Skijoring is an extreme winter sport with an ancient past. With its Norwegian etymology, it translates to “Ski Driving”, and this name couldn’t be more accurate.
Skijoring has been used by the Sami people for hundreds of years as a form of transport over the rough snowy terrain in the Nordic region. Traditionally utilizing native reindeer, the sport of Skijoring has transitioned over the last 100 years to other pulling methods including dogs, motor powered vehicles, and of course – horses.
In the early 20th century Reindeer Skijoring made its gaming debut at the Nordic Games and quickly became a pop-culture event. With its growing popularity it was not long before the switch from reindeers to horses began. Equine Skijoring quickly gained popularity in France and Switzerland where it began to feature in official sporting events throughout the 1920’s, and was eventually included in the Winter Olympic Games in 1928.
It was not long before this new equestrian sport made it to the shores of America where it was adopted as a winter activity at Lake Resorts, Winter Carnivals, and even prestigious Ivy League Universities.
As the sport gained traction across the United States it began to take a new look. Despite the early Nordic and European equestrian events featuring a lone skier being pulled by a breastplate harness steering their stead with long driving reins, the American Cowboys soon added their own flare. Taking advantage of the horns on their western saddles they quickly adapted the sport to feature a rider to steer the horse and a skier being pulled behind with a rope attached to the saddle. This new adaptation quickly caught cowboy competitors’ attention in states like Colorado which held its first competition in 1949 and even featured as part of Denver’s bid for the Winter Olympics in 1976.
Unfortunately, despite winning the bid, Denver decided to turn down the Olympics due to environmental impacts, and skijoring did not get to make it is big Olympic comeback. Although Skijoring has not been recognized at the Winter Olympic Games for decades, with its 100th birthday fast approaching there is a push to bring it back! Non-profit organizations like Skijoring International hope to reintroduce the sport to the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 or 2030, so keep your fingers crossed – we may finally get to see Skijoring competitors compete on the Olympic stage again sooner rather than later!