Mandatory Gear for skijorers:
Skijoring belt
Addition
Gloves - as in booties for the skiorer. Yes indeed to protect skijorers from themselves, they will not be allowed to start without some sort of hand protection - ie glove.
Seeing a skijorer leave on Sunday's trail without gloves, and come back with sticky red hands means the race organisers must step in and ensure at least an attempt at protection is made.
Mandatory gear for Kids 5km and 12 mile Twister
Booties - all entrants must show enough booties for all dogs in the team to the race marshall at the start line, and carry them through the race. Entrants cannot start without showing their booties. This includes skijorers (you can stuff them in your pockets if the dogs aren't wearing them). Race Committee/Marshall will decide if trail requires all dogs to be booted within 40 minutes of race start - eg on those rare occasions when the trail has a broken icy surface. If RM decrees it is a bootie race, all teams will be bootied, except Pet Dog Category, where booties will remain optional.
We had pink smears over the start line on Sunday, from unbootied harness bangers. The organisers believe this is not in the best interests of the sport.
Hopefully everyone realises that these measures are for the best interests of dog care, welfare, and the public image of the sport in general.
Why not bootie all dogs if it is declaired a bootie race? In the interest of the dog it just makes sense and only having to bootie one dog seems easier than a whole team.
ReplyDeleteDave and Heather
I think that a musher knows his/her dogs and he/she should bootie them if the dogs need it.
ReplyDeleteAileena
Bootie rules!??!! For a 12-mile race?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Aileena...
I agree with all of you and I think we all agree dog welfare is of paramount imortance - however it is more likely to be the organisers who have the hot questions regarding dog welfare in the race they organise, rather than the individual mushers. As seems to be happening regarding other races.
ReplyDelete