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Eclipsed by Shadow | The Legend of the Great Horse ~ Book I of III, by John Royce

The following excerpt is supplied for publication with permission by the publisher, Micron Press, and the author, John Royce, to HorsesintheSouth.com and AHorseBlog.com

Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby,

to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire.

It is a grand passion.

– Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Mrs. Bridgestone pointed to a portrait of a magnificent horse, head bowed, carrying a haughty rider in white. “That painting shows the stallion Bucephalus, one of the eminent Great Horses of history. When he was first presented to King Philip of Macedonia, no rider could mount him. The king’s own son was a boy about your age, and he called out—”

“I’m almost thirteen,” Meagan interrupted.

“Really, dear? Splendid.” Mrs. Bridgestone smiled at Jennifer. “They grow so quickly, don’t they? It seems my grandniece went from diapers to driving in the space of an afternoon. Well, to continue, when the King’s son saw the wonderful stallion being led away to be banished, he cried out, ‘What an excellent horse they have lost for lack of skill!’ Naturally the king was annoyed with his son’s manners. To teach a lesson the King had the horse brought back for his son to try what the others had failed.

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