The Order of the Canter
and the Spoon
Each
year the Drill Team Assembles during the month of the Rising
Cones to see who qualifies to join the fabled Canter and the Spoon.
It
is not a competition between riders, but rather a contest between the
partnership of rider and horse and the Gatekeepers.
The contest must take place before the Cone Mating
begins
The
contest does take its toll.
To
qualify, the riders and their noble steeds are required to canter around a cone
infested ring armed only with a spoon. In the spoon is cradled the rare and
fragile Egg-rock. The Egg-rock has several traits
that make it a challenge:
If
dropped, it is assimilated by the ground making recovery near impossible
It
defies gravity
It
causes contortions in the arm that holds it
It
has the ability to grow in size
But
despite all of this the riders never loose their enthusiasm, though FEAR is a constant
companion!
The
team executes its famous cone-chelon, challenging the cones
Caught
on infra-red (night vision), the preparation continues
The
coach contacts the mother ship to coordinate
the final move
The
Deadly Dust Devil Dervish
All
the work pays off as the Gatekeepers accept this year’s members
And
the Cones are given a horse butt
goodbye as they recede for another Year
Welcome
new members and old friends
