BONDURANT, Wyo. — On March 18 and 19, The Little Jennie Ranch will be the site of the 2023 skijor season finale to celebrate western ranching and skiing traditions with the community. The tradition of skijoring fits in western Wyoming particularly well, being home to some of the most talented skiers and cowboys in the country.
The Little Jennie Ranch is a working cattle ranch in Bondurant, Wyo., raising beef cattle and providing authentic western activities for visitors including horseback riding, pack
trips, hunting trips, sleigh rides, snowmobile tours and working ranch experiences.
“The working cowboy is still alive here,” says Faith Hamlin, who helps manage operations on the ranch for her family, who owns The Little Jennie. “The working cowboy isn’t just for the movies, he’s working here in Bondurant and across the west to raise and care for livestock. Some of those working cowboys will be racing at the ranch for the last time this season.”
The Hamlins have been incorporating more opportunities for guests to see and participate in daily chores and jobs that encompass raising cattle, in hopes of contributing to the understanding of western agriculture and educating others on a tradition that is pivotal to the history and identity of Jackson Hole.
“I’m really proud of how we work the animals and the land,” Hamlin says. “We’re in a really cool moment where there are a lot of people who care about where their food comes from and how it is produced.”
The Skijor Race will fall right before calving season, the busiest time of year for ranchers when they spend 24 hours a day caring for their animals. The Little Jennie Ranch is excited to host the event to gather a community to race and celebrate the winter and spring season.
“We know that holding the last skijor race of the season isn’t a problem in Bondurant, we never lack for snow,” says Hamlin. It will be a great opportunity for locals and visitors to experience skijoring and the ranch itself, even if for the first time.
Skijoring, as explained by Kade Greer, a fifth generation rancher in Wyoming who has worked with The Little Jennie Ranch for a year and a half, is a timed ski event with obstacles and jumps that tests the abilities of both a rider and a skier pulled by the horse at a high level of speed.
“The power behind a horse is unreal.”
John Hyde
“This is when the cowboys and skiers become buds for a day,” says John Hyde, who used to rodeo before becoming a skijor expert and course builder. After winning the first skijor race he entered about ten years ago, Hyde was hooked.
“The power behind a horse is unreal,” Hyde says. He’s had his horses since they were babies and credits them for everything he does. “They’re like family. They eat before you, they’re taken care of before I’m taken care of. Without them you have nothing.”
The Skijor Race is a family friendly event that welcomes both participants and spectators. You don’t need any experience with horses or skiing to come out and feel welcomed.
“We just want to be able to share this western way of life,” Greer says. “It’s gorgeous here and we’re excited to show it to everybody.”
The Skijor Race will run from 9 a.m. to about 3 p.m. on March 18 and 19, with food, drinks and music by The Nate Champion Band, a multi-generational jam band outside of Sheridan, to follow.
“We want to bring folks together for a fun day of skiing, riding and definitely some dancing in this beautiful place,” Greer says.
For more information contact The Little Jennie Ranch by calling 307-733-1044 or emailing
info@thelittlejennieranch.com.
