SUN JOURNAL • January 12, 2026
Skijoring is a fast-growing sport in which one person on skis is pulled behind one, or sometimes two, animals. On the snow, skijoring can look deceptively simple. A skier takes hold of a tow line and lets an animal provide extra pull. But Maine skijorers say the sport is far more deliberate than it appears, whether a dog is leaning into a harness on a groomed Nordic trail or a horse and rider are towing a skier through gates and jumps at a fairground. Dogs that succeed in skijoring are active, enjoy running, tolerate cold conditions and can learn to stay out front with tension on the line. In Franklin County and surrounding western and central Maine communities, skijoring has developed less as a spectacle and more as a practice-based winter sport, shaped by trail access, snow conditions and the realities of shared land use.