Horse-Powered Skiing Could Be Coming to New Zealand in 2027

This horse-powered ski competition could be headed for Wānaka, New Zealand.

Wānaka’s Snow Farm recently wrapped up its trial run for hosting skijoring — a unique skiing discipline where a horse tows a skier through a set course. Snow Farm’s trial comes in an effort to host the country’s first official skijoring event, showcasing the venue’s course, horse riding culture, and farming traditions.

According to Farmers Weekly, the trial had a solid turnout. 15 skiers turned up for the competition, with horse rider Zara-lee Macdonald bringing three horses to tow the skiers. As a stable manager, Macdonald has plenty of experience working with horses. And the opportunity to get involved in the event was something that piqued her interest.

“They called me a few months ago wanting to make this event, and they had heard about me being a horsewoman in the region. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll get on it’,” she told Farmers Weekly.

• Related: The Origins of Skijoring and Modern Competition Today

According to Macdonald, both skijoring skiers and horse riders must be very experienced. Skiers need to be comfortable handling the tow rope, and experienced riders must navigate a combination of horses, skiers, crowds, and unpredictable alpine conditions.

“There are a lot of atmospheric conditions we have to take into account, with flags and people cheering and obviously the snow, and then if an accident happened behind, if someone fell over or a horse falls…” she said. 

• Related: Skiing in New Zealand: Everything You Need to Know Before You Book

Today’s skijoring competitions include slalom gates, collecting rings while being pulled by a 30-foot rope, and even gap jumps. The team of horse, rider, and skier must navigate the course flawlessly in tandem while traveling at speeds of 45+ miles per hour. Skijor races excel in geographic regions that combine hardy equine riders, well-trained quarter horses, and expert skiers.

With horses being at the forefront of skijoring competitions, the sport is most popular in western mountain towns in the United States and Canada. Places like Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Bozeman, Montana, host various skijoring competitions, thanks to their farming and horse riding roots. The abundance of both skiers and horses in western areas makes running competitions feasible, as skiers and horse riders do not have to travel with both equipment and horses. The sport is also popular in parts of Europe, like Scandinavia and the Swiss Alps.

In general, skijoring is popular in places known for their farming. And for that reason, Snow Farm could be the perfect place to host New Zealand’s first competition. Snow Farm’s roots are firmly in farming, and parts of the original station remain operational, including Merino sheep grazing the Cardrona side of the mountain.

Snow Farm is currently operated by Sam Lee, while his daughter Joanna Lee and Willie Scurr operate the farming business below. 

“This [year] was for Zara to test it out and see if it works,” Lee said. “It does, and now we can go into the details of working out what an event would look like.”

In addition to skijoring, Snow Farm also has terrain for cross-country skiing and dog-sledding. 

“We would be pumped to do it because we are obviously the Snow Farm,” Lee added. “It fits in with the dog-sledding event that we do here too.”

With the trial finishing as a success, Lee and Snow Farm will now work through the logistics, horse welfare and safety requirements needed to host an official event in 2027. While skijoring is still a much smaller sport than traditional alpine skiing, an official event in New Zealand could help attract more eyes to the sport, ultimately growing the sport in the country.