Skijoring

Skijoring is a winter sport where a person on skis is pulled by a horse, a dog(or dogs) or a motor vehicle.

Skijoring with dogs

Skijoring with a dog is a sport in which a dog (or dogs), assist a cross-country skier. From one to three dogs are commonly used. The cross-country skier provides power with skis and poles, and the dog adds additional power by running and pulling. The skier wears a skijoring harness, the dog wears a sled dog harness, and the two are connected by a length of rope. There are no reins or other signaling devices to control the dog: The dog must be motivated by its own desire to run, and respond to the owner's voice for direction.

Many breeds of dog participate in skijoring. The only prerequisite is a desire to run down a trail and pull, which is innate in many dogs. Small dogs (less than 35 pounds) are rarely seen skijoring, because they do not greatly assist the skier, however since the skier can provide as much power as is required to travel, any enthusiastic dog can participate.Athletic dogs such as Pointers, Setters and herding breeds take to skijoring with glee, as do the northern breeds, such as Siberian and Alaskan Huskies, Malamutes, Samoyeds, and Inuit dogs, however any energetic dog is capable of enjoying this sport. Golden Retrievers, Giant Schnauzers, Labs, and many cross-breeds are seen in harness.

The sport is practiced recreationally, and competitively, both for long distance travel and for short (sprint) distances.

Competitive skijoring with dogs

Skijor races are held in many countries where there is snow in winter. Most races are between 5 kilometers and 20 kilometers in length. In the United States and Canada, skijoring races are often held in conjunction with sled dog races, skijoring being just one category of race that occurs during the day's activities. In Scandinavia, skijor racing is tightly associated with the older Scandinavian sport of Pulka. Skijoring races are not normally limited to purebred Northern breed dogs such as the [Siberian Husky] . On the contrary, the top ranked racing teams in the world are German Shorthaired Pointers, Pointer/Greyhound mixes, Alaskan Huskies, or crosses between these breeds.

Dog Skijoring race sanctioning organizations

Although some races are unsanctioned, held under the sole guidance of a local club, many races fall under one of three international organizations. In the United States and Canada, ISDRA (International Sled Dog Racing Association) sanctions many races. In Europe ESDRA (EuropeanSled Dog Racing Association) provides sanctioning, and the IFSS (International Federation of Sleddog Sports) sanctions World Cup races all over the world, as well as a world championship race every two years. At the IFSS World championship event, skijoring races are separated into men's and women's, and one-dog and two-dog categories.

Origin of Dog Skijoring

Since many leashed dogs naturally tend to pull a skier with no training, the sport cannot claim a single country of origin. It was invented and continues to be reinvented all over the world. As a competitive sport however, it is believed that the first races were held in Scandinavia as an offshoot of the older sport of Pulka. Competitive racing has been taken up in North America while its older cousin Pulka racing has not yet become popular.

Dog Skijoring equipment

The skijoring belt worn by the skier is a wide waistband which is clipped around the skier’s waist, and which may include leg loops to keep it in position. Rock Climbing belts are also commonly used as skijoring belts.

The sled dog harness can be any of the several types of dog harness commonly used for dogsled racing.

The skijoring line is usually at least 1.5 metres (8 feet) long. A longer line is used for a three-dog team. Special quick-release hitches or hooks are available, used so that the skijorer may unhook the dog's lead rapidly.

Dog Skijoring techniques and training

The skier uses either a classic diagonal stride cross-country technique, or the faster skate skiing technique. In races, the skate-skiing technique is almost exclusively used. The skis are hot waxed from tip to tail, to avoid slowing the dog team down. Classic skis with grip wax are not used for races but are occasionally used for extended back-country travel.

Skijoring dogs are taught the classic dog sledding commands to start running (hike), turn (gee and haw), to stop (whoa) and to pass distractions (on by). Training is best done on foot, before the person straps on their skis, to avoid being pulled into objects, like trees or half-frozen creeks.

To participate in races, skijoring dogs must be taught to pass, or be passed by other teams without interfering with them. An overly friendly attempt by one dog to stop and greet another team passing at high speed can be as problematic as a dog that attempts to nip other dogs in passing. A top skijor racing team can pass other teams head-on, without even turning to look at them.

Dog Skijoring in the media

Skijoring features in the 1998 film "Silver Wolf", starring Michael Biehn and Roy Scheider.

Dog Skijoring variations

Variations of skijoring include snowboarding while hitched to a dog, and "grassjoring," skijoring on grassy fields rather than snow.

Also see the related sports of bikejoring and canicross

Equestrian Skijoring

Skijoring behind a horse can be a method of winter travel or a competitive sport.

In North America, the North American Ski Joring Association holds competitions in which a rider guides the horse while the skier navigates a series of jumps and obstacles. In France, competitions involve a riderless horse, which is guided by the skier.

Skijoring with horses was a demonstration sport in the 1928 Winter Olympics.

Motorized Skijoring

Skijoring can also take place behind a snowmobile or an all terrain carrier such as the Bandvagn 206. In this case, several skiers or soldiers can be towed on the same rope. The rope is passed around the skiers skipoles and continues to the next person in line. Skiers then preferably hang on to their skipoles, supported by their arms.

External links

Horse Skijoring Links

* [http://www.nasja.com/ North American Ski Joring Association]
* [http://www.whiteturf.ch White Turf - Horse Skijoring and racing event held on the Lake of St Moritz, Switzerland]
* [http://www.wresja.com Wood River Extreme Skijoring Association]
* [http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympische_Winterspiele_1928/Skij%C3%B6ring 1928 Winter Olympics Skijoring de icon.]

Dog Skijoring Links

* [http://www.skijornow.com Skijor Now - Skijoring news, products, and resources]
* [http://http://www.sleddogcentral.com/skijoring.htm/ Sleddog Central Skijoring Information]
* [http://http://www.isdra.org/ ISDRA - International Sled Dog Racing Association]
* [http://www.esdra.net/ ESDRA - European Sled Dog Racing Association]
* [http://www.sleddogsport.com/ IFSS - International Federation of Sleddog Sports]
* [http://www.skijoring.com/ skijoring resources]