HORSE RACE (or HORSE TAIL) Longways whole set for as many as will, from Bill Martin Old-timey music, not too deeply concerned with phrasing. (It takes a bit longer depending on how many people in the set). A1: Lines F&B; again A2: partners do-si-do B1: partners allemande right; then left B2: Horse race! Top couple arches over men's line (man outside) while next couples arches over women's line (woman outside); they skip down to the bottom and up the other side, and it's up to them to work out how they pass the other arching couple. When you get back to the top, gallop down the middle to the bottom and stay there; the dance starts again. Bill Martin's descriptions: Neigh-h-h-h! Oh, now Dudley, don't get your hopes up. Its a dance I call "Horserace", a variation on all the other variations. I don't know where I got the horseracing part of the dance. Its a longways whole set dance. What I usually do is long lines up and back a couple of times, do-si-doz and allemandes and such, and then... the two top couples race each other. First couple makes an arch over one line, skipping to the bottom and then back to the top over the other line. At the same time the second couple does the same, going first over the line that the first couple ain't. They have to get by each other as politely or viscously as possible. As soon as they get to the top they keep sashaying down the center to the bottom, where they stay. Dance starts again. I always get amused when I call it for a mixed age group because the adults really get competitive, shutting down the little tykes and stomping them flat. They should be ashamed. Bill Martin