Sheoaks Equestrian School

Spike, Tristan, Hattie, and Monika are working pupils who look after the horses at Mrs Cooper's Sheoaks Equestrian School. It's been a terrible year, with the drought driving up the cost of feed and making Mrs Cooper wonder whether she can keep the school going. Spike knows that her horse, Duke, is the best riding school horse ever, but he's about to be retired. Mrs Cooper has bought another horse to take Duke's place but how could any horse be better than Duke? When Paddy turns up, Spike's worst fear is realised - Paddy is the ugliest horse she has ever seen. What will it take for Spike to change her mind about Paddy Whitesocks? Can anything save Sheoaks?

Tristan took one last look at the horses being prepared for filming and the actors in woollen uniforms emerging from the vans. It wasn't hard to imagine a real war-time recruitment situation. Even less hard was imagining Onyx as one of the horses about to be shipped off to war. Sheoaks Equestrian School has turned into a film set. It should be an exciting time for Monika, Spike, Hattie and Tristan. Instead, the glamour of the movies is dulled by the actions of the movie's horse master, Katy Wild. Well-educated horses that are easily trained are needed for films, and Sheoaks' riding school horses would be perfect. When Katy takes a particular interest in Black Onyx, Tristan knows she wants to buy him for the World War I film. Why wouldn't she when Australian stockhorses were thought to be descended from Walers, the Australian war horses? What can Tristan do to keep Onyx at Sheoaks?