Teamsters

One event that I always look for at a state, or county fair is the horse pull. It's basically a equestrian strength competition that pits teams of work horses against each other to see who can pull a weighted sled fifteen feet. After each pull, a fork lift adds a thousand pounds of solid concrete to the sled and those who made the last cut, pull again until all but one team is eliminated. It's sort of like watching the World's Strongest Man events on TV as men harness themselves to a Boeing 747 and pull it down the runway.

As I watched the horses and their handlers, I was fascinated by their size, their strength, and their focus. They had a mutual respect for each other, and when it was time to perform, everyone knew what to do. Each team of horses would strut to the sled at the command of the handler while a second person would quickly hook the harness to the sled. Instantly the horses would lunge ahead in unison to drag the sled the required fifteen feet. At the end of each round, they would return to their holding area and patiently wait for the next round. Their combined weight was over 3000 pounds, yet the winner dragged 17,000 pounds of concrete across the finish line.

Handlers, trainers, teams, owners and even the audience, were totally focused on the event in the arena. When it came to the pull, everyone was as silent as the gallery at a golf tournament. They were totally focused on the team and the job it had to do. No one moved. No one spoke, or made a noise. No one whistled, cheered, or jeered. They just watched. Once the job was done, everyone applauded.

There is so much for us to learn from these "teamster" workhorses as long as we don't act like the wrong end and think we can do everything ourselves. Then we become that 17,000 ton sled that everyone else on the team has to drag behind them.