Combine skiing with fast horses and melted cheese in a fondue pot and you’ve got skijordue, one of the fastest fundraisers on the plains.
The first skijordue of the season was launched at its birthplace, the Calgary Polo Club, and it was another wild day as horses pulled competitors on skis and snowboards in sprints and over jumps. The money raised went to help Prairie Skies Equine Assisted Therapy Program and to create a venue for the sport where people can learn and do it in a safe and competitive way.
This year, the sport spread to central Alberta as Wetaskiwin held a Skijor and to the Crowsnest Pass where they held their second Pole & Spur in Blairmore with dates for Grande Prairie and Red Deer TBA. The sport has also dipped south of the Medicine Line to the “horse” states.