n the 1950s life seemed pretty bleak for a young man working in the West Virginia coal mines and for an active carefree teenage girl who suddenly contracted infantile paralysis. A little pit pony named Bobbit is the catalyst bringing the two young people a chance to lead new lives filled with promise, despite heavy odds they must both overcome. Prepare yourself for the cruelty and hopelessness for both man and beast accompanying work in coal mines. Brace yourself to meet a vibrant active young woman who suddenly becomes a paraplegic. Find out how a small pony from the mines can help two struggling young people regain the balance that must exist for them to carry on.

A lifelong animal enthusiast, Sally Sutherland's interests have often centered upon reading and writing about horses. And as a child, she used to study and draw them endlessly. Sally has bred, trained, and shown horses in several disciplines, including driving, which is now her favorite. She has written driving articles for the Virginia Horse Journal. A health teacher for 27 years gave Sally insight into diseases like polio, or infantile paralysis, that swept parts of America during the late l940s and 1950s. Polio was of special interest to Sally as she has a cousin, who, as a young girl, was afflicted by the disease. After reading about how brutal life was for coal miners and the pit ponies working underground most of their lives, pulling heavy carts of coal out of the mines. Sally combined the two and came up with an idea to show how people must strive to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds in their lives¿and the story of A Pit Pony Named Bobbit was born.