Uncategorized – Page 3 – THE LEGEND OF THE GREAT HORSE trilogy

#60- The Chariot Race

Horses streamed into Meagan’s view amid plumes of sand. The two lead chariots ran well ahead of the Emperor’s team, but the trailing field was bottled behind the Imperial horses, reluctant to meet Cerberus. – Eclipsed by Shadow (excerpt)

The chariot teams maneuvered into a line of ornate starting boxes. The cheering dipped as the last chariots pulled inside, and exploded as the gates swung open and twelve chariots surged forward in a ragged line.

Two teams tangled in the opening rush and faltered as the Imperial chariot surged forward. From Meagan’s distance the field was a pack of scrambling color, but the Imperial black horses were easy to spot. She leaned in sympathy as they galloped to the first turn. The driver Braedin cut back and Cerberus dug against the traces—the crowd roared as the Emperor’s chariot tilted and skimmed across the flying sand. Saxon leapt around the turn, gouging up great sprays before heeling to the inside track. The chariots scattered across the curve and disappeared around the turn.

Chariot racing was more like sledding than a race of speed. Horses were never able to reach top speed in the heavy sand, so the teams jostled for position as they galloped from end to end, braking and wheeling around each turn. The center spina obscured the view of the horses galloping on the opposite side of the track, which added to the tension as half the crowd screamed in imagination of the unseen action.

Meagan waited anxiously until the field came back into view. Progress of the horses on the far stretch of track could be followed, for the chariots raised clamor and dust as they passed. Workers darted out of the way of the chariots, while behind them others worked to clear the fallen. Water boys ran up and down the center spine, wetting the track.

Horses streamed into Meagan’s view amid plumes of sand. The two lead chariots ran well ahead of the Emperor’s team, but the trailing field was bottled behind the Imperial horses, reluctant to meet Cerberus. One team tried to pass, making an attempt to come inside. The crowd rioted to see the gains the rivals were making, four horse heads stretching in unison, moving up with each stride. Braedin slashed his opponent with his whip and ducked when his turn came.

When the advancing team was close enough Braedin edged Cerberus to the inside. The stallion lunged, and the surprised rival horses swerved to foul their inside neighbors. Chariots locked wheels, and the collision cleared a section of chariots in a series of crashes that each earned a shocked scream from the crowd. The survivors swept from sight around the curve. A roar greeted the horses on the other side of the stadium.

Excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow, the award-winning first volume of “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy. (Hrdbk pg. 166)

Book II: The Golden Spark will be published soon.

Read the 1st Chapter online!

#6- Holidays with Promise

“Promise looked on hungrily, a demented blonde reindeer wearing fake antlers and a white beard…” —excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of ‘The Legend of the Great Horse’ trilogy (p. 22)

Excerpt from Eclipsed by Shadow, the first book of “The Legend of the Great Horse” trilogy …

Halloween was memorable, as is any disaster. It began with Meagan’s decision to use the good tablecloth to make Promise into a horse-ghost. She was explaining this to her mother when the foal bolted and shredded the linen. In the interests of family harmony, it was agreed Tom would take Meagan trick-or-treating this year.

The tablecloth was mended for its new career as a horse costume, and father, daughter and foal set out—though Meagan’s authentic “Headless Horseman” pumpkin-head quickly succumbed to an inquisitive nudge from Promise. At the first house Tom nervously agreed to hold the foal and let Meagan trick-or-treat. While waiting, the foal glimpsed the top of Tom’s wallet in his back pocket and mistook it for a treat. Tom’s shouts attracted children from all over the neighborhood. By the time Meagan returned, Promise was disrobed and Tom’s wallet was a sodden lump. He handed the lead rope to Meagan without a word.

Switching duties brought little improvement. Meagan grew upset when her father invited pennies and apples in place of candy and, more ominously, Promise discovered Halloween bags contained her favorite red fruit. A boy standing too close was ransacked for goods. The hysterical child streaming candy and costume down the street concluded the evening.

Thanksgiving Day arrived with the foal still in the backyard. It was a day of relatives, picture taking, and general feasting on the patio. Tom acknowledged the patched linen tablecloth with thanks that the day was not Halloween, while Promise helped the children closest to the pasture fence finish their salads.

« “An education in horses” || “Mrs. Bridgestone” »

The above excerpt is from “Home,” the 1st section of Eclipsed by Shadow, and is set in modern-day California. (p. 22 Hbk)

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … each section is about a different time period.

Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of the trilogy) won 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.

__________

Quick Links:

» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.

» Read the 1st Chapter online.

» Check out Book #2 of the trilogy: The Golden Spark.

» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.

Check out the trilogy’s page on Facebook!

#4- Meagan’s mother, Jennifer

“You never got to meet any of the old girls. Just as well, son. Be a shame if they’d scared you off.”—excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of ‘The Legend of the Great Horse’ trilogy (p. 15)

Jennifer always dismissed the suggestion that she was beautiful, but Tom disagreed. Both mother and daughter were like the thoroughbreds they loved, possessed of long lines, graceful and athletic. Jennifer’s most striking traits were the ones Tom had fallen in love with and his daughter had inherited: green eyes and auburn hair—and also a fiery temper and an intractable stubborn streak.

Words came into Tom’s mind as he watched his wife, something her father had said the night Tom was married. His father-in-law generally spoke little, but on that night he put his arm around Tom’s shoulders and gave him advice. “She can seem a bit tough at times, son, but Jennifer is a good girl. She’s like all the Owens women. They came west by oxen and went right back for their horses, and no one got in their way.” His father-in-law’s eyes had been full of amusement, but his expression grew serious. “You never got to meet any of the old girls. Just as well, son. Be a shame if they’d scared you off.”

