The 2022 Winter Olympic Games are in full swing in Beijing, and the world's attention is also focused on the feast of ice and snow sports.
As we all know, equestrianism is one of the sports of the Summer Olympic Games, including dressage steps, track obstacles and three-day races. But few people know that in the winter Olympics, horses also left a healthy posture on the snow field.
Wild and exciting Skijoring
Skijoring | at the 1928 Winter Olympics Image source: Olympics.com
The word skijoring is derived from the Norwegian word skikj ring, which means "ski driving". As a winter snow sport, it refers to a person stepping on a ski and being towed ahead by a horse, a dog (or dogs) or a vehicle.
It is said that it originated in Norway and Switzerland and was originally a method of military dispatch. Later, it developed into a competitive sport. In 1901, 1905 and 1909, Skijoring was included as one of the events of the Nordic Games. Modern Olympic founder Pierre de Coubertin and the Times, among other media outlets, praised it and contributed to the sport's brief popularity.
Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Modern Olympics, | Image source: Olympics.com
Coubertin published a report on the 1901 Nordic Games in the Olympic Review. In the report, he expressed interest in incorporating some winter sports into the Olympic Games, with a specific mention of Skijoring.
Thanks to his efforts, skijoring, which was led by horsemen, finally appeared as a showcase event at the 1928 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
In skijoring at the 1928 Winter Olympics, horses in the distance were skirting corners. Image source: Wikipedia
That year, Skijoring made its debut at the Winter Olympics, with horses dragging athletes forward on the track. There are no riders on the backs of the horses, no obstacles on the track, and athletes do not carry ski poles in their hands, only by dragging the ropes to complete the race. Riders are male or female, and horses are male or female. The format of the competition is that all participating teams compete at the same time to determine the competition, rather than timing separately.
Brushing away the dust of nearly a century of history, we can only peek into a corner of that year's tournament through unclear black-and-white photos.
But apparently, just thinking about this project is enough to get an adrenaline rush. Athletes not only need to have excellent physical fitness and strong torso strength, but also need to have excellent skiing skills.
After that, the 1948 Winter Olympics were still held in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the first Winter Olympics since the end of World War II. The year featured the addition of winter pentathlons, including cross-country skiing (10 km), shooting, alpine skiing, fencing and equestrianism.
Since then, horse-related sports have not appeared in the Winter Olympics, and Skijoring has almost flashed in the history of the Winter Olympics.
Modern Skijoring
Although Skijoring was only a flash in the pan at the Winter Olympics, it was only a flash in the air at St. Moritz. Moritz), today we can still see galloping horses carrying riders, snowmobiles or skiers on sleds, whizzing through the snow. Since its inception in 1907, the annual White Turf has attracted competitors and tourists from all over the world.
White Turf is held around February each year. On st. Moritz's stunning glacial lake, horses and athletes show off their style. The event, which includes not only the competition itself, but also food, music and various creative exhibitions, is usually held on Sundays for three consecutive weeks in February.
The snow horse race in St. Moritz | Image source: Pixabay.com
Presumably, after World War II, American soldiers brought Skijoring, which had been seen in countries such as France and Switzerland, back to their homeland in the western United States. Skijoring has since developed another style in the United States.
The main difference from the European version of Skijoring is that the American Skijoring usually has a rider on horseback. In the United States, many of the contestants are either highly accomplished riders or very accomplished skiers who will use their talents to achieve collaboration.
The soul of Skijoring events in the United States also lies in the diversity and richness of the venues. The tournament ran from early January to mid-March, and the venue spread from Calgary to Ridgeway.
Riddwell's Skijoring Competition |Author: Wikipedia.
In Leadville, Colorado, USA, players compete along the main street, and some are played in cowboy arenas or meadows.
epilogue
From the past to the present, Skijoring has made the leap from military to athletic. No matter what form it takes, it reflects the intimacy of human-horse cooperation.
Just as humanity's quest for speed and passion has never stopped, horses have always been loyal and sincere friends who have walked side by side in human history. From the yellow sand to the ice and snow, from the joy of fighting bravely to sharing competition, it is the trust of life and the tacit understanding. For thousands of years, the relationship between man and horse has always been different from that of man and other animals. In the future, we will continue to write a new chapter.
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