The Lessons Begin

They still hadn’t tracked down the cougars for another week. During that
time, Bucephalus answered far off neighs of horses that were unseen. He longed
to be out on the range with his family, and everyday he grew restless when Alex
wasn’t around.
Alex was disappointed that he had to be held up for so long. His mother’
s birthday had gone and passed, and his return would have been the perfect gift.
Still, after Geoffry finished his chores and she exercised the horses she was a
ssigned, she took care watching Harpy’s Song and her new foal, whom Mr. Ganger n
amed Song Jump. A mixture of both her dam’s and sire’s names.
Only once was there trouble on her watch. Harpy was still sleeping one t
ime when Song got up and started to feed. Frightened awake and startled by the u
nexpected bite, Harpy reared and pawed the air. She came down with a thud and kn
ocked her baby down. Song Jump squealed a whinny of pain and tried to crawl away
from her mother. Harpy turned her head to see that only her filly was in the st
all with her. She whuffled the fuzz of a mane on Song’s neck in apology. Song se
emed to take it as she stood again and continued to feed. Alex didn’t see anythi
ng wrong with the foal but she reported the incident anyways.
“So what? She wasn’t hurt.” Geoffry said lazily.
“She could have been.” His father said. “I’ll call the vet and see if he
can come check them early. Never know if something else’ll happen.” Mr. Ganger
picked up the phone.
“I still say Song’s fine.” Alex heard Geoffry mumble as she left the off
ice to see Bucephalus.
By the arena she saw Aunt Janet and Margie. Alex slapped her forehead. S
he totally forgot about Margie starting her lessons today. Margie saw her and st
amped a boot. “You’re late.”
“I know, I’m such a flake.” Alex said. “I’ve been watching Harpy and her
foal, Song Jump. They’re doing real good so far.”
“That’s good to hear.” Said Aunt Janet. “Now, tell Margaret, here, what
you will teach her today.”
Alex smiled and turned to Margie. “I’m afraid today you won’t ride a hor
se.”
“Why not?” Margie whined. She stamped so many times Alex lost count.
“Not all the horses here are experienced. I thought we’d go around and l
ook at the horses. It’s a method Mr. Ganger agreed to since you’re my cousin.”
“What method?” Margie asked as her mother went to the car to leave. She’
d be back in a couple of hours.
“I read that if you look at all the available horses, you’ll click with
at least one of them. The horse you click with is the one who works easiest with
you. That’ll make things go a bit smoother.” Alex walked with Margie to Barn A.
They went through all the horses that would be safe for Margie. All were
curious, but, to Alex, none of them clicked with her. It was the same in Barn B
and Barn C. Then in the Main Barn, where all the studded horses from shows, rac
ing, and work were, Margie went straight to Jumpy’s stall halfway down the hall.
 “He’s so pretty.” Margie said.
Alex looked at Jumpy. The buckskin stallion, who was a proud ride of a f
ormer dressage and cross country champion, looked at Margie the same way she loo
ked at him. They had clicked, instantly.
This is so weird. First she’s practically entranced by Song Jump, and no
w her sire. Alex wasn’t the type to believe that there was no such thing as a co
incidence, but this was beginning to get weird. “Funny you should like him so mu
ch. Jumpy is Song Jump’s sire.”
“Her what?” Margie asked without breaking her eye contact with Jumpy.
“Her father. Jumpy will love to be ridden by someone your age. His forme
r owner was your age when she started riding him.” Alex said.
“Why’d she give him up? He looks lonely in there.” Jumpy nickered as tho
ugh in agreement.
“I know, but he’s in here away from bullies. She had to sell him because
she got into a car accident and…” Alex saw the memory pool in the stallion’s ey
es. “…and she can’t ride anymore.”
“That’s so sad. Poor guy.” Margie dropped her eyes to the floor. “He’s h
eartbroken.”
Alex looked at her little cousin. “How can you tell?”
Margie shrugged. “I don’t know. Just looking at him.”
“Well, if it helps any, I hear she comes to visit him when she can. Abou
t 3 to 4 times a year.”
“She still loves him.” Margie raised her dark blue eyes back to Jumpy’s
brown ones. Alex stayed silent and let them have a moment.
Once Jumpy and Margie were done looking at each other, Alex showed her t
he other horses. Nothing like with Jumpy happened again. Then Finn came up and t
old her that Bucephalus was acting up. She told Alex to just bring Margie becaus
e there was someone inside the corral.
Inside the round pen, a boy with dark brown hair stood statue still in t
he center, except for turning to keep his eyes on the circling colt. Alex froze
as she recognized her little brother.
“Duncan!” She whispered. Her heart raced and she felt the color drain fr
om her face. “What happened?”
“He said he wanted to see the horse. He stood on the fence but then he w
anted to pet him.” Finn explained. “He leaned too far and fell in. Then your hor
se gave him a stallion challenge as though there were mares around.”
“A stallion challenge?” Margie wondered.
“In a herd of wild horses, there’s only one stallion and he owns all the
mares. If another stallion comes along for one, two, or all of them, they fight
.” Finn told her.
“And Duncan’s so small Bucephalus could crush him into the ground.” Alex
whispered faintly. Margie whimpered and look at the pen.
 Bucephalus had now stopped by the gate. He pawed the ground kicking up a
small cloud of dust. Alex acted without thinking, again, and jumped over the ga
te. Her landing attracted Bucephalus’ attention.
“Alex! What are you doing?” Finn called in a panic.
Bucephalus exhaled in frustration. Too many people were in his territory
, and now he had two problems to deal with. He shook his head and turned back to
Duncan.
“Duncan back away slowly.” Alex said. “Finn, get a rope and help him.”
