Everything you need to know about skijoring

Skijoring is a discipline that has a lasting history. People have always loved being carried by horses or dogs in the snowy fields while wearing skis. In the past, this activity was not a sport but the matter of survival, since people living in snowy regions had to go hunting. Nowadays, it is a sport that is very much loved by people coming from different parts of the world. What should you know about skijoring and its variations?

Dog skijoring

Being one of the most popular extreme sports, dog skijoring requires following some conditions to make sure that it is funny and safe for both the person and the dog. This is why there are some basic conditions that you should follow.

• Your pet must love winter as much as you do. Otherwise, it won’t be fun for either of you. A dog’s irrepressible passion for running “with his tongue on his shoulder” becomes a problem for owners, but not in this case.
• Make sure your dog is healthy and has no contraindications for this kind of exercise. Your knees and lower back should also be fine.
• If you are just getting into skiing, you should not immediately include your dog in the training, because constant falls are inevitable. The animal may be nervous and lose interest in skijoring.
• Skijoring can be practiced with any breed, but the weight of the dog must be at least 15 kg. Dogs that weight less can be full of enthusiasm, but it’s just not safest activity for their health.
• The basic commands should be performed without any problems. Learning new commands for skijoring will not be difficult if the dog is already capable of doing basic things. A quick response is the key to control and protection from injury. The most difficult thing is to make the dog understand that in the harness it is allowed to pull the leash, but for the rest of the time it’s not.
• You need a belt and an elastic rope. Even an athletic belt or climbing belt will do. You can buy a special belt for skijoring. The leash rope must have an elastic part that will not let you fall and injure yourself on a sharp start.

Skijoring gear

You can’t do without a pair of cross-country skis, but you don’t need anything special. By the way, most animals are afraid of skis or try to play with them, so it is of paramount importance to introduce your dog to the ski equipment in advance.

Harness is the most important part of the equipment. The dog must be comfortable and safe in the harness, as it won’t be able to stop you at any time and ask to take off all those chafing straps. You can sew a harness for skijoring with your own hands.

Let your dog get used to the harness during ordinary walks. It should feel comfortable wearing it, and it should be used to the feeling. Of course, this process should be accompanied with praise and treats, so you need to make sure that you have something delicious for your dog. This way you’ll have the opportunity to check the size and comfort of the outfit without the risk of ruining the first run. If the dog feels uncomfortable, it will lose interest to this activity at all.

Dog shoes are always a moot point. Unless you plan to train your friend in booties, you will have to check his paws regularly for icy blisters. During skijoring sessions, shoes are absolutely justified.

In addition, it would be great if you brought a water container with you, because the dog should not be allowed to eat the snow. Even if the field seems clean and free of any latter, there might be some dangerous objects such as broken glass. Also, if the dog eats snow, it will be at risk of catching a cold.

Training

If you’re new to skiing, it’s worth taking some cross-country lessons. In remote, backcountry terrain, you will encounter deep snow, and a dog will help you blaze a trail. This is where you need wide skis with an elevated toe. Some dogs feel completely natural in a harness as everything going on fuels their natural instincts. Others need more time to train and understand what their owner expects of them. The key is to not give up quickly if the animal gets overexcited at first.

Make the first trips to skiing short and always finish before the animal shows any signs of tiredness. This trick prevents dogs from losing interest in the activity. It is a good idea to start training at a local park, because animals feel more comfortable when they train in familiar environment.

The most effective way to teach your pet skijoring is to ride with a dog that is already skijoring. Thus, it will teach your pet how to do skijoring by means of imitation. The hardest part is teaching it to maintain a constant speed. The first step is to get used to a certain tension of the harness: at the start you should pull the cable slightly for a few seconds.

Commands

Previously it was mentioned that the dog must be familiar with some basic commands before it starts training for skijoring. It is paramount to pay attention to this condition because skijoring requires getting to know new commands. What are they?

• “Line Out”: the dog takes the starting position and pulls the rope. You cannot start directly at the skier’s feet.
• “Hike”: signal to start.
• “Left” and “Right”: practicing turns is very handy on trails with an inevitable turn. Some dogs need a few seconds to “process the request,” so try giving the turn command in advance.
• “Stop”: start slowing down, then give the command. In some cases, the animal may perceive ski resistance as a signal to pull harder.
• “Easy”: slow down.
• “Round”: turn 180 degrees, return to the starting point.

Horse skijoring

This is a race for a team of three. Such a team consists of a skier, a rider, and a horse. Horse skijoring is one of the craziest ways to have fun in winter!

The snowboarder or skier is trying to hold on to the rope while the speeding racehorse carries him at 60 km/h through a frozen lake or snowy field. The horse jerks the skier sharply at the start, and his or her main task is not to lose balance in the very beginning. The rider is not always involved in the race, which makes the entertainment even more extreme and uncontrollable.

History

It all began with the gold rush in the late 19th century. The gold prospectors who returned home brought with them a new way of traveling by dog sled, which was used by the natives of the northern regions of America. Emigrants from Scandinavia, in turn, brought another tradition to America: sledding horses and even skis.

The word skikjøring itself is Norwegian and means “skiing”. Reindeer, horses and dogs have been used to pull skis for centuries. With the development of different vehicles, skijoring grew into a fabulous sport.

In the 1900s, equestrian skijoring made its way to North America. In France and Switzerland, the peak of popularity came in 1912-14. Back in the 50s and 60s, Europeans were already hooking skis to motorcycles and cars.

In 1928, the discipline was demonstrated at the Winter Olympics along with military patrol competitions. In 1930, Wyoming and Colorado practiced paired races on the snow-covered main streets of the mountainous areas of those states.

Today, the European center of skijoring is the Swiss St. Morenz. In the States, these competitions are held in Colorado, Montana, Oregon, Wisconsin and South Dakota. Skijoring on horses and dogs is highly popular.

The IFSS, or International Federation of Sled Dog Sports (headquartered in Brussels, Belgium) sponsors the World Dog Sled Dog Championships each year. The discipline may be included in the Olympic list in 2026.

That’s it. As you can see, skijoring is such a popular extreme sport and leisure activity that it has several variations. So, if you are in for winter sports and are a huge fan of working with animals, you should definitely try it out!