Skijoring authority bans drones after accident
Drones have been banned at skijoring races in the US after an accident.
The decision comes after spectators were injured during a skijoring competition at Silverton, Colorado, in February.
It is believed that a drone spooked one of the horses competing, who then ran into a crowd of onlookers.
Skijoring is a high-adrenaline winter sport where a skier is pulled along a course — which can include slalom gates and jumps — by a horse.
The sport’s US governing body has now taken the decision to ban the devices.
“Skijoring America is continually focused on the comprehensive safety of competitors, both human and equine, and spectators at all skijoring events,” a spokesman told H&H.
“The incident involving a drone at the Silverton Skijoring Event, while within federal aviation administration regulations, was an unfortunate accident.
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“As a safety precaution, the Skijoring America board of directors has voted to ban drones at Skijoring America affiliated races.
“Many individual venues, such as Leadville and Gallatin Valley Skijoring Association, have already banned drones from their events as well.”
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In the sport, the skier holds on to a towline attached to the horse’s harness and negotiates obstacles in his or her path. The US version of the sport also involves a rider, who steers the horse.
The skier is timed through the course, and penalties are assessed by missing gates or jumps, and by missing or dropping any of the rings that they must collect.
It was put forward as an Olympic sport 87 years ago — appearing at a demonstration event for the 1928 Games, but its supporters did not convince the International Olympic Committee.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.