Skijoring Pictures

[shelterwood]

As promised, here are a few shots of my coming 4 year old mare Sasha pulling me around on a trial run of skijoring. This was just on our property, and only for short distances. It was a real challenge to turn smoothly, and since I had a bitless bridle on her, I was lacking some overall control. She doesn't actually go well in this bridle, but I feared tugging on her mouth (wasn't sure how much balance I would have without poles). I did OK, so next time I will try with a normal jointed snaffle as she usually wears. I actually found stopping in time before I ran over lines to be a bigger challenge than forward balance. The harness I am wearing has a break away mechanism that is velcro, which we use with our dogs, so safety seemed reasonable. Probably could have had a helmet on! All in all she did great, and I'm looking forward to trying this with a bit and perhaps on a long, straight stretch of trail some day. It would be interesting to try some kind of set up with rigid shafts that allowed for brakes, but I'm not sure how safe that would be to get out of. Have to come up with something with a similar break away mechanism just in case. We have literally hundreds of snowmobile trails, but the problem is there is always snowmobiles!

 

[shelterwood]

Here's some more:

 

[hobbyhorse23]

She's beautiful, and looks like you had fun! Thanks for sharing the pictures.

Leia

 

[shelterwood]

Thanks Leia! We did have fun, kept it short and sweet. Not sure if it is viable for any real actual use, but fun to try and fun to consider a way to make it more of an option for winter diversions. She's an amazing girl, loves to drive, knows her job after only a short year and a half. Loves to try new things!

Katie

 

[targetsmom]

Looks like fun - thanks for sharing. Very nice horse! Could you post a photo of how you are attached (around the waist??) or describe it so maybe someone else could try it? I guess I am better at figuring out how to attach a horse to an object than to a person!! Is there a quick release of some kind - even a baling string with a quick release slip knot?

 

[shelterwood]

The skijoring harness I am wearing has a red pull tab, about hand sized, that you can simply pull on and it detaches completely from human/horse via velcro, right in front of your waist basically. Therefore, one is left with just reins for stopping power, and my big concern is that out anywhere outside of one's property, if you HAD to detach yourself, then you suddenly have a loose horse. Now, the horse would only be left with the line from the harness and the reins dragging, so no cart or shafts to pose a danger to them, but still, the idea of a loose horse is not as appealing as a loose dog, who I can USUALLY catch!! So this is one dilemma. Yesterday I practiced a fall, asking my mare to whoa as I slid to the ground, so I could see how she reacted and also gauge how hard it is to get back up, manage horse and lines etc. I have long nylon ground driving lines, so I have some play to work with even when I detached at the break away mechanism, which allows for stopping, but in the event of a real fall, I imagine it would be harder to hang on to one's lines, and the horse would be moving a bit faster too.

Try this link. http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1028&bih=625&tbm=isch&tbnid=GzGcqxqUU5PPnM:&imgrefurl=http://www

It shows the human and dog end of the system, but you can see the velcro release mechanism, and the bungee cord, which I doubled around to shorten a bit. The horse has climbing rope with caribeeners (climbing rated ones) attached to the breastcollar (with buckle in traces removed) with the ropes on either side coming to a point behind the horse to another locking caribeener that hooks into the bungee tie doubled over itself, which is then attached to the skijoring human harness. Sorry, kind of confusing. The "traces" which are my climbing rope, are looped around my harness a few times to prevent the lines from dragging down near her feet should she slow and I catch up on her (which definitely happens!). See the picture I attached in the second post from the side view.

Hope that helps. It is really fun and in the right spot, like if I had some space and trails on my own property that were long, flat, and straight, or an open field, it would be awesome, but right now we don't, and the best spot is shared with LOTS of snow mobiles, so we won't be doing that anytime soon, but it could really be cool in the future if we ever get more property.

Katie

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Therefore, one is left with just reins for stopping power, and my big concern is that out anywhere outside of one's property, if you HAD to detach yourself, then you suddenly have a loose horse. Now, the horse would only be left with the line from the harness and the reins dragging, so no cart or shafts to pose a danger to them, but still, the idea of a loose horse is not as appealing as a loose dog, who I can USUALLY catch!!

Ah, but the good news is with no shafts along their sides and no cart to overturn, there is absolutely no reason I can think of not to do a traditional one-rein stop! Assuming you can hold on to at least one rein, that is. I usually can't in the snow!

Leia

 

[paintponylvr]

I love what you are doing! Thanx for sharing... Look forward to hearing how you are going to fix "the problem" you are having with you not solid "shafts"... wonder if a light pvc "handle could be made? either in a shaft type configuration or as a tongue type ...

 

[shelterwood]

Leia,

Yes, I figure I can do a one rein type stop, assuming I can hold onto one rein. I was thinking it would be a good idea perhaps to make loops at the end of one or both lines that could loosely slip over my wrist so I would have a back up, yet still shake it loose should I ever be in a true dragging situation. I feel like if one rein really was firmly pulling, my mare would stop.

Paula,

I have been considering if PVC type shafts would work in any way. It would be really nice to have the brakes and the stability. But I'm not sure how I would handle them, or have them attach to me, and also handle the reins in any good sort of way. I was thinking that if I slid small diameter, light PVC tubes along my "traces" between me and horse, perhaps they would offer just enough stopping and bracing ability so I wouldn't glide up on the horse in the event of a quick stop or slowing of speed. They would also keep the "traces" up off the ground and out of the horse's feet. Any thoughts? My husband is an electrician and he uses this real light plastic tubing to run wire, it is sort of flexible, but has some rigidity too, maybe I'll try that out this weekend! Take some more pictures. Hey maybe we can patent this system!!

Thanks for the comments!

Katie

 

[paintponylvr]

I like the traces with the dog pulling harness - but I was thinking more of something like this -



only a little longer so like the "drag" that Rabbitsfizz was using on her "spotty butt" mini guy (can't remember his name)...without the wheels.

Maybe attaching your harness to the back of the "shafts" (I call this a shaft trainer). OR still use your traces but then have these for a handle. Of course, get your mare (s) used to the "shaft trainer" first.