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Horse + Ski = Ski-Joring

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Education & Training

This is Part 1 of a two parts series.  

The flyers are posted on the windows of the businesses on Broadway Avenue.  "The National Finals Ski-Joring Races 2009 - It's Winter Fun...Western Style".  The annual tradition of ski-joring in Red Lodge, Montana will be taking place this year on the weekend of March 14 and 15.  Admission is $5 per person.

Competitions take place from 11:00am to 4:00pm each day at The Home of Champions Rodeo Grounds, west of Red Lodge on State Highway 78.  The awards ceremony will take place Sunday, March 15th, 6:00pm at Foster & Logan's Restaurant.

Ski-joring originated from the Scandinavian countries where it was a form of transportation.  It has evolved into a competitive sport in the West.   

Each race involves a horse and two people.   One person rides and guides the horse while the other person is on skis and being pulled via a rope by the horse while he navigates a series of jumps and obstacles.

There are two types of competitions: one where it is a race against time and the other for the longest jump.

Ski-joring Ski-joring longest jump competiton

 

The second photo was from March 2008 and was taken by Carellen Smith.

Click on the following link and watch the first 30 seconds of the ski-joring video to get a better idea of this winter sport.

ski-joring video

 

For photos of the 2009 ski-joring races in Red Lodge, visit the second part of this two parts series by clicking on the following link: Part 2  .

 

Show All Comments
Mary Douglas
United Country Ponderosa Realty, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado - Red Feather Lakes, CO
REALTOR, Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Hi Gerry! This is something I would love to see. I have not ever heard of this before, but I don't live in a ski area...so maybe that is why.  I can't wait for part 2!! Thanks Gerry!

Mar 07, 2009 11:13 AM
Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES
Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL
Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Gerry, I've never even heard of it!  You think it'll ever become an Olympic sport?  Looks like lots of fun.  Thanks for sharing!

Mar 07, 2009 11:55 AM
David Stevens
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty, Victoria BC Canada - Victoria, BC
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty

Hi Gerry - ski-joring looks like a great sport. Has it been going on for many years there? We have some good ski areas on Vancouver Island, as you probably know, but I've never seen anything like that before.

Cheers from a Canuck to a Hab!

Mar 07, 2009 12:40 PM
c m
Colorado Springs, CO

Leadville just had their skijoring races this weekend! I used to watch them every year from my storefront on Harrison Avenue.  Watching friends tear down the Avenue on horseback, skis and little guys towed by snowmobiles is so much fun!  We almost always had someone going to the finals in Red Lodge! Enjoy, I know you will see some spectacular stuff since your race is the cream of the crop!

Mar 08, 2009 07:26 PM
Gerry Khatchikian
Red Lodge, MT
ASA, TRC, SFR

Mary,

Part 2 should be sometime next week.

Mar 09, 2009 01:35 AM
Gerry Khatchikian
Red Lodge, MT
ASA, TRC, SFR

Silvia,

That would be very interesting to watch as a winter olympic sport.

Mar 09, 2009 01:36 AM
Gerry Khatchikian
Red Lodge, MT
ASA, TRC, SFR

David,

I read somewhere that it has been going since 1940 in the West.  However, it is even much older in the Scandinavian countries where it originatred from.  

Cheers from a Hab to a Canuck!

Mar 09, 2009 01:38 AM
Gerry Khatchikian
Red Lodge, MT
ASA, TRC, SFR

Cheryl,

Thank you for sharing an additional video of ski-joring.   I am very excited as this will the first year I will get to experience ski-joring in Red Lodge, Montana.   It will be interesting to watch the crowd favorites i.e. the little guys.

Mar 09, 2009 01:43 AM
C. Bartch
Newark, OH

Hi Gerry, Ski -Joring ~ humm never hear of this fun sport. All I can say is 'get out the aspirin, Biofreeze or Ben Gay', yikes!

It does look like a good time (from the sidelines for me). Beautiful horses, snow and friends sound like a winning combination!

