Horse of the month: Skijoring Superstar Bowie

Photo Credit: Amanda Ubell

Equine skijoring involves a horse and rider pulling a skier over the snow. The person on skis carries no poles and holds a tow rope while the rider controls the movements of the horse. The horses gallop down a track roughly 900–1,200 feet (270–370 m) in length and the skier must navigate a series of jumps and gates throughout the track. The skier is timed through the course, and penalties are assessed by missing gates or jumps.

The sport first appeared in North America in 1915 in Lake Placid, New York. In 1928 it was included as an exhibition sport at the Winter Olympic Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland. Popular in Alberta, there are annual and regional events to allow horse, rider and skier combinations to test their skills in the snow. 

Horse of the month: Skijoring Superstar Bowie

Photo Credit: Amanda Ubell

Bowie, a handsome palomino Quarter Horse gelding is a famous skijor horse on both sides of the Atlantic. According to Sam Mitchell, founder of Skijor Canada and the rider who trained him, ‘Bo’ has done it all.

“He’s done cross country jumping, sidesaddle racing, mountain rides, parade routes, lounge racing and skijoring,” she shared. “He won the 2018 Millarville Sidesaddle race under Ryan Kennedy, the 2019 Skijordue Alpine Lounge with Ryan up and me aside, and the 2020 Skijordue Sprint race under Susan Oakes, the world record holder for Sidesaddle Jumping!”

Seems that anyone that has met him agrees that Bowie has star quality. “Bo is devastatingly handsome and great on camera,” Mitchell gushed. “He’s been featured skijoring in The Field, Horse & Hound, a Travel Alberta spot and the “Herstory” sidesaddle documentary.”

Mitchell has a history with Bo, and he is currently owned by her employer, Chinook Valley Inc. “I owned his dam and have four full and two half siblings by his sire, who was owned by Dace Cochrane of Stavely, AB.” Not just known in Alberta, Bowie has made a name for himself in Ireland due to the race he won with Oakes. 

Horse of the month: Skijoring Superstar Bowie

Oakes, an accomplished showjumper is friends with Mitchell and after a day’s hunting together in Ireland, she accepted an invitation to join Mitchell at the skijor competition she was organising in Calgary in February 2020. Together with a friend that was a ‘very good skier’, they set about preparing an Irish team.

Once in wintery Alberta, she was paired with Bowie who she referred to as ‘brilliant’ and spent two days training in Millarville where she tried to get used to a Western saddle and holding the reins in one hand.

When race day came, she leaned on Bowie’s experience and adaptability. “I’ve done lots of crazy things on horses but I have never been so nervous. When the flag dropped, the power of the pull was so strong I nearly came off. I lost my right stirrup, my boot fell off and then my hat too, but we won!”

Horse of the month: Skijoring Superstar Bowie

Photo Credit: Danny Hagan

Despite finishing in disarray, she, Bowie, and the Irish skier won the overall trophy. “It was the funniest thing ever – they’d given us such a good horse, but we had come from Ireland training with a tractor and a roll of carpet,” said Oakes. According to Mitchell, their win made headlines all over Ireland. “I was in Dublin 3 weeks ago,” she said, “And people are STILL talking about it two years later… it’s hilarious!”

Bowie, although he’s become famous with his skijoring wins, seems to love it as much as the riders and skiers that participate. According to Skijor Canada, horses like Bo are the heart of the sport and a top priority for the organization. 

Horse of the month: Skijoring Superstar Bowie

Photo Credit: Danny Hagan

Everyone involved in the sport is passionate and vigilant about animal care. Together with their sponsors Back On Track Canada and their official veterinarians, Wise Equine, they offer guidance on skijor horse training and conditioning, limit the number of runs a horse can make in competition and advocate protective gear and traction shoeing.

According to a CNN report, there is an effort to include equine skijoring in a future Winter Olympic Games should they be awarded to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 2030 or 2034. While it is highly unlikely the sport would be included as a competitive event, there is hope that it would make an appearance to honor its 100th anniversary as either a demonstration sport or as part of the opening ceremony or torch relay.

With the dates that far off, Bo will likely not add Olympic appearance to his resume. We can all just enjoy the idea of having fun on the snow with a handsome gelding such as he. Hats off to you, Bowie!