February 20, 2025

 ~ FAST 'N "FUR"IOUS ~

Photos by Mark LaRowe & Michael McGill

Equine skijoring
is expanding at an astonishing rate.

People are attracted not only to the rip roaring action,
the shocking juxtaposition of cowboy and ski cultures,
the jaw dropping beauty of the event locations,
but also to the splashy fashion trend that
has suddenly emerged.  

It all comes with the territory.
The Land of Skijoring.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Over 1000 teams
competed this past weekend
(February 14, 15 & 16)
in the United States
&
this doesn't include
the events in Calgary, Alberta
&
Fernie, British Columbia!

This number more than doubled over the prior weekend!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Some registrations are filling up in 24-48 hours,
and organizers are having to cap divisions.
(Ah, growing pains. . . )
We realize some people are not happy with multiple
races over the same weekend,
but our season is only three months long.
Having more races on the same weekend
will help to alleviate the issue of registrations filling up
by giving competitors, especially new ones, more options.

People will not have to trailer horses
so far in dangerous winter conditions, 
and kids can stay closer to home to compete
and not have to miss school.
This will also spread the more experienced riders and skiers
among more races to mentor those moving up,
teaching them safe racing practices,
and give competitors who typically 
may not place in the top 3-6 slots to win
some cash and even their first buckle!

We have noticed that the "D" system
is being used at multiple races
this year in Sport Divisions.
Perhaps it should also be used in Open.
By dividing the field in a "2D" for Open and
a "2D" or "3D" for Sport, more competitors
that drive the distance, take time off from work and family,
dish out money to enter and travel and
spend time and effort to train themselves and their horses,
will feel acknowledged and rewarded.

There may be other solutions
to these issues, and we want to remain
openminded and sympathetic to those who feel
the divisions should stay as they are.
If we are working towards making skijoring a professional sport,
then maybe having more invitationals is the answer.
Skijoring can be an extreme sport,
and we respect those who invest in fast horses,
recruit strong, talented skiers, and put it all on the line to rise
to the top of the ranks.
You are one of the most important keys to our success,
but we want to grow as a community, too.

Perhaps race organizers can come up with other
alternatives to improve the playing field
such as having both a Pro and Open Division 
(with a higher entry fee for Pro
or covered by a sponsor),
having one course and running a 4D
as Boulder, MT did,
including rings for the skier as a determining factor
(Utah even included a rider ring), 
or doing a draw as Leadville does.

It is time to have these discussions as a community,
and
Skijor USA will remain at the forefront of progress.

Another SKIJOR Summit will be announced
in the next few weeks.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Last weekend,
tens of thousands
gathered to spectate filling bleachers,
lining both sides of tracks
built on avenues, in rodeo arenas or in hay fields,
and tailgating in stylish white tents or mud spattered vehicles.

Skijor Canada's event
was held for the first time
in the heart of downtown Calgary
at the Confluence Historic Site & Parklands.
Surely, the crowd was impressive!

As crowds grow,
more safety precautions need to be in place,
especially when it comes to track crossings and walkways.
Thankfully,
we have not had many accidents this season.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

This weekend,
Canterbury Park alone will pack
over 10,000 spectators into their stands
EACH DAY
to watch a heart pounding, two hour spectacle.

Organizer, Ted Slathar, explained
that he wants to create
"a Kentucky Derby culture"
during his winter skijoring event.
He encourages both his competitors and
his spectators to dress the part,
and he has even invested in fashionable items
to be shared and enjoyed by all.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ UPCOMING EVENTS ~

Since the last newsletter
of February 6th,
over a dozen events have been completed
&
this coming weekend
another 6 will be held in 5 states.

Bear Lake, Utah
Skowhegan, Maine
Driggs, Idaho
Canterbury Park, Minnesota
Wisdom, Montana
Whitefish, Montana

We are already on track to add
five to six new events next season
which would inch us closer to 50 events in 2026.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One of the most impressive
characteristics of skijoring is that
each and every event
has UNIQUE venues, tracks, and attractions!

