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Drill teams mesmerize people at rodeos and horse expositions with maneuvers so intricate and exciting they take your breath away. If you’ve watched drill team members guide their horses to lope shoulder-to-shoulder in unison, weave in front of and behind each other and move seamlessly as a group into different formations, you might have found yourself thinking, “I wish I could do that!” In her new book, 101 Drill Team Exercises for Horse & Rider, Debbie Sams gives you the tools to be able to make that wish a reality.

The book includes drill team and drill-riding basics, background and safety, as well as 101 unique drill patterns. Each exercise is illustrated with a diagram and detailed written instructions. Bonus: Pro tips peppered throughout the book give you insight on how the experts execute such breathtaking drills. The book comes in an easy flip-format you can hang from an arena post and refer to while in the saddle.

Below, download one of the exercises, called “thread the needle,” from 101 Drill Team Exercises for Horse & Rider. To order a copy of this book, go to HorseBooksEtc.com.

Drill Team Exercise: Thread the Needle

(The exercise is in PDF format. If you have trouble viewing it, download the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program.)

To find out what drill teams are all about and how you can become involved in one, see the Horse & Rider Interview “Team Spirit” in the April 2010 issue of Horse & Rider. To order a copy of this issue, call 303-625-1600.

This excerpt is made available with permission from Storey Publishing.