A SKIJOR CUP OF HOLIDAY CHEER
December 18, 2025
~ SKIJOR CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN ~
There are 13 competitive events in January,
26 in February and 6 in March.
8 in Montana
8 in Colorado
7 in Alberta
6 in Wyoming
4 in Idaho
3 in Utah
3 in Maine
1 in New Mexico
1 in Minnesota
1 in Washington
1 in New Hampshire
1 in British Columbia
There are also 3 events which
are exhibitions.
Banff, SLC and Steamboat
That puts us at 48 events for the season thus far
in North America.
Skijor USA continues to get inquires for new races
so we will let you know more details
as these develop.
Skijor USA
remains the "GO TO" source
for everything SKIJOR including the most accurate
and comprehensive calendar with direct links to events.
According to our 2025 survey,
Q: Is Skijor USA your "go to" website for information?
69% Yes +
13% Yes with comments such as
It is easy to navigate and accurate
I like that it has a full calendar.
Helpful for planning.
Go to www.skijorusa.com
the central hub of all things skijor!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ NOT AFRAID TO BE BOLD ~
The support for the Skijor Cup from the
skijoring community
has been overwhelmingly positive
with comments like:
"We have needed this for a very long time."
"This is exactly what the sport needs to grow."
"This is 10,000 times better than any other point series."
"I compete in rodeo, and this makes sense to me!"
This reaction is understandable
given the response to our survey questions:
Q: Do you want a universal point system?
65% Yes
23 % No
6% Yes with commentary
6% Not sure or Would be difficult
Q: Would you like teams, finishes and winnings viewable?
70% Yes
14% No
16% Doesn't matter / either way
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Rankings will be posted and updated throughout the season
on the Skijor USA and Skijor Cup websites
as well as on social media platforms.
We will list the Top 25 competitors and horses
from week to week per division.
Watch as the rankings change!
We may also add team rankings as patterns emerge.
This new system rewards
consistency, dedication, excellence, and performance
— while its transparency allows our growing community to see exactly how each competitor and horse ranks
week to week
and, finally, stacks up overall in North America!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ STANDARDIZED SCORING ~
In our series,
every event, every division and every format counts!
Furthermore,
every competitor and horse that wins money is recognized!
We award both "experienced" and "emerging" talent.
There is no membership.
1 Point earned per every $100+ awarded.
Your winnings convert directly into points.
$100 = 1 point or
$950 = 9.5 points, for example.
Both Day Money and Overall Money count.
So rack up those points at events that offer both!
According to our survey,
Q: Do you like Day Money?
98% Yes
2% No
Races that pay out more holes
will also work to competitors' advantage!
If a race’s prize pot and breakdowns aren’t published,
competitors may submit their winnings.
~ FOR THE GOOD OF ALL INVOLVED ~
At the end of the season,
money and prizes will be awarded to
the top finishers in every division
and
2026 SKIJOR CUP™ champions will be declared.
The Skijor Cup prize pot and awards
will keep pace with the rankings during the season.
Increases/additions will be announced weekly.
Our ultimate goal is to
incentivize participation across the board,
determine divisional leaders,
and have a true championship runoff
in the future.
~ EQUINE WELFARE HUMAN SAFETY ~
The Skijor Cup
is focused on safety, integrity and fairness.
The protection and well-being of our athletes,
both human and equine,
is at the forefront of our mission,
so standardized regulations such as
mandatory veterinarians and EMTs on site
are paramount to our success
and are thus, required.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ EXCEPTIONS ~
Exhibitions with no money awarded will not count.
If points are accrued by a competitor
toward a different group,
Skijor Cup points will not accrue.
In other words, no double dipping, sorry.
This only applies to a small number of races on the circuit
and will NOT affect most competitors
namely, people who may compete at these races
but are not signed up for something else.
For details go to www.skijorcup.com
For sponsors looking to support the SKIJOR CUP™,
or competitors and organizers with questions
please contact Loren at (646) 209-0229
or loren@skijorusa.com.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ UNITE WITH COMMUNITY ~
Here are a few more results from our survey.
Once again, YOUR valuable feedback
is being acted upon.
Q: Looking at skijoring online, I find
35% Content of events
35% Content of competitors
20% Information on events
10% News articles which include videos
There were several comments that they would
like to see more competitors covered,
not just the same ones.
Q: Looking at skijoring online, I would like to see more
26% Race highlights and results
24% Event calendar and reminders
20% Interviews and featured profiles
17% News and video content
13% Educational and tutorials
Again, a comment asked to highlight a greater variety
of individuals in videos, profiles, interviews.
Having more race choices
and
a universal point system means
a greater number of people will earn points.
