Books

I think around the age of 10 or so, I once read a book about a teenager that was quite heavily involved in the equestrian lifestyle.

One day she wakes up away from home, in a mansion and a stranger tells her he is her dad, and even though she had a rough patch, mentally, everything is going to be all right.

Not only are there photo's of her with this man throughout a childhood she doesn't remember, her closet is filled with clothes exactly in her size, and her 'father' happens to be a breeder of racing horses. The only downsides to this luxury life is that 1) her schooling is a lot dumbed down, and 2) the friends that were presented to her by her father all treat her like she's completely off the map, mentally.

She starts to doubt her own mental soundness, but hey, horses. So she focusses on riding contests.

It all comes to a halt where a reporter for equestrian contests recognises her. He calls the cops, and she is brought back home to where her parents tearfully get their daughter back.

I don't remember the end scene very well and I don't know whether the explanation happens in the courthouse, or in a letter, but apparently the rich fake!father's actual daughter who could have been her long lost twin in looks had died, and fake!father's saw her picture somewhere in an equestrian magazine where she won something, and decided to kidnap her, and act as if his daughter never died at all.

The wildest about this whole book is that the kidnapped girl let herself be gaslit so easily because she fell into what was basically her dream.

I read this over 2 decades ago, and even then I wasn't sure whether this was a book my sister once owned and whether she might have read it 3 decades ago, so I have no idea when it might have been written. Nor do I remember the name or title, but goodness, that will always be the wildest read.