A WOMAN from the Yelverton area has written and illustrated a book which recalls the true story of her famous show pony, Legend.

Lady Elizabeth Kitson OBE, 77, is an accomplished artist and member of the Society of Equestrian Artists. She recently achieved great success when her book was published by Forelock Books, a specialist pony story publisher.

Lady Elizabeth was awarded an OBE last year for her dedication to the Dartmoor Preservation Society, the Army Families’ Federation, and the general community. She decided to write her story as a legacy for her grandchildren.

Writing the book was also a huge achievement for Lady Elizabeth as she is dyslexic. She said: ‘I was surprised I could write the book at all, but with the help of my husband (retired Army General Sir Frank Kitson) we did, and I hope it inspires other people that are dyslexic, and old too, to give it a go.’

In the remarkable true story, Lady Elizabeth tells the tale of Legend, the horse with whom she won the Royal International Horse Show three years running from 1946 to 1948 — consecutive successes have never been repeated. Lady Elizabeth and Legend also won the very first Horse of The Year Show back in 1949.

In her book she recounts life as a young girl, during and after the Second World War. She tells of what it was like growing up in the countryside, of family life, of different communities, of a time where horses travelled up to London by train and of the magical impact they had on the showing world.

Lady Elizabeth said: ‘It was also a wonderful time in my life and quite different from the type of childhood that is experienced today. During the war and after, there wasn’t a lot of food around and our amusement was being outdoors and riding the ponies.’

As a child, Lady Elizabeth and her mother moved to Dartmoor to live with her grandparents during the war. At four years old she began riding Legend, and after numerous falls, they finally become a team that went on to win show after show, leading them to some of the most prestigious shows in the world.

Lady Elizabeth, who rode and schooled ponies for showing across Britain and internationally, is also a renowned artist and has illustrated the book with her own paintings.

She tells her story through both her eyes and the eyes of Legend, providing a touching and amusing insight into the human world from a horse’s point of view.

Lady Elizabeth said: ‘It was fun imagining I was Legend. We grew up together and I was just a year older. Legend had so much character and he always had such a sense of enjoyment about him. He loved life.’

Lady Elizabeth said that Legend was a special horse who achieved such a lot in his life and that it is important he is always remembered.