Patricia Leitch born 13 July 1933,
Paisley, Renfrewshire
Paisley ( ; sco, Paisley, gd, Pàislig ) is a large town situated in the west central Lowlands of Scotland. Located north of the Gleniffer Braes, the town borders the city of Glasgow to the east, and straddles the banks of the White Cart Wate ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, died 28 July 2015, was a Scottish writer, best known for her series of children's books in the
pony story genre about Jinny Manders and her wild, traumatised
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse ( ar, الحصان العربي , DIN 31635, DMG ''ḥiṣān ʿarabī'') is a horse breed, breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is ...
Shantih, set in the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...
. The 12 books in the Jinny series were published between 1976 and 1988 by Armada. They are currently in reprint by Catnip Publishers. Two more of her novels, Dream of Fair Horses (1975) and The Horse from Black Loch (1963) have been republished by Jane Badger Books. She has also written under the pseudonym Jane Eliot.
The Jinny series books often contain this brief biographical information:
"Patricia Leitch started riding when a friend persuaded her to go on a pony trekking holiday - and by the following summer she had her own Highland pony, Kirsty. She wrote her first book shortly after this and writing is now her full-time occupation, but she has also done all sorts of different jobs, including being a riding-school instructor, groom, teacher and librarian. She lives in Renfrewshire, Scotland, with a bearded collie called Meg."
Patricia Leitch was a
vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. Di ...
.
Animal welfare
Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevity ...
and
vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter.
Vegetarianism may ...
are strong themes in her books. Celtic, Arabic and Buddhist mythology and philosophy are also frequently referred to.
The Jinny series marks a significant departure from the traditional 'tweedy' horse and pony stories aimed at middle-class children. Jinny is a scruffy, willful, tom-boyish girl who doesn't have any social or romantic aspirations. Serious social justice issues are raised throughout the series, forcing Jinny to confront her own prejudices and character faults.
Underlying the series is a sense of
predestination
Predestination, in theology, is the doctrine that all events have been willed by God, usually with reference to the eventual fate of the individual soul. Explanations of predestination often seek to address the paradox of free will, whereby G ...
deriving from
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the body of myths belonging to the Celtic peoples.Cunliffe, Barry, (1997) ''The Ancient Celts''. Oxford, Oxford University Press , pp. 183 (religion), 202, 204–8. Like other Iron Age Europeans, Celtic peoples followed a ...
. Jinny is portrayed as a gifted or chosen child with special and dangerous tasks to perform, guided by mysterious and sometimes frightening characters such as the Red Horse (agent of the Celtic Horse Goddess
Epona
In Gallo-Roman religion, Epona was a protector of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera, cornucopia, ears of grain and the presence of foals in some sculptures. S ...
) and the Walker. In this way it resembles
the Dark Is Rising sequence by
Susan Cooper
Susan Mary Cooper (born 23 May 1935) is an English author of children's books. She is best known for '' The Dark Is Rising'', a contemporary fantasy series set in England and Wales, which incorporates British mythology such as the Arthurian le ...
.
Bibliography
The Jinny series:
*1. For Love of a Horse (1976)
*2. A Devil to Ride (1976)
*3. The Summer Riders (1977)
*4. Night of the Red Horse (1978)
*5. Gallop to the Hills (1979)
*6. Horse in a Million (1980)
*7. The Magic Pony (1982)
*8. Ride Like the Wind (1984)
*9. Chestnut Gold (1984)
*10. Jump for the Moon (1985)
*11. Horse of Fire (1986)
*12. Running Wild (1988)
Some other works by Patricia Leitch:
*A Pony Of Our Own (Blackie & Son 1960; Knight Books 1971)
*The Horse From Black Loch - also known as Black Loch (William Collins 1963 Hardback; Fonatana 1979 Paperback)
*Last Summer To Ride (1963)
*A Rosette For Royal (Blackie 1963)
*Janet Young Rider (1963)
*Highland Pony Trek (Collins 1964)
*Treasure To The East (Gollancz 1966)
*Rebel Pony (Collins 1973)
*First Pony (Collins 1973)
*Jump To The Top (1973)
*Pony Surprise (1974)
*Dream Of Fair Horses, aka Fields Of Praise (William Collins 1975)
*Windows: Poems (New Leaves Press 1978)
*The Adventures Of Robin Hood (Armada 1983)
The Kestrels/Horseshoes Series:
*1. The Special Pony (1992)/The Perfect Horse (1996)
*2. A Pony To Jump (1992)/Jumping Lessons (1992)
*3. Cross-Country Gallop (1993)
*4. Pony Club Rider (1993)
*5. The Stolen Pony (1993)/Show Jumper Wanted (1995)
*6. The Pony Puzzle (1994)/The Mystery Horse (1997)
References
External links
An interview with Patricia LeitchPatricia Leitch bibliography
at Fantastic Fiction
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leitch, Patricia
1933 births
2015 deaths
Scottish children's writers
Writers from Paisley, Renfrewshire
Pony books