When is a picture NOT worth a 1000 words? When the subject is Lippitt Morgans in a debut Drill Team. Even the video could not, and does not do justice to the beauty and symmetry of the equine drill. The horses sounds, the cadenced hoof beats, the shrill whistle of the go command, the breath of the horses as they pass you on the rail. The exuberance of all the riders at the completion of the ride, all those things are missed in a video. It captures a memory but falls short on recreating that awe inspired moment when the drill flashed past and in the ride created Lippitt Morgan Club history a very first drill team. http://www.lippittclub.net/
A drill team is a study in cooperation and timing. It takes hours of practice to get the pattern memorized, and that’s only the start. Horses need to find similarly gaited partners. Riders need to be able to keep the pattern in mind as they maneuver their horses. The horses need to get beyond herd instincts and work in close quarters and become tuned into their partners movements.
How many things in life are like a drill team! Co workers in an office, the morning commute of cars on the highway and the students flowing through the halls of school buildings are all drills like the horses do. There are so many. We need to practice the cooperation and timing, and study the pattern with diligence. We can learn from those we ride with and gauge our speed to accommodate those not keeping up for a bit. We will all be a little happier and get along a bit better when we take a cue from the Lippitt Morgan Drill Team!
