What is ski jöering?
Of Scandinavian origin and popularized at the beginning of the 20th century by the English vacationing in Saint-Moritz, ski jöering was revived in the Alps about twenty years ago. It is an accessible and fun equestrian discipline that combines skiing and horse riding. What is ski jöering? We talk about it in more detail in this article.
The origins of ski jöering
Like dog sledding, ski jöering is a sliding activity pulled by an animal on ice. This activity comes from Scandinavia where snow covers the ground for many months. To get around then, the inhabitants put on skis and were pulled by reindeer before they were replaced by faster and much more powerful horses.
At the dawn of the 20th century, as well as the emergence of winter sports, ski jöering became a leisure activity. The very first ski-team races were organized in 1906 in Saint-Moritz, at the instigation of the British who were fans of equestrian sports. The Swiss resort remains today the mecca of the discipline in its sporting version.
In France, ski jöering was primarily practiced for utility purposes until the advent of ski lifts. Horses were used as lifts for skiers.
Today, winter ski jöering is quite accessible to the general public. You don't need to be a rider to ski jöering. You simply need to be comfortable with your skis. After a few minutes of briefing on the positioning of the skier behind the horse as well as the right gestures to guide the animal, you can enjoy the pleasure of sliding solo, pulled by the equine.
Skijoring should preferably be done in an enclosed and flat space. For the less adventurous, an instructor can be placed next to the skier or directly on the horse to guide him.
The profile of ski jöering practitioners
Are you wondering who can practice ski jöering? Anyone can do it. The discipline will consist of being dragged behind a horse, while sliding. That said, even children can take part in the game. You just need to know how to slide with your skis parallel.
So, generally around the age of six, children can do ski jöering using suitable horses such as Shetland ponies for the little ones or even double ponies, or even horses of modest size for adults. There is even baby ski jöering which can be practiced from the age of 3 to 4, provided that the children have a "Ourson en ski" level.
This requires a gentle session of around thirty minutes with ultra-cool Shetland ponies held in hand that the toddlers will have previously brushed to familiarize themselves with. There is even equipment for children that you can buy from La Sellerie Française so that the child feels more comfortable in the practice .