Dawn has an abusive homlife and escapes next door to the apple orchard to ride a horse from time to time.

[Amber]

Dawn, Sunshine, Moonbeam - I read this book as a child and remember it being a bit melancholy but also one of my favorites. A young girl named Dawn has twin siblings named Sunshine and Moonbeam. She live in an abusive home but often escapes to the apple orchard next door and watches a horse she longs to ride. The old man/owner of horse and orchard offers to teach her to ride but she must do it without a saddle. She later leads his grandchildren around on the horse but they have to use the saddle. I remember a part where she goes through a whole carton of eggs without realizing it because she is trying to get enough perfect fried eggs to feed the abusive step-dad without him beating her for messing them up. I don’t remember much more...

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

About what year(s) were you a child?
Where is it set and when?
Remember the cover?
Author female or male?

[Stephanie]

I can't believe I didn't think of it until I tried searching those names on Open Library, but this is Winter Broken.

[Kris]

Note: Amber was last active in Sept. 2018.