What is skijoring?

Scandinavian in origin and popularised in the early twentieth century by English holidaymakers in St Moritz, skijoring made a comeback in the Alps around twenty years ago. It's an accessible, fun equestrian discipline that combines skiing with horses. So what exactly is skijoring? We look at it in more detail in this article.

The origins of skijoring

Like dog sledding, skijoring involves being pulled across snow and ice by an animal. The activity comes from Scandinavia, where snow covers the ground for months on end. To get about, people would put on their skis and be towed along by reindeer, before swapping them for horses, which were faster and far more powerful.

At the turn of the twentieth century, with winter sports just emerging, skijoring became a leisure activity. The very first skijoring races were held in St Moritz from 1906, driven by the British, who were keen followers of equestrian sport. The Swiss resort remains the home of the competitive side of the discipline to this day.

In France, skijoring was above all a practical means of transport until ski lifts came along. Horses were used to carry skiers back up the slopes.

Today, winter skijoring is fairly accessible to the general public. You don't need to be a rider to give it a go. You simply need to be comfortable on skis. After a few minutes of briefing on where to position yourself behind the horse and how to guide the animal, you can enjoy the pleasure of being towed along on your own.

Skijoring is best done in an enclosed, flat area. For the less daring, an instructor can stay alongside the skier or ride the horse to guide it.

Who takes up skijoring

Wondering who can do skijoring? Anyone can. The discipline involves being pulled along behind a horse while gliding on skis. That means children can join in too. All you need is to be able to ski with your skis parallel.

Broadly speaking, children can take up skijoring from around the age of six, with suitable horses and ponies: Shetland ponies for the smallest riders, larger ponies, or modestly sized horses for adults. There's even baby skijoring, which can be done from the age of three or four, provided the children have reached the "Ourson" ski level.

This involves a gentle session of around thirty minutes with very laid-back Shetland ponies led in hand, which the little ones will have groomed beforehand to get to know them. There's even children's kit available from La Sellerie Française to help your child feel more comfortable while doing it.