''Fly-by-Night'' is a children's novel by

K. M. Peyton Kathleen Wendy Herald Peyton (born 2 August 1929), who writes primarily as K. M. Peyton, is a British author of fiction for children and young adults. She has written more than fifty novels including the much loved " Flambards" series of storie ...

originally published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

in October 1968. It is about an 11-year-old girl, Ruth Hollis, who buys a

pony A pony is a type of small horse ('' Equus ferus caballus''). Depending on the context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. Compared ...

called Fly for £40 from a dealer. The low price reflects his lack of training. She expands his name to Fly-by-Night and attempts to train him herself without much success. She then joins a

pony club Pony Club is an international youth organization devoted to educating youth about horses and riding. Pony Club organizations exist in over thirty countries worldwide. Origins Pony Club began in Great Britain in 1929 when the Institute of the ...

to learn more about horses. A rivalry develops between Ruth and another girl, Pearl, who owns a pedigree Arabian mare named Milky Way. Ruth gets help from Peter, a runaway boy with much experience with horses. Ruth and Fly-by-Night compete in the hunter trials and come in sixth. Fidra Books is currently publishing ''Fly-By-Night'', with the sequel, ''The Team'', expected in the future.

References

* British children's novels 1968 British novels Novels by K. M. Peyton Pony books 1968 children's books Oxford University Press books {{1960s-child-novel-stub