Dorothy Potter Benedict

American author. She wrote a short series of three pony books about the stallion Pagan and his son and the two children who love them. Although these were all reprinted in Britain, the books are still very hard to find over here.

Pagan Series:
This trilogy follows adoptive siblings Sandy and Mistie as they grow up and meet a number of very special horses along the way.

1) PAGAN THE BLACK
(PANTHEON 1960)
(1st UK edition OLIVER & BOYD 1960)
ILLUSTRATED BY JOHN GROTH
SUMMARY: Young Sandy does not believe the black colt is wild and a potential killer like his dam. He forms a close bond with the stallion as he grows older and tames him. But when the worst happens can he save his beloved horse?

2) FABULOUS
(PANTHEON 1961)
(1st UK edition OLIVER & BOYD 1963)
ILLUSTRATED BY JOSEPH PAPIN
SUMMARY: Mistie loves the Pony of the Americas Fabulous and wants to help establish the new breed. But this puts her at odds with Sandy who disagrees with this idea.

3) BANDOLEER
(PANTHEON 1963)
(1st UK edition OLIVER & BOYD 1964)
ILLUSTRATED BY JOSEPH PAPIN
SUMMARY: Both the story of Pagan's son Bandoleer and the growing up of Sandy and Mistie. The pair face extreme challenges figuring out their feelings as adoptive siblings and what they feel their true relationship should be, as Mistie is pressured to accept the courtship of a longtime family friend.

Collector's Info:
Fairly easy to find in the USA. Rarely seen in the UK, even the British editions, which strangely seem to appear more often in America than here!