silver Shoe Farm club room, then it was off to school.

After school, Tilly was back at Silver Shoe. She would help Angela, the owner, with whatever needed doing. This could be exercising the other horses, sweeping the yard, or cleaning the tack.

Tilly didn’t mind as long as it was horse related. After that there was more feeding and grooming, and perhaps a lesson if she was lucky. At the end of the day, Tilly always enjoyed spending some quiet time with Magic before going home to homework and tea. She was exhausted from the long days, but it was worth it to do what she loved.

Tilly had been fascinated by horses and ponies for as long as she could remember. She’d read countless copies of Pony magazine and played dozens of pony-themed computer games, but it wasn’t until she’d got involved with Silver Shoe Farm that she’d experienced the real thing. And the real thing was great.

‘I can’t wait to find out more,’ said Mia, as she and Tilly sat outside the tack room, rubbing soap into their saddles. It was a mild early autumn evening and the sun was beginning to set. They were talking about the horsehair bracelets that Tilly and her brother, Brook, wore. They’d both been given them as babies, before they were adopted.

Mia and Tilly cleaning their tack

‘Apparently there’s a Native American community who wear horsehair bracelets because horses are such an important part of their lives,’ said Tilly. ‘The owner of Tregenny Farm, where Brook and I went on holiday, told us about it. We’ve googled it, of course, but we don’t know whether there’s a connection between their bracelets and ours.’

Bracelet

‘It would be cool if there is.’

‘Definitely.’

‘I wish something exciting like that would happen to me,’ said Mia, sighing. ‘I can’t even find a new horse. I’m fed up of borrowing rides from different people. It’s just not the same.’