Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 I would SO love to try skijoring with my two, but there is absolutely no useful snow here where I live. They would both love it, I just know. Those jumping photos are incredible. Allie + Tess & Kipp http://weebordercollie.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caroline Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Nice answers Sarah, I hope my kids are as well spoken at 16 as you are. Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whendogsfly Posted June 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Allie, you don't need snow to participate in mushing sports. There are several: dogsledding, skijoring, bikejoring, canicross, scootering, and carting. The concept is the same in all of these; you are just using a different peice of equipment. All you need to start (depending on which variation you choose) is a properly fitted x-back harness for each dog, a gangline (which could even be replaced with 6 foot leashes if only using two dogs), and one of the following: sled, skis, bike, scooter, rig, or your own two legs. I used a rig - 3-wheeled cart - this winter because we barely got any snow. Of course it is more fun in a 'winter wonderland', but dryland is becoming popular, and there are even dryland races in the Fall. Here is a great site to look at: http://www.dogscooter.com/ This group is based in Washington. The dogs in the second photo on the right look like BCs, don't they? Also, look at their links - some very useful information there. I know a few Jr. mushers from Washington and Oregon. You should contact the North West Sled Dog Association: http://www.nwsda.org/ and http://groups.msn.com/TheNorthwestSledDogA...?pgmarket=en-us. I hope that helps! Thanks so much for your kind words, Caroline. I think the information above could help you too if you want to get started, since you also live in Washington. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deneen Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Welcome! Those pictures are amazing. I look forward to hearing more about you and your pack. ~Kelly Deneen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth G Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Welcome. Just love those action shots! Sorry- I'm not 16 (I turn 36 tommorow)but I wish I was! Lol...you've got some beautiful dogs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenalyn Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Hi Sarah You have some beautiful dogs. I can't imagine what a handful raising eight puppies (much less border collies!) would have been -- I have trouble with just my one pup! Needless to say, I'm a bit jealous. I wish I had the means and the funds to do all of that with my two! I'm 17, and I was homeschooled as well, but I'm a junior at the university now. It sounds like we may have a bit in common Maybe we can chat sometime? -Jenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie+Tess&Kipp Posted June 23, 2006 Report Share Posted June 23, 2006 Thanks for the information and the links! I will take a look. There is bound to be something that will work... Allie + Tess & Kipp http://weebordercollie.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 There's a woman I know of (haven't yet met her) from not too far away from me who races a 6 dog team of BC's. She wasn't at our local race this year but I'm hoping to meet her next year. Sarah, do you race your team or sled recreationally? I started our Great Dane a few years ago just for fun, on my daughter's GT snowracer. He has since passed on, but I got my collie Noah going and my daughter entered a kid & mutt race with him, and then last winter I got Lightning started. He LOVES it, and they entered 3 more kid & mutt races. It's got me hooked and I kept a trail groomed around our fields this past winter by snowshoeing around and dragging a bale of hay on a sled just about every morning. A few times I also borrowed my neighbour's snowmobile after heavier snowfalls. We would also sled down to the end of our road to meet the schoolbus a lot of the time when there was enough snowcover on the road. Now that Lightning's going so well he's going to be my lead dog and the pups are hopefully going to be his team if all goes well. Did you buy or make your rig? I'd like to get something like that to use for training in the fall before the snow comes. Thanks for posting the link to the Yahoo group, I just signed up. Here are some pictures of Lightning (and Noah too. He doesn't really make a good teammate for Lightning though, he just doesn't have the same energy level. I threw in a picture of Pongo too. It was his first time on a real sled). Several of the pictures with Lightning are similar, but they show different expressions on his face. Oh, I also decided to try skijoring and bought the belt and gave it a go with my downhill skis. Lots of fun and they did work, but they're so heavy. Now I've gotten myself some skate skis and I'll just have to learn how to use them! (the boots arrived after the snow had melted) He looks like a demon dog - all he needs now is some foam flying out of his mouth! Haliburton Dogsled Derby Kid & Mutt race 2005 Lightning in the newspaper Haliburton Kid & Mutt race 2006 Pongo at my neighbour's with her collies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whendogsfly Posted June 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Thank you both, Kelly and Beth. Jenny, sure I'd love to chat! Quite an accomplishment to be a junior at a university at 17! I start part-time college next year.... Allie, I sure hope it works out for