John and Diana live in London, but it doesn't make them happy. When the book opens, they are off to stay with Miss Fairfax, who lives in the English countryside with a glorious mixture of ponies and other animals. Neither John nor Diana can ride, but they soon learn, and cast off the shackles of their town life. First published in 1933, The Ponies of Bunts was one of the earliest stories to tell the stories of riders, and not just of ponies. It is an utterly charming story – an escape into another country where good triumphs and there is always a Dartmoor pony at the end of the drive.