Brrrrr. It's Snow Season.
Let's Talk Skijoring. Yes, I spelled that correctly!
Cowboys, cowgirls and skiers, plus horses. What could go wrong?
One of the craziest things I’ve seen as an equestrian on social media is the sport of skijoring, with horses. Have you seen it?
Let’s take a minute and look at the smile on that rider’s face. She’s clearly having an adrenaline-filled ride.
What is Skijoring?
This winter sport has its origins in Norway as a leisure activity or even a competitive sport for snow enthusiasts. The skier isn’t under their own power, but is being pulled by dogs, machines, horses or other animals down a groomed cross country course.
There’s some good balance involved to do this on a snowboard. Picture courtesy of Little Jennie Ranch
Where Can I See Skijoring Live?
Popular in Poland and Switzerland, the sport combines rodeo and skiing in unique fashion in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
The course is made up of obstacles and jumps. Courtesy of Little Jennie Ranch
Just 40 minutes south of Jackson Hole, Bondurant, Wyoming has a long winter season, full of snow through May of most years. The Grand Finale Skijor is held at Little Jennie Ranch, welcoming some of the top competitors from around the country.
Divisions range from a professional-level Open to Novice level and special classes for snowboards, kids, ladies and working horses. There’s even a Century category, if rider’s and skier’s ages combine to 100 years. No, you can’t count the horse.
Rider starting out. Courtesy of Little Jennie Ranch
The race at Little Jennie is the last event of the skijoring season. As a working cattle ranch, they’re especially excited to bring a special division for working horses.
“A lot of our neighbors use this event as a last hurrah before the calving season starts, including ourselves, so we wanted to honor our best partners on the ranch,” office manager Jenna Montgomery told EQM, “We race Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16, and we have live music from the Nate Champion Band and Kellen Smith after the races on Saturday. We've got local food, some awesome vendors, and one of the most scenic race courses in the circuit.”
Love the matching wraps and cowboy hat. I wouldn’t know what to do with all that snow. Courtesy Little Jennie Ranch
As far as other entertainment, when the passages open in late May or early June, Little Jennie offers tons of trail ride choices, from full or half day trips to adventure rides, Ride and Fish and extended pack trips. They also have Cowboy Experiences, where guests can ride along with the cattle crew as they turn the herds out to the mountains for the summer.
Of course, combining food and riding makes for a great experience. There are chuckwagon rides and an elevated mountain meal in the Gros Ventre wilderness. Riders arrive at a base camp for a fire-grilled dinner, enjoying their ranch feast with views of the Bridger-Teton National Forest. At sunset, they make their way back to the ranch while experiencing nature’s best show at the end of the day.
There are sleigh rides, s’mores and open fires. Sounds like a winter plan to me.
Here’s the site for more information on the Little Jennie -
https://thelittlejennieranch.com/
And here is more information on Skijor in the United States:
Check it out!
As for me, I’m still recovering on the coast of Georgia from this unexpected snowfall. Here’s what my horse Lexie thought about that:
Have a great rest of your week and look for us back again with some tips on icy riding.
Jessica
Lexi is loving it!