On the weekend of January 31 and February 1, Red River's snow-covered streets will rumble with something between a horse race and a ski final. Skijoring — a team of one horse, one rider, and one skier racing a time-trial course — returns to town for another winter, and if you have never seen it, you have never seen anything quite like it.
The format is simple to describe and wild to watch. A horse and rider gallop down a packed-snow course strung through town while a skier holds a tow rope behind them, hitting gates, clearing jumps, and spearing rings at full speed. Teams are timed, and the fastest clean run wins. Divisions run from Novice to Sport to Open, with cash prizes on the line, which means you will see everything from local first-timers to seasoned circuit teams.
Red River's version of the sport goes back to January 2016, when the inaugural races ran alongside the town's Winter Carnival and proved that a snowy Main Street could double as a racetrack. The event has grown into one of the winter calendar's boldest weekends, drawing competitors from across the region and crowds of spectators who line the course from start to finish.
Watching is straightforward: find a spot along the course early, dress for standing in the cold, and stay for the whole program, because the runs get faster as the divisions climb. The town leans into the weekend with it — expect the apres-skijoring scene to hum in the saloons and restaurants afterward, where riders, skiers, and spectators mix over dinner and live music.
Skijoring is a free spectator event, which makes it one of the best-value weekends of the Red River winter. Bring a camera, bring the kids, and bring warm boots. When a thousand-pound horse comes through a gate at a gallop with a skier threading jumps behind it, you will understand why this old western sport keeps finding new fans in the mountains of New Mexico.