Skijoring event combines skiing with horse racing

SILVERTON, Colo., Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Winter sports fans gathered in a Colorado town for an annual event called skijoring, a sport combining skiing with horse racing.

The skiers in Silverton, Colo., were towed down Blair Street by horses during the weekend for an annual competition involving about 20 teams of competitors and an estimated 1,500 spectators.

"Who doesn't like seeing a horse going down the main street of a town pulling a skier, going off five-to-six foot jumps and getting rings?" veteran competitor Darin Anderson told KOB-TV.

Organizer Rob Conaty said this year's event faced an unexpected hurdle -- 60 degree temperatures. He said the snow held up, however.

"This is a difficult challenge we pulled off this weekend" Conaty said.

Skijoring is practiced elsewhere in the country with competitors being pulled by dogs, but Conaty said the horse version is faster-paced.

"Until you see it and see some of those fastest horses roll by at 40 miles an hour, it's hard to get a feel for how fast it is," Conaty said.