RACING POST, 17^th December 2017

Andrew Simpson, a regular contributor to the Racing Post’s letters page, who worked for Jeremy Tree and Toby Balding in days of yore, is no stranger to the world of racing-based novels.

“Between the Stirrup and the Ground” is his third such offering – albeit the first for more than thirty years. This charming tale follows a racing-mad boy turned young man named John Dunne and the trials and tribulations he experiences with a cheaply bought pony which, he is told, is “a bit Connemara, a bit Welsh, perhaps a bit Arab – and very nice.”

The pony turns out to be many other things besides, and the first hint of trouble ahead comes with a suggested name for him – Weaver, after his unfortunate habit of refusing to relax in his stable.

As Dunne makes his way in the racing world, working for a top trainer, he tries to train the pony, and at first makes a complete mess of the job. How he sets about rectifying his mistakes, and the people he meets along the way, form the core of an engaging story with elements of racing that include visits to the Cheltenham Festival and Royal Ascot,  plus point-to-points,  Pony Club and eventing.

As such, this book might appeal most to a horse-mad teenager well-versed in one or more of those areas and for whom the ups and downs of riding and training novices will be familiar. 

The tale is a bit National Velvet in parts, and some of the people are more caricature than character, but where the book truly succeeds is in its depiction of the horses. The old saw about treating horses as individuals is given life here as we meet a succession of three-dimensional equine characters.

The educational process with Dunne’s pony forms the most compelling episodes, and they are crafted with loving detail. Simpson has an obvious fascination with the various equine worlds, along with their similarities and differences, and many who feel the same will find much to enjoy in this book.

Nick Pulford.

RACING POST