Skijoring

Article by: © Michael J. Rosen 2012

Pull Your Own Weight...Or Let an Animal Do it for You

Humans are in a constant struggle to decide what matters more: Our relationship with dogs and horses, those lovable companions, those "four-legged members of the family"; or our need to get somewhere faster than our own two feet can carry us.

Factor in some snow and an additional pair of skis (oh, and the accompanying $900 seasonal membership and the inevitable snot that congeals over much of your face), and your decision morphs into a true dilemma. One answer is skijoring, where we can simply attach ourselves to Sparky, Max, or Mr. Beau Jingles, and ski behind them.

Not Just Along for the Ride

• Dogs, unlike horses, cannot be ridden around a corral.
• Horses, unlike dogs, cannot catch a Frisbee or sleep next to you on your new SleepZone mattress.
• Neither seem to survive in movies where they are the best friend of the troubled juvenile protagonist.
• Both are found in Budweiser commercials and-luckily for us-in the two most popular forms of skijoring. (Also popular, especially with those who have neither large dogs or abiding horses: Skijoring behind snowmobiles or other motorized vehicles.) Here is a brief comparison of the two beastly versions of the sport.

What's on your mind?

So what's the basic idea here?

• Equine: A rope is attached to a horse's saddle, which pulls you, the skier, down a straightaway course.
• Canine: About the same, but you ski cross-country style. Doggie sweaters are strictly prohibited.

What comprises a team?

• Equine: 2 people (1 rider, 1 skier); 1 horse
• Canine: 1 person; 1, 2, or 3 dogs

Is there a governing body, or can I call the shots?

• Equine: The North American Ski Joring Association. Popular competition spots include Minneapolis and Quebec. You can bet that Dubai will feature skijoring before Acapulco.
• Canine: After a prolonged mutt-iny, the International Federation of Sleddog Sports is now run solely by the canines themselves, making the organization entirely FDBD (For Dogs, By Dogs).

How long's the course?

• Equine: It's typically between 850 and 1000 feet. (For comparison, the Kentucky Derby is 10 furlongs.) (Okay, we'll look it up for you: 10 furlongs equals 6,600 feet.)
• Canine: A sprint is 3–10 miles. An endurance race is 20–50 miles, a great workout for both humans and canines who spend most nights tethered to the couch watching reruns on TV Land, munching on/beggin' for cheddar popcorn.

How long of a rope do I need to hook up to the horse or dog?

• Equine: The rope that's 33 feet. For those keen on a less intense experience, a rope between 849 and 999 feet will do.
• Canine: Depending on number of dogs, a rope between 8 and 12 feet is standard.

If the animals are providing all the power, am I just along for the ride?

• Equine: In a shooting event, you weave in and out of gates on the course, shooting a series of balloons-ruining some poor kid's birthday party-as they pass. In a rings event, you slalom between cones and land 2–3 jumps (3–6 feet high), while collecting rings hung from an apparatus along the course. This competition has inspired the forthcoming movie, Lord of the Skijoring Rings.
• Canine: For a distance race, the course can be 20 miles or as long as 320 miles-about the distance of a road trip from Boston to New York. Skijorers prepare with a "working knowledge of winter survival" and additional supplies, including a map and a wife to say: "For chrissake, let's just stop and ask someone for directions!"

How fast will I be going, because, you know, it's all about the adrenaline?

• Equine: Up to 40 miles per hour. That's fast enough for a $160.80 speeding ticket in Minneapolis if you're in a residential area.
• Canine: Up to 30 miles per hour, slow enough to avoid a ticket-unless you're in Minneapolis, which is Minnesota's worst speed trap, according to USA Today.

Which breeds are commonly hitched up?

• Equine: Most any breed, except Clydesdales (Budweiser has an exclusive rights on those) and centaurs.
• Canine: Typically huskies, but any dog greater than 30 pounds will be in "canine ecstasy," according to the skiers.

How long has this silliness been going on? Er, I mean, when did something serious start sounding silly.

• Equine: Skijøring began in Scandinavian countries hundreds of years ago as a means for long travel. It arrived in North America in 1950s, but only began to grow in popularity once skiers figured out the how to make the "ø" symbol.
• Canine: Although its country of origin is unclear, it is said that skijoring is a descendant of the Scandinavian pulka, in which riders, seated on what looks like half a canoe, scuttled around Lapland behind a team of reindeer.

Who Let the Dogs Out?

Just as in dog walking, where the canines often walk the humans, dog-power is proving to be alternative energy with fewer negatives than wind towers or corn ethanol. In bikejoring, for example, dogs can take you a spin around the neighborhood. In dog scootering, you can keep both feet on board at all times. Canicross, where dogs taking their owners on a cross-country run, has its own World Championship. Once you start imagining what other things a dog or a horse might pull, it's easy to begin wondering...what other "species" might humans yet draft into drafting?

Domesticate your wildest sports ambitions at: www.nasja.com (horses) and www.sleddogcentral.com (dogs).

No Dribbling the Squid

More Skijoring