She heard Finn run to do her order, but she focused on Bucephalus tensin
g up ready to charge Duncan. She looked around the big colt and saw Duncan backi
ng towards the fence, he never looked away from Bucephalus. His back hit the fen
ce and Bucephalus relaxed his muscles.
Alex took quiet steps up to him. “Hey Beauty.” Bucephalus flicked an ear
in her direction. “I’m here, I’m staying with you.” Then he turned his head to
her voice. The look in his eyes seemed to say that he forgotten all about Duncan
in an instant.
“Good boy.” Alex crooned to him and held out her hand as she approached
him. “Remember me, Beauty?”
Bucephalus moved his left foreleg back. Alex stopped. If she lost his at
tention, he might see Duncan.
She swallowed and went on. “Do you want me to tell you about your name?”
The horse lowered his head so his eyes were at her level. He nickered in confus
ion. “Bucephalus was a great black horse, like you. He was known as the wildest
horse in Macedonia.”
Bucephalus threw his head up. An idea sparked in her head. He loved to b
e praised, so to tell him about the great steed of Alexander the Great he was na
med after would keep his focus on her.
“Not even the king could tame the stallion. Then, the prince stepped for
th and asked to mount the horse.” Bucephalus blinked at her. “The king laughed a
t this. He told his son that if he could ride the horse, it was his. The prince
simply walked up to the horse, took a handful of mane and pulled himself on top
of the horse.
“Then he turned the huge horse towards the sun and let him gallop off to
the horizon. The king was outraged that the prince would steal the horse and se
nt his swiftest horsemen after him, but none could even catch up to Bucephalus.
“A whole day past and still no sign of the horse and prince. At sunset t
hey returned. The prince had a broad smile on his face. The king asked how he wa
s able to ride the horse.
“The prince replied, ‘I noticed that when he faced the sun he was still,
but when his back was turned to the sun he was spooked by his shadow. So I let
him run from it and when he was exhausted I turned him back to his shadow. He wa
s no longer afraid.’” Alex didn’t realize until now that Bucephalus was standing
within arms’ reach. “From then on, the prince respected the horse and rode him
in into battle for the next 19 years. He even named a city after him when he die
d protecting the prince. Bucephalus is remembered as much as the prince, who bec
ame king and a legend.”
 The Bucephalus standing in front of her right now seemed calmed by her v
oice. He lowered his head and touched his brow to hers. It was a moment Alex etc
hed into her heart.
Needless to say, Mr. Ganger was not all too pleased with what she did to
save her brother. He was glad no one was hurt nonetheless. He told Alex to neve
r pull a knuckleheaded move like that again. Then he dismissed her to continue M
argie’s lesson.
“Why was he mad?” Margie asked when Alex closed the blue door of the off
ice building behind her.
“He wasn’t mad, just scared. This was the kind of thing I wanted to avoi
d with your mom.” Alex then realized something. “You won’t tell her, will you?”
“Yeah I will.” Margie simply said. “I have to tell her.”
“Oh no you don’t.” Alex said. “If you tell her, you won’t get anymore ri
ding lessons.”
“I won’t?” Alex shook her head. Margie pouted and crossed her arms. “Oka
y, I won’t tell Mom.”
“Thanks Marge. Besides, I don’t want to break the bond you and Jumpy hav
e. Let’s groom him and turn him into the pipe corral.”
Alex lead Jumpy to a hitching post and Margie carried the grooming kit.
Once Jumpy was tied, Alex watched Margie brush the dust out of the buckskin’s co
at and talk to him. Once his coat was gleaming, Alex then showed Margie how to c
lean his hooves. Margie did well enough and Jumpy revealed how he got his name.
He was a little afraid of the hoof pick and trembled in place as Margie cleaned
his hooves. When they were all clean he sidestepped away from Margie and looked
at her wide-eyed.
“Don’t worry, you didn’t hurt him.” Alex told Margie. “I just exercised
him yesterday, but if he’s willing, I can slip a bridle on him and show you some
basic riding cues.”
“I don’t know. He looks really scared.” Margie said. “Let’s just put him
in the pasture please.” Alex understood. She untied the lead rope and handed it
to Margie.
“Hold on tight, never know when he’ll bolt. Don’t wrap it around your ha
nd, you don’t wanna know what’ll happen if he runs.” Alex told her. Margie nodde
d and followed Alex to the pipe corral. Inside Jumpy waited patiently for his ha
lter to be taken off. Being a little short of his ears, Alex did it for Margie.
“He’ll be fine out here. Next time you come I’ll see about saddling him and we’l
l work on circles. Remember to bring a helmet.”
“Okay.” Margie rolled her eyes.
Alex laughed. “My dad said the exact same thing when I started learning
how to ride, and I did the same thing.” Margie laughed too, then saw that her mo
m was back to pick her up.
“Hey Alex?” Margie asked after they exited the pipe corral. “Who was tha
t black horse?”
“You remember Jezabelle’s surprise foal from the ranch?” Margie nodded.
“That was him, Bucephalus.”
 “That was Bucephalus? He’s so big for a two year old!”
“I know. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he had an eye on a few mar
es out on the range. He was probably starting to gather his own harem.” Alex loo
ked at the round pen.
Bucephalus was at the gate and looked right back at her. Alex could have
sworn that she heard him say “I’m sorry” silently. He looked so guilty.
It was just your mustang spirit, boy. No one blames you. Alex sent back
to him. She walked Margie to the car. Aunt Janet was helping Duncan into the bac
k seat. Turns out he had gotten to the center by sneaking a ride in the back of
the truck when she stopped by the Handerman’s apartment earlier. The poor boy wa
s still shaken up from his encounter with the mustang just an hour ago.
“That was him, Alex.” Duncan said before Janet closed the door. “I know,
because he still looks like you.” Alex looked in the direction the truck had go
ne long after it vanished from sight.