Martin Rides The Moor
Vian Smith, il. Ray Houlihan
1964, Doubleday

11-year-old Martin Manningham has gone deaf, possibly as a result of a swimming accident. His father, a Dartmoor farmer, tries to restore his resentful and withdrawn son to an active and happy boy by buying him a pony. Martin sees through the ploy and intends to ignore the pony - but circumstances in the form of a blizzard force him to take an interest and soon he's in love with the little mare he names Tuppence. The interest in Tuppence brings Martin out of his shell and he befriends a neighbor, Jane, whose father is a pony dealer and whose mounts are never really safe from being sold. Together they ride the moor, go on a fox hunt, enter gymkhanas, etc. All is well until Tuppence goes missing, following a wild stallion onto the moor.

Well-written, with a nice blend of adventures, horse talk and the advancing plot of Martin's acceptance of his disability.

Rough illustrations are sometimes effective, sometimes weak.

Themes
Abuse
Rescue
My Parents Aren't So Bad, After All

Other Books
Tall And Proud (aka King Sam)
Green Heart
Genesis Down
Pride Of The Moor
Minstrel Boy
Come Down The Mountain
The Horses Of Petrock
The Lord Mayor's Boy
Parade Of Horses
Point To Point