equestrian – Page 5 – THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy

Novel Addiction review: “Powerful and thrilling … not to be taken lightly”

FIVE out of FIVE … the history was accurately done, the journey is amazing, and Meagan rose to each occasion she was thrown into.— Amanda T, Novel Addiction

The following is a review of Eclipsed by Shadow by Amanda T of the book blog, Novel Addiction:

Novel Addiction | Amanda T (Morning Glow)

“Eclipsed By Shadow” is actually Book One in a trilogy, titled The Legend of the Great Horse. And holy cow, I can definitely see why this needs to be a trilogy. Quite a lot of interesting plot, way too much to be contained in one book.

Disclaimer: I received this book, and this book only, in exchange for a review. The book was posted on the Member Giveaways section, part of Librarything.com‘s Early Reviewers program.

Type: YA fiction, Time Travel, Fantasy/Magical

From the back of the book: “Eclipsed by Shadow is the first book of an exciting new trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse, a journey through the ages when horses were everyday companions in work, war, sport and spectacle. The story is told through the eyes of a young woman, a horse-crazy teenager traveling through time with a knowledge of 21st Century horsemanship as her only defense.”

Well, wow, the back of the book really doesn’t do this series justice. It makes the whole story sound flippant and childish, even. But really, I found this book to be far more powerful than the blurb. Yes, we do follow a young girl, she’s 15 through most of the book), and yes, she does travel through time, but these aren’t easy things Meagan is dealing with. And despite the young age of the main character, I’m not sure I would give this book to a fifteen year old.. unless he or she was very mature. There are definitely some harsh moments in “Eclipsed by Shadow.” Not to give too much away, but death, rape, slavery, beatings, etc, are all issues Meagan has to see and live in fear of. All this lends to a very powerful and thrilling tale, definitely, but this book should definitely not be taken lightly.

As mentioned, Meagan does travel through time, in this book alone visiting several periods through History, and I’m sure even more in the sequels. As a bit of a History nerd, I was in love with the accurate details during each time period. A lot of research went into the writing of this trilogy, and I think the author should definitely be commended for it. The language was well done – Meagan didn’t just understand everyone she met. In fact, her first several stops on the way, no one spo[ke] English, and she had to find some way to get by without knowing the language. The settings seemed perfectly done, and even the people and their actions fit each time period perfectly.

You could also tell this book was written by a horse lover, knowledge of the breeds, rituals, and the connection one feels to horses is obvious throughout. I rode myself for several years (missing it almost every day), and I was amazed at the details that were mentioned. Even something as simple (or so most people would believe) as grooming is mentioned in perfect detail, with each type of brush and the order. It may seem a little information-heavy, but I think it helps to show how attached and connected Meagan feels to the great beasts.

I’ll be honest, when the “Legend of the Great Horse” was told to Meagan in the beginning, I thought it was a little cheesy. In fact, several of the beginning chapters weren’t really all that amazing. The prose and descriptions were well done, but it wasn’t horribly interesting… I actually thought I’d get aggravated with Meagan quickly. But once Meagan’s real journey began, I was positively enthralled. Meagan definitely showed her true colors, her spirit and her willingness to fight for herself and those she cared about.

I’m going to give “Eclipsed By Shadow” a FIVE out of FIVE. I truly think this book deserves such a good rating – the History was accurately done, even down the smallest detail, the journey is amazing, and Meagan really rose to each occasion she was thrown into. I do hope to find the rest of this series and continue reading them, and I hope everyone checks out “Eclipsed By Shadow” by John Royce.

» See original review online

Eclipsed by Shadow is the first book of the award-winning fiction trilogy, The Legend of the Great Horse, a journey through history–on horseback!

The story follows the time-travel adventure of a modern horsewoman lost in the distant past. The title has won multiple national awards including the Eric Hoffer Award for best Young Adult Fiction, and the Mom’s Choice Award for best family-friendly Young Adult Fantasy.

Further information about this unique and imaginative ‘creative non-fiction’ novel can be found at TheGreatHorse.com.

Helsinki International Horse Show

FEI_WC10_Oslo_Pius-Schwizer The second European qualifier for the World Cup of Show Jumping was held over the weekend in Helsinki, Finland.

The on-fire Swiss rider Daniel Etter and his mount Peu a Peu won the event in a 10-horse jumpoff to match their World Cup Qualifier victory last weekend in Oslo. USA rider Lauren Hough on Quick Study took second only 1.08 seconds behind the leader, the best result for a US rider in this early season.

European World Cup Jumping is an exciting indoor series because of the large public crowds and media attention. Show jumping was originally developed in Europe and still leads the world in spectators and dynamic, innovative presentation of the sport.

Equestrian Sport: ancestor of Circuses, Fairs, Parades & Festivals

Last weekend I visited our local Boston racetrack, Suffolk Downs, for an instant trip back in time. The white fences, the green landscaped infield, the mixed scents of horses, concessions and people, the growing excitement as a race approaches … it was a scene both nostalgic and modern.

Festivals and horses are an ancient tradition. Milling crowds, vendor booths and concessions, programs and barkers–the moving color and pageantry of our favorite public events trace a lineage through mounted cavalry exhibitions and roaring chariot racing “circuses” of antiquity.

At-The-Cirque-Fernando-Rider-On-A-White-Horse_Toulouse-Lautrec
Not so much has changed: clay tablets were once sold to eager audiences by shouting ushers of Roman times. Triumphal “parades” of horses drawing chariots marked victory in ancient ceremonies, and horseback entourages of through Medieval towns were an occasion of spectator celebration that continues in the parades of today.

Equestrian exhibitions of dressage in Renaissance Europe were the predecessors of the three-ringed Circuses beginning well before modern Barnum & Bailey and others. Even the modern Fair owes its beginning to harvest festivities with horse-racing and other competitive spectacles orbited by farmers’ stands and open-air markets.

Today equestrian sport has reinvented itself to keep pace with the modern world, and the ancients would have been amazed at the level of partnership seen in our modern horses and riders. Today’s international equestrian sports place the welfare of the horse at the core, and the “thrill” of older sports like chariot racing and jousting have been replaced by new thrills in highly competitive, colorful and technical sports that demand the utmost partnership with the animal.

It is amazing–and heartening–to see the reinvention of horsemanship in our modern age. The crowds have changed, the sports have changed, but the atmosphere and tradition of the festival continues in echoes of what has gone before.

Record crowd of 73,736 attend Canadian Show Jumping Masters

Spruce Meadows arena Though horsemanship is ancient, Show Jumping itself is one of the world’s youngest professional sports!

Organized jumping is barely 100 years old. It was not known that horses could jump large fences until the 18th Century, when fox hunting was threatened by the Enclosure Laws that fenced previously open land.

A century ago we seemed to be at the end of our ancient partnership with the horse, since the animal’s use in transportation was made obsolete by the invention of the internal combustion engine. Today there are more horses than ever, largely due to equestrian sport and recreation … and one of the big drivers of that growth is the international sport of Show Jumping.

So it is great news to hear of the sport’s continuing success as a spectator attraction, as was seen last week at the Canadian jumping hot-spot of Spruce Meadows in Calgary. A record crowd of over 70,000 spectators attended the closing Masters competition, many waiting in lawnchairs at 6:00am to secure the best seats. Congrats to Spruce Meadows for its great work, and for proving that Show Jumping can be a spectator sport for the future.