you! Silhouettestable, first I just want to say great pictures! It's so refreshing to see another Collie team in action! I'm so sorry to hear about Pongo, he's a gorgeous dog. We lost a Greyhound a few years ago to bloat. How many pups have you got? How old? I will be racing this winter in the 4-dog sprint class. I entered in one fun run a couple years ago, but nothing competitive yet, mostly due to lack of snow. I bought my rig used, it makes a great training tool for 3-6 dogs, but a bit too heavy for just 1 or 2. I'd recommend a bike or scooter instead. I may know the woman you are talking about - what's her name? There are quite a few BC sleddogs in your area. ------------------ Sarah and the Team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silhouettestable Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 Originally posted by whendogsfly:Silhouettestable, first I just want to say great pictures! It's so refreshing to see another Collie team in action! I'm so sorry to hear about Pongo, he's a gorgeous dog. We lost a Greyhound a few years ago to bloat. How many pups have you got? How old? I will be racing this winter in the 4-dog sprint class. I entered in one fun run a couple years ago, but nothing competitive yet, mostly due to lack of snow. I bought my rig used, it makes a great training tool for 3-6 dogs, but a bit too heavy for just 1 or 2. I'd recommend a bike or scooter instead. I may know the woman you are talking about - what's her name? There are quite a few BC sleddogs in your area. ------------------ Sarah and the Team Thanks, though I can't take credit for the photos, they were taken by a photographer named Lyn Winans (except the one from the newspaper and the one with Pongo). Pongo had to be put down due to bloat as well, at only 2 1/2 years of age The woman I was referring to is Bonnie Edwards, I think she's from the Peterborough area. I had heard of her before and then someone I know was telling me more about her. I didn't see any BC teams at this year's Haliburton Dogsled Derby (though there were a few mixes), but Bonnie was supposed to be going to the Kearney race and staying with somebody I know. She never made it there so I'm not sure what happened. We took Lightning to compete in the Kid & Mutt at Haliburton, Kearney and Bancroft. We were also going to try to make it to Cannington but my old truck was misbehaving that day. If I was to get into any kind of shape for it I might consider entering the skijoring competition at the Haliburton Derby. It's a 1 1/2 miles I think. There is also a youth race that is the same distance that my daughter can try when she gets a bit more experience, and it can be done with either one or two dogs, sledding or skijoring. For now though we'll concentrate just on the Kid & Mutt and getting our "team" together. We adopted the 2 pups back in March and we're not certain of their age, but I think they're about 6 months old now. They're rescue puppies that had to be younger than we first thought, based on when they started teething. 15 puppies were brought from Louisiana to Canada by a puppy rescue group and then I adopted these 2. They were listed on petfinder.com as BC/aussie mix, but who knows for sure what they are. There have been varying opinions on the pictures I posted of them, suggesting mixes of BC, ACD, Aussie, and Catahoula Leopard. If you do a search you can find the pictures I posted before. I think the first message I posted about them was titled something like "I finally did it, I adopted!", and then more recently I posted another, "What are we?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo&Tex Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 I've spent many a happy Saturday at the Kearney Sled dog races. I've only gone sledding with Huskies. I use to keep a track around my place to run dogs behind either 4 wheeler or sled, depending on the season. Skijoring looks like a blast, I'd love to try that. I bet the disability boys would take me for a wild ride. Welcome to the boards, I just love all the pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
border_collie_crazy Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 bikejoring? cool! I already have Misty pull me on my bike, its amusing to sit on my bike and pass other people without even peddling and Happy has been trained to pull people on roller blades since she was a puppy. I always wish we had dock diving over here, but we cant even do it for fun, as well.. there is no such place we COULD do it, I think Misty would be great at it, her 2 most favorite things are water and leaping lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunar Posted June 24, 2006 Report Share Posted June 24, 2006 I used to have Oreo pull me on rollerblades... but as she got older she got lazier and would stop pulling if I didn't do my part too. Then I had a nasty fall (not while being pulled, amusingly enough) and since then I'm very nervous/cautious on blades... no more being pulled for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whendogsfly Posted June 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2006 Thanks Jo&Tex, great to hear that you sled! Border_collie_crazy, I know a couple of mushers who were bikejoring before they even knew what it was too. Lunar, it takes a very brave person to put on roller blades and have a BC pull! ----------------- Sarah and the Team Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dal & Mad's Mom Posted June 30, 2006 Report Share Posted June 30, 2006 bumping back for a friend to see your guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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