Skijoring: The wild blend of horses and skis that was the Winter Olympics’ first ever demonstration sport

By Jack Bantock, Patrick Sung Cuadrado, Frank Nunns O’Connell, CNN

(CNN) — On Friday, a highly-anticipated winter sporting competition with a rich history will get underway – and it’s not just the Winter Olympics in Italy.

Over 5,400 miles away from the opening ceremony in Milan, thousands will flock to the Ford Idaho Center in Boise, Idaho to watch skiers hurtle around a course of jumps, rings, and gates.

Some of these competitors will reach speeds of 40 miles an hour – an impressive feat given they are essentially racing on a flat course. Though these skiers have a trick up their sleeve – or, more accurately, a trick galloping at the other end of their rope.

Yeehaw! Don your cowboy hat and canter into the wild world of western-style skijoring – otherwise known as “Ben Hur on snow.”

History

Exhibited at St. Moritz, Switzerland in 1928, skijoring holds the honor of being the first ever demonstration sport at a Winter Olympics, yet the discipline’s origins extend well beyond its Games debut.

Practiced differently across continents, the history of skijoring is a complex one. Fortunately, there exists a one-woman fountain of knowledge for all things skijoring in Loren Zhimanskova, President of SkijorUSA and Skijor International.

A key coordinator for American skijoring and central to the sport’s growing reputation in the region, Zhimanskova’s passion for skijoring is matched only by her seemingly endless knowledge of its history and its people.

Born in Europe, skijoring has taken many forms over the years. It began with skiers being pulled by reindeer in Lapland, before trying their hand behind horses, dogs and – popularized in the 1950s – behind motorcycles and cars.

Zhimanskova has even heard of skijorers being towed by airplanes, though she insists that riders let go before take-off.

St Moritz’s frozen lake – host to the glitzy annual White Turf event since 1907 – has been described as the sport’s spiritual home, but skijoring took a trip across the Atlantic not long after and has since blossomed into an ever-growing discipline in America.

To rider or not to rider?

The central difference to the European version of skijoring is that in the US, the horse has a rider.

While in Switzerland many competitors grow up on horse ranches and ski, in the US most are either very accomplished horse riders or very accomplished skiers.

For many American riders and skiers, the start line will be the first time they meet each other.

“They just put their talents together and give it their best shot – it’s fun that way,” Zhimanskova told CNN Sports in 2022.

At White Turf, competitors race twice around a full, flat, oval track – leaving gates at the same time – whereas the Western style sees skijorers navigate an obstacle course spotted with jumps, hoops to collect, and gates to pass through in a time-trial format.

White Turf has been described as the “playground of the rich and famous,” with sponsors ranging from BMW to Credit Suisse, and Zhimanskova finally realized her dream of experiencing the glamor first-hand in 2016.

“When I walked onto that frozen lake, I felt like this was hallowed ground,” Zhimanskova said.

“As a historian, I’m really here and I’m really going to see this. And it was every bit as spectacular as I had imagined.”

It also gave Zhimanskova the opportunity to share with locals how the sport was being done differently in the US.

Their reaction? “You’re crazy.”

“They had no idea how we were skijoring here,” Zhimanskova said.

“And I said, ‘Well that’s funny you say that because when I describe how you do skijoring in Switzerland … we think you’re crazy!’ So we had a good laugh.”

Professional Western-style skijorer Megan Smith agrees with the Swiss assessment of the variation.

“An average person couldn’t do it. This is crazy,” Smith told CNN Sports earlier this year.

“It’s super risky. Anything to do with animals is risky. You know, the horses really get into it, and they go really, really, really, really fast, and the skiers sometimes get tangled up in the rope.

“So you have to be a certain kind of skier that’s willing to do some crazy things too. Like I said, I don’t think the average person could do it.”

American hospitality

Despite some old events like Leadville, Colorado – a 77-year-old venue that sees competitors race through the town’s main street – the US does not have a showpiece event like White Turf, yet this is by design.

