x
Breaking News
More () »

Leadville starts their annual Ski Joring competition with horses, skiers

The event did not allow in-person viewing this year but streamed it online, and last the weekend.

LEADVILLE, Colo. — Like a lot of things in the age of COVID-19, Leadville's 73rd Ski Joring event did not allow spectators but streamed the entire affair online. 

The event started at noon and ends at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Ski Joring is a competition where a horse and rider pull a skier through a course with gates, jumps and rings. The skier is timed through the course, and penalties are assessed by missing gates or jumps and missing or dropping the baton or any of the rings. A random draw makes up the competitor's race for cash prizes and teams before the start.

Each competition lasts about three hours.

>> Link to Sunday's race

>> Watch Below: Day one of the races 

According to the website, the sport's history goes as follows. Two close friends sat in a booth at the Golden Burro Café discussing Leadville's upcoming winter festivities, known as the Crystal Carnival.

It was 1949, and they were to come up with something new to add to the event list for the festivities. The two decided to take a trip and see whether they could bring back any ideas from the Steamboat Springs winter carnival. Steamboat was where Tom Schroeder and "Mugs" Ossman first witnessed the sport of Ski Joring, a horse-and-rider pulling a skier.

Their idea was to add speed to the game, and now the competition is held annually in Leadville during the first full weekend in March. 

>> Official Rules for Ski Joring - 2021

> Top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you! Sign up for the 9NEWSLETTER right now to get can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.

RELATED: Shiffrin beats Vlhova, claims 45th World Cup slalom victory

RELATED: Lutheran girls hoops tops Peak to Peak in regular-season finale

SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Local stories from 9NEWS 

  

Before You Leave, Check This Out