The sport of ski joring began several hundred years ago in Scandinavian countries as a way to travel during the long winters. Laplanders skied on Nordic skis holding the reins attached to reindeer. Ski joring found its way to North America, where ranchers attached a long rope to the saddle horn of a horse that was ridden at high speeds down a long straight-away. Currently, the sport of equestrian ski joring has become a highly specialized competitive sport, where competitors must navigate a course of jumps, gates and sometimes spear rings. Competitive ski joring competitions are currently taking place in more than five states in the USA, and in several countries worldwide. In some parts of the world, skiers are pulled behind dogs, mules and snowmobiles. Whatever the means, the sport of ski joring is growing rapidly, and is just as much fun for spectators as it is for competitors. Courtesy of the North American Ski Joring Association.

The History of Ski-Joring

Skijoing has evolved into a sport that uses a horse and rider that pulls a skier down a snow-packed road over multible jumps while retrieving rings in a timed competition. This event really took off in Leadville Colorado in 1949.
Events include multible classes: the Open Class, for experienced competitive teams; the Sport Class, for beginners; and the Snowmobile Class, for inexperienced and younger teams who are looking to get into the sport. You can register online or on Friday night between the hours of 4 and 7 pm at the Bent Elbow. You can save $10 by registering early online.

Please note, this is a dog-free event. Dogs and horses do NOT mix in this type of event!

What Is Ski-Joring!

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