The soul of American skijoring is its sprawling diversity and uniqueness from venue to venue. While White Turf takes place once a year across three Sundays in February, the US skijoring season runs from early January to mid March with venues spread from Calgary down the spine of the Rocky Mountains to Ridgeway.

While racers can expect a broadly similar format in terms of track length and snow depth, all races are independently run – each sculpted to the desires of the organizers.

Some events, like Leadville, are run down a main street. Others take place on rodeo grounds or in a hay field. The key, though, is the emphasis on the crowds of spectators.

“The more you interact with the crowd, the more they holler. And I think that’s fun,” Smith said. “So you know, racing, and you can kind of look over and give a big smile, and people root and root for you. The announcers are there; there’s lots of music playing.”

All have different prize pots – ranging as high as $40,000 to a simple jackpot made up of registration fees. Some races will even reward the victorious skijorer with a horse or custom saddle.

Incorporating skijoring as the centerpiece of a wider weekend festival – flushed with food and live music – is an increasingly popular trend, but two-day, standalone racing formats remain.

“Everybody really does want to do it their way … I respect this, it is the nature of sport in the US to be supple,” Zhimanskova said.

“I think as a community we’re very united, it’s just that all of our events need to have their own local flavor.”

Cowboy camaraderie

As such, Zhimanskova and SkijorUSA acts as the coordinating central hub of skijoring in the region.

Supported by Zhimanskova’s relentless efforts, skijoring in the US has enjoyed a golden age over the last decade. Thirty-one races – in addition to two exhibitions and one event for 6-14 year olds – are slated for 2026, with even more events planned in 2027.

The rapid growth of the sport originally suprised Smith, who describes it as a “wild ride, literally and figuratively.”

“The sport has grown so exponentially in the last two years, it’s almost unrecognizable. I mean, it went from nobody knows about it to we’re talking (about the) Olympics,” she said.

“We’re talking professional athletes. My friends have sponsors. I have a company that sent me clothes and ones they want me to wear during my races.

“It’s becoming a huge deal, and I think there’s no glass ceiling on it. We have had most of our races switch to invite only because the registrations were filling in 15 minutes.”

Despite skijoring’s expansion and the swathes of new faces, the core community remains incredibly tight knit. For Zhimanskova, permanently on the road, this camaraderie lies at the heart of her love for the sport.

“When I travel, I don’t like to feel like a tourist,” Zhimanskova told CNN Sports.

“I like to integrate, I like to be able to hang out with people at the local bar and just chat about life in that town. Everybody’s having a great time and everybody’s helping each other, which is wonderful.

“Yes, it’s a competition, but it’s that kind of rodeo cowboy culture where you need to have your buddy’s back because you never know when your horse trailer is gonna break down and you’re going to need somebody to help you.”

Operation Olympics

While Zhimanskova is doubtful that skijoring would ever be slated on the official Olympic schedule – citing reasons surrounding the Games’ complicated relationship with animals – she would be keen to reignite the demonstration tradition or incorporate it into the opening ceremony for a forthcoming Games.

Not least because 2028 marks the 100th anniversary of skijoring at the Olympics and there’s a prospect of Salt Lake City potentially being the host city for the 2030 or 2034 Games.

Picture the scene: a cowboy or cowgirl riding a horse into the opening ceremony bearing the American flag, followed in tow by a skier carrying the Olympic torch.

“I think it really represents the American spirit,” Zhimanskova said.

“The freedom, the love for the outdoors and the environment, the ability to come together from different backgrounds, different worlds and compete as a team.

“Of course, the horse is also just an iconic animal that’s been so important to our growth as a country.”

For Smith, nothing is impossible and she sees the Olympics as a realistic goal if the skijoring community comes together.

“If we can come together as athletes and figure out what we want our sport to be, we can do that. It would be amazing to be able to show that to the world and what talent we have here in the United States, that the Wild West is still thriving,” she said.

“Like I said, I don’t think there’s a glass ceiling on it. People are working on it. There are a lot of good things in progress right now.

“I think it’s just more conversations, and we’re right there knocking at getting it done.”

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