Strathmore trick rider invited to perform at Calgary Skijor

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Strathmore trick rider, Gracie Piper performed at the Calgary Confluence Historic Site, Feb. 15-16 as part of the Skijor Canada festivities which were taking place. 

Skijoring is a sport which involves a person on skis being pulled by a horse, dog(s), a motor vehicle such as a snowmobile, or other avenue of acceleration.

The idea of modern skijoring is to be the fastest team to successfully complete the obstacle course laid out for a given event. 

Piper said she was asked by Skijor Canada to attend the event to perform as an exhibition adjacent to the ongoing competition.

“I was over the moon about that, so I got to go out there and do my thing and get to see everybody else do their thing and it was just everybody having fun,” she said. “I was so nervous going into it. The week going into it, I was stressed, I was scared, super nervous, and then I got out there, everyone made me feel welcome. I did my first lap and I was fine. That crowd was insane, they were loud, they were completely electric.”

Having started trick riding when she was six years old, Piper explained she has both trained and performed all over North America.

Now, currently at 20 years old, she largely performs at summer events and pro rodeos. She added, however, she would be excited to return to perform again at future skijor events. 

“It is exactly what I want to be doing and my favourite thing in the entire world. I try to do a lot of pro rodeos and a lot of other events in the summertime, and it is really all I want to do,” she said. “When I go out there and they get loud and excited, that is the reason why I do it. Afterwards, we will walk through the crowd and seeing everybody of all ages, especially the little ones come up to you and talk to you, that is my favourite.”

She joked due to adverse weather conditions there were points at which she thought she might not have all her fingers and toes by the end of the ride, though during her performance the temperature became a non-issue. 

Piper added trick riding is a sport that takes a lot of drive and practice to be able to do at all, let alone excel at. 

The body must be conditioned properly in order to physically handle the demands of the sport, and trust with the horse is necessary for the animal to know what to do. 

Next on the docket for Piper is the upcoming college rodeo season, which will be her last, followed by this summer’s pro rodeo circuit.