Dancing With Horses

It’s time for practice. There are routines to be learned, tweaked and perfected. The girls of the Easy Riders drill team circle up to discuss whether the first few minutes of their new Grease-themed routine needs to be sped up and how everyone feels about the third step. Parents chat along the sidelines, occasionally giving advice to tuck elbows or watch spacing. Excluding intermittent socializing by girls and their horses, everyone is all business.

So What’s a Drill Team?

It sounds like a cross between a sports team and dance troupe—with elements of riding lessons—but the Easy Riders is a mounted drill team. For those unfamiliar with the lingo, they are a group of teenagers unusually talented at dancing with horses—or synchronized, choreographed riding. Ten riders, ages 14 to 18, have mastered the basics of riding, harnessed the horse’s natural strength and beauty and combined it with intricate, often whimsical choreography. As they weave their horses between each other, circle around at a canter and arrive at a stop in perfectly measured twin lines in a seamless sync to self-mixed music, it’s clear that these teenagers have accomplished something innovative to the horse world.

All the riders are from rural families and have grown up with horses, riding lessons and rodeos. Each rider owns her own horse—a weighty responsibility that includes stabling, feeding, grooming, maintaining and exercising their animals.

The girls have to memorize the steps of each performance as well as options for improvisation in case of the unknown (a horse kicks, music skips, a rider misses a cue). Part of the challenge is forming a relationship with the animal and giving it commands. “As they teach the horse to do something new, they themselves change,” says Elizabeth Guillebeau, team founder and coach.

All that hard work and dedication has paid off. Their lengthy list of awards includes three Youth National Championships, several Crowd Favorite awards at the Kentucky Horse Park and an induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2007. But for Guillebeau, it’s never been about the awards. “The team is first and foremost a youth development organization,” she says.

More than a Hobby

Guillebeau shares goal-setting ideas with the team in her seminar, “Life After a National Championship.” Guillebeau often brings in psychologists to discuss various issues pertinent to teens, including healthy relationships and self-esteem. The team’s true purpose is to teach kids from rural families vital life skills, and their horses help convey these lessons.

The 411

This month, the Easy Riders welcome anyone interested to attend an appreciation event in Rockridge Riding Reserve in Rogersville. The afternoon includes a performance by the team, as well as a cookout, music and entertainment.

What: Easy Riders Fan Appreciation Day
Where: Rockridge Riding Reserve,Rogersville
When: October 5, 4 p.m.
Contact: Julie Guillebeau, 417-350-2721