Mar 10, 2009 07:39 AM
Gerry Khatchikian
Red Lodge, MT
ASA, TRC, SFR

Cynthia,

No need to worry for me.   I will be watching from the sidelines.   The weather is looking good for the upcoming weekend (sunny and in the high 30's).

Mar 10, 2009 07:54 AM
C. Bartch
Newark, OH

Well Gerry, we finally got a bit of snow here over a week ago and today it was in the 80's!

Glad to hear you will be safe and secure on the sidelines, with your camera right?

Mar 10, 2009 09:51 AM
Gerry Khatchikian
Red Lodge, MT
ASA, TRC, SFR

Cynthia,

Safe, secure and with camera to get my very own photos of ski-joring and be able to share them in a follow-up post.  :-)

Mar 10, 2009 09:56 AM
Mike Jones
SUNSTREET MORTGAGE, LLC (BK-0907366, NMLS 145171) - Tucson, AZ
Mike Jones NMLS 223495

Gerry,

This is great fun.  I found Part 2 first, and am backtracking to figure it all out.  I'll watch the video; thanks for the link!  (What's a Hab?)

Mike in Tucson

Mar 16, 2009 09:38 PM
David Stevens
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty, Victoria BC Canada - Victoria, BC
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty

Mike (in Tucson) - It's all about ice hockey! A Hab Fan is not as important as a Canuck Fan! Although Gerry might have something to say about that. Here is what I found online:

Answer: Habs is an abbreviation of "les habitants," the informal name given to the original settlers of New France, dating back to the 17th Century. So it's a natural fit for the The Montreal Canadiens, established in 1909 and marketed as a French-Canadian hockey team.

Having said that, the nickname might have been the result of an error. According to NHL.com, the first man to refer to the team as "the Habs" was Tex Rickard, owner of Madison Square Garden, in 1924. Rickard apparently told a reporter that the "H" on the Canadiens' sweaters was for "Habitants." Not true. The distinctive C-wrapped-around-H logo stands for "Club de Hockey Canadien."

Cheers to Gerry anyway ...

David
Big Canuck Fan

Mar 20, 2009 12:52 PM
Gerry Khatchikian
Red Lodge, MT
ASA, TRC, SFR

Mike,

It was great fun to watch and those who participated all seemed to have had lots of fun.   With regards to a Hab, I will thank David the Canuck Fan for taking the time to research and explaining it (of course I don't agree with his second sentence).  Have you heard about the term Crazy Canucks?

I thought I was the only Hab Fan in Red Lodge, Montana till I ran across another one at the post office a few weeks ago.   :-)

 

Mar 21, 2009 06:35 AM
Gerry Khatchikian
Red Lodge, MT
ASA, TRC, SFR

David,

Cheers to the Big Canuck Fan.   I had great confidence around mid-season that the Montreal Canadiens were going to make the playoffs.   Not so much now with the recent firing of Carbonneau as head coach.   

I am not sure if you are trying to get some rivalry going between Canucks and Canadiens fans.  I have no problem admitting that the Canucks have dominated the series in recent years. Until February 24, Vancouver had not lost in 11 straight meetings with Montreal, amassing 10 wins and a tie over that span.  They handed the Habs a 4-2 defeat when the teams faced off in British Columbia on February 15.  But, on February 24, the Habs shut out the Canucks 3-0 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.   But don't despair if the Montreal Canadiens don't make the playoffs or get eliminated before the Vancouver Canucks in the playoffs, I will cheer for the Canucks.   But, can you or are you willing to cheer for the Habs if the Canucks are out of the playoffs before them?   Although, highly unlikely ("très improbable") it would be great to have a show-down between two Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup Finals, something that has not happened in 20 years since the Final between the Calgary Flames and Montreal Canadiens in 1989.  I am all for a Canucks-Canadiens for the 2009 Stanley Cup Final!

Gerry "Go Habs Go" from as far as Red Lodge, Montana!

Mar 21, 2009 06:53 AM
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