Snow bother for Irish pair who win skijoring competition

Barry O’Brien Lynch and Susan Oakes who won a skijoring contest in Canada last weekend, despite having only a tractor and no snow to practice on.

Childhood friends have become the first Irish team ever to take part and win a major skijoring event — despite having only a tractor and no snow to practice on.

In a win reminiscent of the famous CoolRunnings Jamaica bob sled team, the Meath couple scooped the prestigious feature sprint race in the Skijordue Festival in Calgary, Canada.

Skijoring is North America’s fasting growing winter sport and consists of a horse pulling a skier over obstacles through the snow at breakneck speeds of up to 65km per hour.

Accomplished horse-rider Susan Oakes, 37, and her best friend Barry O’Brien Lynch, 40, from Navan, Co Meath, won the 2.5 furlong event against 50 competitors — mainly from the US and Canada — over four heats.

The friends decided to take part, despite the lack of snow to practice on.

Skijor Canada formed as a volunteer organisation in 2017 in order to facilitate safe, consistent development of the sport on a national level with a goal of forming a race circuit culminating in a Canadian championship event in Calgary.

“The lack of snow in Ireland was definitely a problem but I practiced my pace and balance being pulled on a kids’ sledge by a tractor over a roll of carpet, and it obviously worked,” said Barry.

“It wasn’t something on my bucket list but the adrenalin was huge. It’s unbelievable to think that we are the very first Irish team to take part in a skijoring contest and we won.”

Susan Oakes and Barry O'Brien Lynch who won the skijoring contest in Canada last weekend.

Accomplished horse-woman Susan, who holds a world record for the highest jump side saddle at 6ft 8in was competing in Canada when she met event organiser Sam Mitchell and decided to take part.

“I roped in Barry and I’m glad I did,” she said.

“We had signed in for all five races not thinking it through at all.

“I lost my hat, my boot, and my spur in the race and I had never ridden in a western saddle before either or hadn’t neck reined since playing polo about 15 years ago.

“I had never ridden on snow before either and Barry had never jumped on skis.

“It’s kind of like Cool Runnings, I guess, and we even went to eat in Ranchman’s after the race, same as the Jamaica bob sled team in the film. But I’d say they were better prepared.

She added: “Everyone was behind the Irish and I always feel like the underdog taking on something that is probably out of reach.

“In most cases and for most people it would be but it’s the driving hunger inside me that is longing for something extra all the time.

“It’s like winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham and we will definitely be back again next year.”

It’s the latest milestone for Susan who made a full recovery after a fall from a horse in New York in 2016 when the saddle broke which left her with an acquired brain injury.