The Secrets of Wild Hill: Lottie’s Dream
Olivia Tuffin
Nosy Crow

I first came across Olivia Tuffin’s horse stories when I was sent a copy of The Horse Who Danced and absolutely loved it, so I expected a lot from this one. The author has a great deal of knowledge about horses and eventing and she carefully knits together factual information and fiction, the result being another terrific book – one that I couldn’t put down.

The protagonist, Lottie has deliberately failed the entrance exam to an elite school in order to spend more time at Wild Hill, the livery yard belonging to her grandparents; it’s there that her beloved pony, Patch, lives. However, her father, still set on his daughter going to Telsteads instead of the local comprehensive where’s she happy, has appealed for her to be allowed to retake the entrance exam. He also hopes that with support from Lottie’s mother, he can persuade her aging parents to sell Wild Hill, something else that deeply troubles Lottie.

On a visit to her Granny, Lottie takes Patch out and she has an encounter with another rider , slightly older that herself who introduces himself as Felix McCavendish and they have a short talk. Felix is the grandson of Ralph McCavendish, her family’s enemy, owner of the adjoining yard. A tentative friendship forms between the two – something that horrifies her gran – and Felix encourages Lottie to join the local pony club, her main aim being to compete at Badminton Grassroots. Then comes news that her grandad has been involved in a serious accident and is in hospital. Lottie’s parents call her older brother Harry to return from Florida where he’s pursuing his own riding career and instead help at Wild Hill. Unfortunately for Lottie, Harry agrees with their parents that it’s a liability and they should put it on a firm footing and then sell it.

Lottie makes it onto the Pony Club team, participates in a riding competition and Patch amazes everyone when he sails over the advanced jumps. In the meantime her brother has come under they influence of Ralph McCavendish who has promised that he can ride one of his horses, something that greatly troubles Lottie. She’s determined to work out what exactly is going on before it’s too late; but can she? And can she completely trust Felix? What happened long ago between her family and the McCavendish family that is threatening her future? So many questions …

An absolute cracker of a story and the final page sets the stage nicely for the story to continue in a sequel. I hope we don’t have too long to wait to see Lottie continuing to follow her dreams. There’s no need to be a horse fanatic to enjoy this, it will appeal to those who enjoy a good mystery story.