Skijoring
Skijöring or Skikjøring ( Norwegian Kjøring : driving sport) is a winter sport in which a skier lets himself be pulled on a rope by a horse , sled dog or motor vehicle. Skijoring has been part of the Arosa horse racing program since 1911 . At the 1928 Winter Games in St. Moritz , it was an Olympic demonstration competition. For the discipline with a riderless horse, see also horse racing, paragraph Skijöring .
Events
White Turf
The most traditional event with Skikjöring is the White Turf in February on Lake St. Moritz in the Upper Engadin in Switzerland. On March 1, 1906, every minute, 13 riders standing wobbly on skis let themselves be pulled from the Postplatz in St. Moritz to Champfèr and back by unridden, galloping horses . The winner Philip Mark, with his Irish chestnut gelding Blitz, needed 20 minutes and 22 seconds for the 9,950-meter route. In 1907, the first official horse races were held on the frozen Lake St. Moritz ; Skikjöring is now run in groups, horse against horse, driver against driver. The decisive factor is the start from the adjacent start boxes and the battles for positions up to the first corner. In this first phase of the race, the lines get tangled easily; also the thoroughbreds can sometimes jump in all directions. There are also incidents later in the race, for example when a horse accidentally steps on a driver's skis. In 1965, for example, not a single driver crossed the finish line. Today colored skis are mandatory, which horses can better recognize in the snow. To make it easier to differentiate, each driver is given a racing color for the race bib and the flag that serves to protect the driver (is stretched between the two lines).
In 2012, the winner Adrian von Gunten needed 3 min 5.4 seconds in the second race (prize money CHF 15,000) for the 2700 m long racetrack.
Arosa horse race
At the Arosa horse races in January, there are flat , obstacle and trotting races as well as ski joring for sponsors.
Upper Harz Skikjöring
At the beginning of each year, the so-called Upper Harz Skikjöring is held in Elend im Harz . In two classes (traditional class: horses, ponies. Motor class: motocross machines, off-road vehicles, snowmobiles, quads, ATVs.) Skiers are pulled by appropriate towing vehicles or draft animals over an obstacle course specially prepared for the event. During the course of the respective competition weekend, the event was repeatedly attended by an average of 10,000 spectators in recent years.
Web links
- International Horse Races since 1907 - White Turf St. Moritz. Retrieved January 6, 2013 .
- Upper Harz Skikjöring (misery). Retrieved January 6, 2013 .