Kettle Moraine Rough Riders Drill Team 2006

An equestrian drill team is a group of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

s and riders performing choreographed maneuvers to music. Teams typically perform at

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

s, horse fairs,

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

s, benefits, and drill team competitions. Drill teams are intended to entertain, show sportsmanship, horsemanship, teamwork and dedication. Competition drill at the national level is a controlled ride and has continuous forward motion. Some competition venues have set up special divisions of competition to provide for novice,

, youth,

gaited An ambling gait or amble is any of several four-beat intermediate horse gaits, all of which are faster than a walk but usually slower than a canter and always slower than a gallop. Horses that amble are sometimes referred to as " gaited", parti ...

and special effects (as allowed at the venue) such as theme and drama. Theme drill provides a division that allows teams to showcase their uniforms, horse ability, music, and inclusions of trick riding or other variations. Members must have a uniform appearance, including outfits, hats, tack, and flags (if used). Horses should be of the same type, e.g. stock type, gaited, or

miniature A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small version. It may refer to: * Portrait miniature, a miniature portrait painting * Miniature art, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture * Miniature (chess), a masterful chess game or problem ...

, however matching horse colors or breeds are at the team's discretion. Teams can range in size from four horses (Quad team) to 20 plus horses. At competitions, a drill team is judged on ability, including spacing and alignment, timing and coordination, originality, difficulty, and attractiveness of patterns, speed, horsemanship, uniformity, manners of the animals, music, and crowd appeal. Categories can include Novice, Youth, 4-H, Gaited, Theme, Rodeo, Quad, or Open. The United States Equestrian Drill Association (USEDA) is the governing body for mounted drill and color guard competitions in the United States. The USEDA sanctions competitions throughout the United States. The United States Equestrian Drill Championship (USEDC) is held each June at th
Texas Rose Horse Park
near

Lindale, Texas Lindale () is a city in Smith County, Texas, United States. Located in East Texas, the population was 6,059 in the 2020 census. It is part of the Tyler, Texas, metropolitan statistical area. History The area of Smith County where Lindale ...

as part of Super Ride - an International Festival of the Equestrian Arts. The USEDA was developed after the Washington Ladies Riding Club Association was officially established in 1980. Currently the WLRCA hosts yearly competitions, leads clinics and helps establishes rules and guidelines for other teams to learn by. Participants from WLRCA fly all over the United States, providing clinics, judging, or offering insight to this wonderous world of drill.

External links

United States Equestrian Drill Association

Washington Ladies Riding Club Association
Equestrianism Equestrian sports Equestrian team sports {{equestrian-stub