This message is from: Joanna Crell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Dear Dave and everyone looking for MORE fun with a Fjord in the snow,
I've done a bunch of ski-joering over the years, every which way but loose.
I've come to the conclusion that I like turning people on to it, the
raucous laughter the wildly funny falls, face-plants and grown people
giggling like children. children giggling like wild uh.... donkeys. But
really, i like to be the rider, steering the unsuspecting skier through
wild swooping turns and hazards, jumping tiny ditches . My friend James who
doesn't ride, (no-way!) is a snow board freak and brought over an old
snurfer type plank with eASY access foot/boot-toe loops. Like a windsurfer.
I wonder if water skis would work? Any way many hours of funny fun have
happened and he has prototyped a few different designs of human harness.
what he's done is make a hipsling that you can really lean back into so
that your arms aren't trashed. He of course is pretty balanced so that when
the horse moves out and the board slides he goes schussing back and forth
just havin' a blast. He swears that snow board is the way to go,(1person 1
vehicle) I like the independent suspension of 2 legs, (2 chances to mess
up.) Most important we've found, is a QUICK release device to get seperate.
we've tried putting one hand out front on a safety pull back buckle (like
you use on crossties,) uhhhhhh it has its moments. suffice it to say we've
each logged some time dragging on our backs like mutant ninja turtles. This
is all because we thought there had to be a better way than a tow bar. But,
balance is everything. All in all, its always fun, nomatter what. Some snow
is better that others, some snow is better than no snow at all! I don't
know about sand but, mud and puckerbrush, eh they slow you down . we
started years ago by having a rider on a blanketed horse with the webbing
going back from the first surcincle or belly band. The blanket front acted
like a breast collar and it was comfy, warm and fun to fall off. My
childhood experiences of tieing Christmas trees to my stirrups(in the dark)
and forgeting to put up the safety latches has made me smarter, but I
still feel like wiley coyote with Acme inventions from time to time.
If Dave McWethy and Laurie Neeley join forces to produce Ski-joering
equipage I'm behind them,ALL THE WAY! Come to Acadia this winter to field
test your ideas!! Just think, LLBeans would jump at the photo opportunity
to play dress up. Fjords just happen to love the game of it all, and the
possibility that some ski-candy snack food might come their way......
===============================================
Joanna Crell - David Folger
Willowind Therapeutic Horseback Riding Center
Phone & FAX (207) 288-9506
================================================