For example,
Extreme Events MN
in Canterbury Park, Minnesota,
held at a large race track,
will once again run teams side by side
and welcome back freestylers.
Organizers have widened their track this year
and re-engineered the freestyle jump
continuously improving the race.

In addition to the popular
side event of Weiner dog racing,
they will be adding a
Red Carpet Runway Event 
in which spectators can
show off their SKIJOR fashion.
Competitors will also be judged on their
outfits as they race down the track
and awarded prizes.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Teton Valley Skijoring
in Driggs, Idaho
will be featuring Country Singer
JARED ROGERSON
& The Rodeo Wreck
on Saturday night in nearby Victor
at Guidepost Brewing.
There will also be live music 
by The Moguls
Friday night for the competitors to enjoy!

Limited spots are still available
for VIP tailgates spaces.
Bring a grill and throw a SKIJOR party
on a snowy beach!

On Sunday, Teton Valley is also adding a 
Jackpot Race
following the last division.
It is $20 for each teammate to enter.
Names will be drawn from a hat,
pair up and create new teams.
The winner takes ALL!

Teton Valley Skijoring
has been having practice sessions
since January 11th
and had an incredible turn out of participants
of all ages and skill levels.
Hapi Trails,
Julie Martin's horse rescue group,
is to be credited for this special effort to educate
and keep people and horses safe
as they move through their skijoring experience.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Whitefish Skijoring
has $15,000 of added money
and is paying out 100% of all entry fees.
There are between 4 to 6 holes in Day Money and Overall
in Snowboard, Novice, Sport and Open.
Click here for payout breakdown:
https://www.whitefishskijoring.org/payout-schedule

Whitefish has also been having practice sessions
which look just as fun as the race will surely be!
Marguerite Armstadt
has been photographing the sessions
and posting them on Facebook.
What fun!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Big Hole Valley Skijoring
in Wisdom, Montana
is celebrating its 15th year of competition.
A "Best Dressed" or "Spirit" Award
will be given to one contestant, rider or horse.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The other races that round out this weekend are:
Bear Lake, Utah
Skowhegan, Maine
Maine will be adding a Slopestyle event this year!

These are both relatively new events
so please support them
by liking and following their Facebook pages!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For more information on any of these events or for
a continuous up-to-date calendar
and links to each event visit

SKIJOR USA
https://www.skijorusa.com/

Click on each event to get more information.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ IN THE NEWS ~

The sport of skijoring may be
the most fashion forward trend of our time.

An article in the Park City Record
notes the popularity of fur,
either faux or authentic; 
western accessories such as wild rags
and rodeo style championship belt buckles;
&
footwear, whether stylish Corral cowboy boots or 
practical Arctic Mucks.

It is this juxtaposition of styles, textures and patterns, 
combined in just the right way, that defines
a successful "skijor" look.

To read the full story, click here:
https://www.parkrecord.com/2025/02/18/style-steals-the-show-at-heber-citys-skijoring-utah/

We can't wait to see photos from
Skijordue, whose organizer, Sam Mitchell
inspires all Canadians to follow her
true "skijor-ling" style.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Skijoring was also noted to be
"an A-lister's favorite",
and the Park City Record
made mention of last week's article in Forbes.

Respected journalist, Gary Stoller,
offers a very flattering depiction of skijoring,
focusing on Utah and Leadville's races,
and recounting some of its early history.

To read the full story, click here:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/garystoller/2025/02/07/fans-flock-to-quirky-sport-combining-skiing-and-rodeo/

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ FUNDRAISING ~
 
On Saturday, February 15th

PONIES & PLANKS
hosted their 2nd annual skijoring event
in Fernie, British Columbia
to raise money for a great cause!

Their goal is "to raise funds to remove all financial barriers to accessing therapeutic horseback riding, equine assisted learning & wellness programs for any individual or group, build community and have some fun while doing it!"