Skijor USA will be reporting
on winners from all races and regions
and profiling people many have not heard of before.
We value the contribution of every competitor
who shows up and gives it their all.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ NEW YEARS 'SOLUTIONS ~
Our 2025 survey highlighted
some other topics in which we are
seeing progress in 2026.
~ REGISTRATION ~
The majority of races have opening dates for registration
on their websites or social media pages
(and many are open now)!
There are pre-registration options
for those who have competed at specific races in the past
like San Juan, CO and Big Sky and Whitefish, MT.
Some races will open registrations
closer to their event like
Grand Lake, CO in mid-January
and Red Lodge, MT in mid-February.
Some races remain "in person"
such as Sundance and Sheridan, WY and
Meeker, Silverton and Leadville, CO.
Some events are capping divisions
such as San Juan and Estes Park, CO,
Teton Valley, ID, Big Sky, Whitefish and Red Lodge, MT.
The challenge of teaming up remains an issue,
but races like Wood River in Bellevue, ID
have a Facebook Team-Up page.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/wresja.teamup
*Please note, Meeker Skijor has been moved
to February 21 & 22, 2026.
~ WEBSITES ~
Almost every event has a website
containing many details about their event.
A few smaller races that are just getting started
or those that are part of winter carnivals
remain on Facebook only.
About a third of races are posting a map/diagram of their
venue and track design.
For instance, Meeker, Pagosa Springs, Estes Park, Grand Lake
all in Colorado and Canterbury Park in Minnesota.
The majority of tracks are straight or have slight curves,
and very few remain in the "J" shape
such as Red Lodge, MT which also provides a map.
We encourage any races without course or
venue maps posted to do so.
Timelines are also very helpful.
~ DIVISIONS AND FORMAT ~
Every race has noted divisions for 2026.
Almost all have Open, Sport, Novice and Snowboard
and most have Youth, Junior or Pee Wee.
Several offer Switcheroo
like San Juan, CO, Big Sky, Three Forks and Red Lodge, MT.
A few have Women's or Century Divisions this year.
Sundance, WY remains famous for its
Young Guns, Powder Puff and Classic Divisions
and Bellevue, ID offers a Women's and Couples Division.
Several races are using the "D" format
such as Three Forks and Boulder, MT throughout
and Craig, CO and Saratoga, WY in Sport only.
~ PRIZES AND PAY OUTS ~
Most events still do NOT pay the horse.
This is something many would like to see change.
Those that DO pay the horse 10% are
Meeker, San Juan, Pagosa Springs, Grand Lake, CO;
Saratoga, WY;
Boulder, Whitefish and Red Lodge, MT.
Estimated prize pots and payout structures
are increasingly being publicized in advance of events.
This helps competitors gauge which races to enter
and will allow the Skijor Cup to calculate points.
Variables such as Day Money, number of holes
paid out and a percentage paid to the horse,
can often be more important than the total prize pot amount.
If only a small number of teams
stand to walk away with the whole pie,
competitors should consider whether it is worth entering
if chances of placing in the top 3 Overall are slim
and Day Money only goes to the single fastest time.
The right to protest a penalty is also a valid consideration.
~ THE SKIJOR EXPERIENCE ~
About half of the events remain FREE of charge
to spectators
while the rest charge a nominal General Admission fee
to cover costs or raise money for charity.
Some offer VIP ticket sales.
Live-streaming
Once again, some events will be
streaming on Cowboy Channel Plus
which requires a subscription,
yet the races don't seem to gain much from it.
So more power to events that are live-streaming
on their hard earned content on their own social media platforms!
If YOU make it happen, YOU should benefit directly from it.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ SOCIAL MEDIA ~
Skijor USA
has launched new social media pages
on Instagram and TikTok.
Check them out!
Like, follow and share!
https://www.instagram.com/skijor.usa/
https://www.tiktok.com/@skijor_usa
If you have content you would like to share,
contact maya@skijorusa.com
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Beware of impostors
&
Make your "likes" or "follows" count.
In today's world we are assaulted with a barrage
of social media.
The Skijor Cup and Skijor USA
are not looking to flood the internet with posts.
Ours will be of high quality, of import and of relevance.
We do not use AI.
So if you see anything like this, it is not ours.
Instead, we form partnerships with respected
and hard working photographers and videographers
whose talent deserves to be acknowledged and showcased.
If you see social media accounts whose
intent is to mislead viewers or redirect content through
deceptive means in order to gain traction
for their brand please think twice before supporting them.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We wish everyone in our skijoring community,
equine and canine members included,
a safe, happy and healthy holiday!
JOR ON!
Loren Zhimanskova,
Founder, Skijor USA & Skijor International