Skijoring Pairs Skiers with Horses

If the exhilarating thrill of the winter Olympic Games has you craving some competition, and you can’t quite swing an impromptu trip to Milan for the weekend, then you might want to head to the Waterville Valley Golf Course this Sunday for the 5th Annual Skijor Galore event where skiers and snowboarders, pulled along behind a horse, will race through a course of jumps and obstacles.

Yup, you heard that right. Competitors ski behind a horse.

To understand the sport of skijoring think part ski racing part rodeo. Holding on to a tow rope, the skier is propelled forward by a horse and rider team, sometimes clocking speeds around 40 miles per hour – an impressive feat considering the skier is navigating a flat course and not ripping down a double-black diamond.

Skijoring has its origins in Scandinavia, where reindeer were used as a means of travel, but the sport grew in popularity in Switzerland and France before becoming a traditional mainstay in Rocky Mountain towns in the mid-20th century.

“It sounds a bit hardcore when you think of it,” said snowboarder Lisa King, who has participated in the event with her sons every year since its inception, “but the riders are very gentle with anyone that is going out there, especially the little kids.”

“Now, there’s some racers that will go fast,” King continued, “and that’s when the horses will go a bit faster and whip them around.”

Skijor Galore is free for spectators, featuring food trucks, a beer garden and pony rides before the action kicks into high gear. For King, the opening ceremonies are a sight to see: music blasting to amp up the crowd, the American flag fluttering in the breeze as the National Anthem plays, and horses racing from end to end (without racers!) stomping snow up in a trail behind them.

“It’s incredible,” she said. “Just seeing that, you had to be hooked.”

What sets Skijor Galore apart from events out West is that those who sign up don’t have to have any prior skijoring experience. Usually, skiers would need to know someone with a horse and train as a team to compete professionally.

Photo by Ryan Joy

“Our goal is to make it accessible to people,” said Michelle Larkin, an organizer of the event and a two-time Olympic snowboarder herself. “We bring in 15 horses, and the job of the athlete is just to raise money.” Athletes must raise at least $100 to participate, although they are encouraged to raise as much as they can.

During the awards ceremony that follows the competition, commemorative belt buckles are awarded for the most money raised in addition to the fastest time and the best costume, as athletes and spectators alike are encouraged to dress in a western theme.

Skijor Galore is a major fundraising event for The Rey Cultural Center, a small preschool in Waterville Valley that Michelle, her husband Steve and the center’s current executive director, Leah Elliot, developed several years back. When they were trying to brainstorm new ways to raise money for the school, Elliot’s passion for equestrian and her connections in the horse-riding community provided the opportunity for this unique event to emerge.

Steve is the self-proclaimed hype man, but he credits Michelle as the creative genius behind it all. “We’re a really good team: Her drive, her commitment, her expectations are through the roof,” Steve said.

“All the pieces aligned,” Michelle said. “We have the space, we have access to the horses, and then we have a town full of people who are like, ‘Oh, wait. What’s this crazy ski thing?’ It’s truly such a community event.”

“We just have crazy friends that love our ideas,” Steve added. “You know the old saying. It takes an army. It takes a community. We have some great friends. Yeah, we’re lucky.”

Festivities begin at noon on Sunday with the first racers taking off at 1:15 pm. For more information and a sneak peek at what skijoring’s all about, visit the Skijor Galore website at skijorwaterville.com