Dog sled events in Newboro, Ontario this Saturday

According to news accounts, uneven snow has made preparation problematic for dog sled races in Alaska this year, including the famous Iditerod, scheduled to start this March 2nd.

A bit closer to home, the small Ontario town of Newboro also hosts dog-powered events:

The Rideau Lakes Cup Dog Sled Races take place in the Village of Newboro, in the Township of Rideau Lakes. The main race is a mid-distance, 25 mile race, run with 6 dogs. There are also skijoring races (a skier pulled by one or two dogs)

Where is Newboro, you ask? It’s sort of half-way between Kingston and Smiths Falls, in some lovely lake country.

This event has also been hit and miss too in recent years, thanks to variable snow conditions. But snowpack was decent across February so Saturday’s race is “on”.

There’s only a placid cat in our house. But anyone who’s walked an energetic dog knows there’s plenty of untapped power in a pooch. This is especially true in winter when an eager canine makes any leash-holder acutely aware of glide potential underfoot. (Yes, a well-trained dog will not tug you off your feet. If you have one of those I salute you.)

I keep meaning to attend this event. I’m especially curious to see the skijoring: 1-2 dogs pulling a skier.

Here’s a tutorial from SkiDogs.ca and a video of skijoring in action. Looking up skijoring I learned the word skikjøring is Norwegian and means ski driving. It’s sometimes done with horses too, as seen in this video from New Hampshire. (Jeepers!)

Alas, as it happens, I am not free to attend this Saturday. (Maybe next year?)

But if you’re looking for something different, this could be fun.

Tags: canada, Newboro Ontario, Rideau Lakes Cup Dog Sled Races, skijoring