Copyright © 2008 John Royce

« “Meagan’s father, Tom” || “An education in horses” »

The above excerpt is from “Home,” the 1st section of Eclipsed by Shadow, and is set in modern-day California. (p. 15 Hbk)

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … each section is about a different time period.

__________

Quick Links:

» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.

» Read the 1st Chapter online.

» Check out Book #2 of the trilogy: The Golden Spark.

» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.

Check out the trilogy’s page on Facebook!

#3- Meagan’s father, Tom

“Tom would not have considered himself a horse-lover …. Still, he had come to appreciate the solemn tranquility the presence of a horse creates.” —excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of ‘The Legend of the Great Horse’ trilogy (p. 1)

Tom would not have considered himself a horse-lover. In fact, most family arguments were over the time and money spent on horses. Still, he had come to appreciate the solemn tranquility the presence of a horse creates. He remembered a quote from one of Meagan’s horse books, a passage written more than two thousand years ago by an ancient Greek general: “If such a majestic beast is subordinate to our will, then surely man is master of the world.” Tom thought the old man had it exactly right.

He had become used to the old girl, watching Moose shadowbox on cold mornings, kicking and running from unseen enemies. He smiled to remember the mare’s contortions to snip a blade of grass beneath the fence while ignoring a full rack of hay; or of Meagan presenting Moose with a paperclip or other harmless object, and watching the massive horse back away in alarm, only to return curiously with neck outstretched, sniffing, a picture of foolishness. It impressed him that the immense, powerful animal possessed the gentlest of spirits.

Copyright © 2008 John Royce

« “Meagan’s first love, Moose” || “Meagan’s mother…” »

The above excerpt is from “Home,” the 1st section of Eclipsed by Shadow, and is set in modern-day California. (p. 12 Hbk)

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … each section is about a different time period.

__________

Quick Links:

» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.

» Read the 1st Chapter online.

» Check out Book #2 of the trilogy: The Golden Spark.

» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.

Check out the trilogy’s page on Facebook!

#2- Meagan’s first love, Moose

“Meagan had loved the huge mare since her second birthday, when she had been held up on Moose’s wide back, terrified and grabbing fistfuls of mane, crying to be taken off immediately and put back on forever.” —excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of ‘The Legend of the Great Horse’ trilogy (p.1)

In modern-day California of 2001 …

The pregnant mare’s formal name was Bright Lights, but she was called Moose for her bay coat and rambling gait. Meagan had loved the huge mare since her second birthday, when she had been held up on Moose’s wide back, terrified and grabbing fistfuls of mane, crying to be taken off immediately and put back on forever.

“Moose?” Meagan turned on the barn’s dim lights. The cool morning air was silent. Of course, she did not really believe the foal had come in the night: the veterinarian said it was still too soon. As with all the other mornings, she expected to find Moose munching her hay contentedly, enormous and alone in her stall.

» Finish reading Chapter One of Eclipsed by Shadow

Copyright © 2008 John Royce

« “The story begins…” || “Meagan’s father, Tom” »

The above excerpt is from “Home,” the 1st section of Eclipsed by Shadow, and is set in modern-day California. (p. 1 Hbk)

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … each section is about a different time period.

__________

Quick Links:

» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.

» Read the 1st Chapter online.

» Check out Book #2 of the trilogy: The Golden Spark.

» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.

Check out the trilogy’s page on Facebook!

#1- The story begins, and we meet Meagan

“MEAGAN AWOKE WITH a start and sat upright in bed. The dream had come again. The dream of the flying horse.” —excerpted from Eclipsed by Shadow (Book #1 of ‘The Legend of the Great Horse’ trilogy (p. 1)

In modern-day California of 2001 …

MEAGAN AWOKE WITH a start and sat upright in bed. The dream had come again. The dream of the flying horse.

Early light was outlining the window blinds. Meagan threw back her sheets and dressed quietly, as it was summer vacation and her parents preferred to sleep through dawn. She tiptoed out of her room and down the hardwood stairs to the kitchen. Closing the back door gently, she slipped though the pasture fence and raced into the backyard.

Auburn-haired and with a streak of tomboy, Meagan Roberts was not an unusual girl of twelve—except for the lucky fact that her family kept horses. (Actually, they only kept one horse, an aged mare, but very soon it would be two.) Hay and pine shavings greeted her at the backyard stable’s entrance, in her opinion the best smells in the world.

» Read Chapter One of Eclipsed by Shadow online

Copyright © 2008 John Royce

Next excerpt: “Meagan’s first love, Moose” »

The above excerpt is from “Home,” the 1st section of Eclipsed by Shadow, and is set in modern-day California. (p. 1 Hbk)

The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy is an adventure through history … each section is about a different time period.

__________

Quick Links:

» See All Excerpts from The Legend of the Great Horse trilogy.

» Read the 1st Chapter online.

» Check out Book #2 of the trilogy: The Golden Spark.

» See the Media Kit for more information about the trilogy.

Check out the trilogy’s page on Facebook!

Equine Benefits: Riding horses is therapeutic and educational

I recently read an inspirational story about an occupational therapist teaching South African street children to ride horses.

The horse has had many roles in our society, some of which have been replaced by technology (eg., transportation, war, food) … however some of the horse’s most important roles in human lives remain vital. Horses are wonderful therapy, as many riders know, and are effective in both intensive rehabilitation and simple therapeutic recreation.

It is exciting to see the spread of horsemanship happening in our technological age, and it signals a recognition that our relationship with our longtime partner is still valued and valuable: a recognition that would seem to credit not only the horses, but also us humans.