By Tania Millen, BSc, MJ

In March 2024, Skijor Canada will once again hold Skijordue — a skijoring event billed as “a blistering blend of snow, speed, style, and cheese with gritty cowboys, gnarly free-riders, fur, fringe, and fashionista.”

“Skijordue brings together two different groups of athletes — riders and sliders — who have a sense of adventure and love to have a good time,” says Vanessa Mannix, a 34-year-old Canadian grand prix show jumper who returned from Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California specifically for Skijordue 2023.

Skijordue fashion.

Skijordue is the largest skijoring event in Canada and was most recently held on February 25, 2023 at Calgary Polo Club in Okotoks, Alberta. It was sensory overload at its best. As horses and riders galloped down hard-packed lanes of snow, a slider hung on to the rope dallied around the Western saddle horn. Participants and spectators dressed to shock and impress. Leather chaps, fur coats, cowboy hats, Canadiana, bright skiing onesies, and even a few kilts coloured the scene. An upbeat disc jockey kept the crowd jiving while outriders helped fallen sliders return to the chaotic holding area.

Bucket List Fun

“I’ve been having FOMO (fear of missing out) the last few years, so made it my mission to compete this year,” says Mannix. She was riding her family’s Quarter Horse, Loren, in all four events and towing skier Phil Hudec. They made up team Banded Peak Bandits.

Crazy fun at Skijordue 2023.

Mannix wasn’t the only one flying in for Skijordue 2023. Team Ireland came to Canada specifically for the event. 

“It’s an amazing opportunity to try something different and experience what the Canadians do very well,” says Susan Oakes, the fur-dressed rider for Team Ireland who competed on a borrowed horse. Her slider friend Brian O’Brien Lynch rode borrowed skis wearing a green onesie ski suit. 

“The Quarter Horse is so fast,” says Oakes. “I haven’t ridden Western much and dallying is new.”

But Oakes is known for trying new sports. In 2013, she set the Guinness World Record for jumping in a side-saddle when she cleared a 6-foot 8-inch (2.07-metre) wall.

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“We’re in every race,” says Oakes. “We’re here to do it all and give it our best shot. It’s just the craziest type of fun.”

Team Ireland (above/below)

There were four races with $10,000 prize money shared between the top three finishers in each class, and each race was different. In the circuit race, the slider grabbed plastic rings from posts, rang a bell, and went over jumps. The relay race had riders galloping along a straight track pulling their first slider. That slider then handed the tow rope to a second slider team-mate to cross the finish line. The sprint race was a head-to-head 200-metre gallop, while the long jump entailed sliders being towed over a 2-metre high jump. The slider jumping the longest distance with the best style and tricks, won.

Circuit race diagram (above).

Long jump diagram (above).

Relay race diagram (above).

Sprint race diagram (above).

Skiers and Boarders

Mannix explained that there’s a network of riders and sliders who mix and match to form teams before the event. Local Thoroughbred farm manager Jennifer Buck and her friend Ryan Kennedy teamed up as The Great Canadian Beavers.

“This is the best part about Alberta, mixing skiing with horses,” says Buck. She skied in the circuit, sprint, and relay while Kennedy rode their horse, Brando.

“We’re just here to have fun,” says Buck. “I couldn’t find my skis this morning. I dug them out of somebody’s attic and they were covered in dust.”

Families form teams, too. Christine Hagerman and her sister Allison live near Cochrane and were sharing riding and sliding duties as team Speed Sisters.

Volunteers

“My sister and I have been doing this since the inception of Skijordue and we come back every time,” says Hagerman. “It melds our love of the mountains and skiing and snowboarding with our ranch lifestyle.”

In the circuit event, Christine rode their horse Kipper while Allison skied. But for the relay event, Christine snowboarded, which she says is more challenging than skiing.

“When you’re skiing, you’re directly behind the horse,” says Hagerman. “But when you’re snowboarding, you’re sideways. So, depending on which way the horse is turning, you have a different angle pulling on you. If you’re on your backside, you can’t really see where you’re going.”

“I snowboard in the mountains, so that’s what I’m used to,” she says.

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Well Attended

There were 32 rider-and-slider teams in the circuit race, 29 teams in the sprint, 12 teams in the relay, and 15 teams in the long jump. About 2,500 spectators enjoyed the event, while 60 volunteers made it happen.

Sam Mitchell, Skijordue founder.

“It’s an incredible volunteer team,” says Sam Mitchell, the founder of Skijordue, which began as an informal skijoring and fondue get-together among friends. “They come from Banff, Lake Louise, and local ranches. There’s an equal mix of horse people and ski people. Plus, we have sponsors for equipment, course building, the cash prizes, horse gear, food, and tents.”  

After the four official races, teams competed in the farcical Alpine Lounge Race where the slider rode a couch towed by their horse and rider team-mates. There was also a Calcutta Auction, a Maker’s Market, and a boisterous aprés-ski party.

“Skijordue brings the community together and showcases the best of Alberta, blending cowboy and mountain cultures,” says Mitchell. “Plus, there’s the style culture for people who don’t compete, and the foodie culture. We like to celebrate local brands.”

Skijordue has raised over $30,000 for Prairie Sky Equine Assisted Therapy Association, a Calgary-based charity, since the event’s inception in 2017.

They give back in other ways, too.

“All of our planning, course design, building diagrams, rules, and regulations are open source for other communities to use,” says Mitchell. “We consult on a lot of events.”

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Long History

Skijoring isn’t new. Thousands of years ago, dogs pulled humans standing on wooden boards through the snowy mountains of Central Asia. A bit later, Scandinavians were pulled along on their skis behind amiable reindeer. The original version of equine skijoring has a skier driving an unridden horse. That sport debuted at the 1901 Winter Games and was an exhibition sport at the 1928 Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Warming up in deep snow.

“Once your horse is confident dragging weight on both sides, at different speeds and in all conditions, you can pull anything from kids on toboggans to professional skiers,” says Mitchell.

Today, the sport of skijoring is enjoyed in Finland, France, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the USA. High speed skijoring races have been showcased since 1907 at the White Turf event held every February on the frozen lake in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Canadians enjoy two different types of skijoring. In Quebec, riderless horses tow their drivers through an obstacle course. In western Canada, the horse is ridden in Western tack. But in both styles, the fastest horse wins.

Winning Cash

At Skijordue 2023, three teams dominated the standings. Little Monkey Metal won the circuit event and placed second in the relay. Old West Cowboys won the relay and the sprint, while Western Horse Review placed third in the circuit and relay events.

Team Ireland getting snow-blasted in the Alpine Lounge Race.

Team Ireland had a frustrating finish in the circuit race, with their slider popping out of his skis just inches from the finish line. But they redeemed themselves in the long jump, placing second. They were also third in the informal Alpine Lounge Race. Meanwhile, Mannix’s Banded Peak Bandits team won the long jump. Others interviewed didn’t place but undoubtedly got what they came for — crazy fun.

2024 skijoring event dates and locations can be found at Skijor Canada.

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More by Tania Millen

Photos by Monique Noble