If your event raises money for a charitable cause,
please email loren@skijorusa.com
and tell us about it.
We would love to spread the word!

To read more about the event, click here:
https://www.clearwatertimes.com/trending-now/peak-skijoring-horse-powered-snow-rides-send-bc-thrill-seekers-sky-high-7828118

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ RESULTS ~

Congratulations to all who participated
in this past weekend's races.

In the Open Division,
Trae McInroe rode Charlie
and pulled Cam Fraser to victory
in Bellevue, Idaho
at Wood River Extreme Skijoring.

Josh Abbott rode Love
(aka Elvis)
and pulled Colin Cook to victory
in Heber City, Utah
at Skijoring Utah.

Richard Weber and Tyler McKnight
finished 1st and 3rd
at Silverton Skijoring
Richard Weber and Jack Planz
finished 2nd.

Kyle Todd and Chris Knudson
were the only team to break a 10 second
average time in Sundance, Wyoming.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In the Sport Division,
Stephanie Botkin rode Hoss
and pulled Dane Morse to victory
at Wood River Extreme Skijoring.

Mara Kingscott rode Reba
and pulled Ian Nelson to victory
at Skijoring Utah.

Danielle Thomas and David Strickbein
captured 1st at Silverton Skijoring.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

We would like to congratulate the winners
of additional divisions such as
Novice, Womens, All Around, Snowboard,
Junior, PeeWee, Freestyle, Century
and others. 

Of special note are:

Snowboard Division
Katherine Licht riding CVC Wild Look
pulling Jakobe Chacon on snowboard in Bellevue.

Womens Division
Marquise Young riding Iceman
pulling Valerie Festava on skis
in the Women's Division in Heber City, Utah.

They beat the 2nd place team by a full 2 seconds.
Marquise rode despite passing kidney stones,
and also managed a respectable 2nd place in Open Overall
clocking the fastest time of 13.90 on Day 1 then
matched by Josh Abbott and Colin Cook on Day 2!

For complete results for Skijoring Utah click here:
https://www.skijoringutah.com/pages/2025-race-results

For Wood River Extreme Skijoring click here:
https://woodriveresja.com/results/

All other race results are on Facebook.
We are waiting for Skijor Canada to post results.
Go to 
www.skijorusa.com
for easy access to websites/Facebook pages.

Thank you to all organizers for posting
results promptly either on their websites
or on Facebook so that not only competitors,
but also family members and fans
can see how their favorite teams finished!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ON THE EUROPEAN FRONT ~

Skijoring at
WHITE TURF
was held once again on February 16, 2025,
the final Sunday race day.

A record 13,000
spectators attended Sunday
bringing the total for the overall White Turf event
to 27,000 including the Family Days.

A mishap occurred during the final Sunday
of skijoring races.
According the the official press release,
"

"In the skikjöring, defending champion Valeria Schiergen was the favourite to win with the chestnut gelding Schael, who had already been successful at his debut in the St. Moritz World exclusivity last Sunday. After the safety harnesses of several drivers triggered shortly after the start, the race was declared void. The reason for this is subject of ongoing investigations. The void of the race meant that the overall victory went to last Sunday’s winner. Schael, who was prepared by Germany’s champion trainer Peter Schiergen in Cologne and runs for the Murezzan Racing Stable, made Valeria Schiergen queen for the fourth time in total in his first and so far only skikjöring outing. Whoever wins the overall ranking of the UBS Skikjöring Trophy can call themselves Queen or King of the Engadine for a year."

We have boots on the ground in Saint Moritz, Switzerland
so we will see if we can get more clarification.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sadly, the Skijoring races in the Farm Parade Cycle in
 Bukovina Tatrza, Biały and Zakopane, Poland,
scheduled for February 9th, 16th and 23rd,
were all cancelled due to an inability
to build safe tracks for the horses this season.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

JOR ON! 

Loren Zhimanskova,
President, Skijor USA, Inc. & Skijor International, LLC