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Skis and steeds: Topsham Fair Association's first-ever skijoring event draws big crowd to fairgrounds

Organizers estimate more than a thousand people came out for the event, which involves a skier being pulled by a horse and rider through a course of gates and jumps.

TOPSHAM, Maine — Horses, skiers, and gorgeous weather came together in Topsham on Saturday for an event that organizers hope will become an annual occurrence.

If any members of the International Olympic Committee are reading this, they may want to bring this event up during the "new winter events to consider" portion of their next board meeting.

That's right, folks. We're talking about skijoring.

A sport of Norwegian origin, skijoring translates to "ski driving." Skiers and snowboarders are pulled by horses and riders through a course of gates and jumps. Best time wins and time penalties are given for any failures to follow the course correctly.

It felt fitting that Saturday's event was held at the Topsham Fairgrounds because it was a fair-like atmosphere. The grandstands were packed, and overflow spectators lined the length of the course. The food and beverage vendors' presence was noticeable too, with the smell of fair food wafting through the air.

Marie Brillant and Janice Hill of the Topsham Fair Association were the primary organizers, and they were delighted with the turnout. Brillant estimated more than a thousand people came out for the event, and the fairgrounds actually had to turn some people away because there wasn't enough parking.

"It was successful, and we learned a lot so that it can hopefully be even better next year," Brillant said.

Maine already has "Skijor Skowhegan," which, until Saturday, was the only skijoring event in Maine. That event has been going on for a few years, and it will be happening again this year on Feb. 26.

"My daughter participated last year in Skowhegan, and I said, "Sheesh, why don't you do this in Topsham?' And so we ended up just doing it ourselves," Brillant said.

Many of the other Topsham competitors had competed in Skowhegan in the past and will be going to Skowhegan again in two weeks. The consensus among spectators and competitors: the more skijoring in Maine, the better.

"I thought it was awesome. It was exciting, and it's great to see people get out this time of year. It's great to see the fairgrounds being used in the wintertime," Mark Christman, a spectator, said. "We hope more of this happens in the state of Maine."

Spectators were also treated Saturday to the rare "skijoring switcheroo" in which the skier pulled the stubborn pony. And the crowd went wild!

Skiers and snowboarders dress the same way for skijoring as they would if they were going down the mountain. It's the horses that require some added equipment.

Competitor Caitlin Rice was kind enough to show me how the skier's rope safely connects to the horse's saddle.

She also showed me the cleats on her horse's shoes. To compete, horses must have cleats on their front shoes. Some horses have cleats on all four shoes.

There's a reason I've dubbed skijoring "the greatest show on snow." Check out the highlights below.

Here's to more skijoring in Maine. If you can get out to the Skowhegan event on Feb. 26, you likely won't regret it. 

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