There are children who draw horses on every page of their notebooks. Who know the name of every pony at the stables, count down the days until their next lesson, and can already explain the difference between a bay and a chestnut. This personalised pony book is for them: it doesn't just show them ponies — it puts one in their care.
A whole day with their pony
It all begins in the stable yard early in the morning: the crunch of gravel, the smell of hay and leather, heads poking out of stalls, ears pricked forward. A pony is entrusted to them — and from that moment, it's theirs. Their name runs through the whole story, and their face — taken from the photo you send us — becomes that of the young rider in every illustration.
Then the real day begins: brushing out a tangled mane, picking out hooves, fitting the halter, saddling up, adjusting the stirrups, mounting from the left side. The gate opens onto the trail, and the ride truly begins — the woodland where light falls in patches, the river crossing the pony refuses until trust is earned, the great sloping meadow where they trot and then, at last, gallop, mane streaming in the wind. And on the way back, as a storm rolls in, the child dismounts and walks home beside their pony, hand resting on its neck. Ten stages, ten settings, one bond forming.
A real pony, not a soft toy
Our creative team works to one non-negotiable rule: in this book, the pony is an animal, not a toy. It has a personality — greedy, shy or stubborn. It plants its hooves when it doesn't feel like moving. It startles at a tarpaulin flapping in the wind, and it's the child who calms it down. It nuzzles their neck and rests its head on their shoulder in the evening. No horns, no wings, no sparkle: the magic here is that a six-hundred-pound animal chooses to trust a child.
The riding is authentic too, and children who ride will notice: the helmet goes on the moment the child is in the saddle, they approach the pony from the front, they offer the apple on a flat palm. No whip, no pony ever dragged or forced, no serious falls or injured animals — and no elitist competition with a strict judge: the pride comes from the bond, not from a score.
Three versions by age, the same stables
The story adapts to your child: ages 3-5 for tenderness — brushing, the apple, a gentle walk and the pony nuzzling their neck; ages 6-8 for a real day as a rider, where they do everything themselves and reassure their pony at the river crossing; ages 9 and up for a longer trek — decisions at every stage, the storm, walking home beside the pony, well-earned pride. Landscape A4 format (29.7 × 21 cm), hardcover, 28 or 48 pages depending on the option chosen.
Express delivery in 7 days across the UK (10 to 15 working days for standard delivery), or a PDF version in 24 hours for last-minute gifts. Any questions? Email hello@realbigstories.com — we reply personally.
Finding a gift for a horse-mad child is easy. Giving them the book where THEY are the one grooming their pony and heading off with it on the trails — that, no one else can offer.
