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Thursday

Sheltie Sledding and Other Improbable Things



I have a little dog, a sheltie who weighs about 20 pounds.  Bella is small, but when I take her for a walk, she can practically drag me up the steep hills.  I've even wondered if I could harness her to a sled so she can pull me around when it snows.


Turns out that there are actual events for shelties pulling weighted sleds!



So imagine how much power a whole team of dogs would have.  Dog sledding has been around for a long time, but you have to check out these other animals that pull sleds...



Okay, I had to post this gorgeous photo of a dog sledding team. Dogs have been known to sled 90 miles in one day, each one pulling 85 pounds apiece!


Then there's the more traditional sleigh pulled by one or two horses.


The troika in the bottom photo, however, is pulled by three horses. (Troika means three of a kind.) 


And there's the reindeer sleigh.  Did you know that reindeer is another name for caribou?
No, the reindeer aren't in distress...they tend to run with their tongues out  :)


But in my search for amazing photos of animals pulling sleds, I found this:

What? I didn't know you could tame mooses...uh, meese (??)


But you know me, I couldn't stop there...I had to find out what other improbable animals pull things...and it's amazing:


An ostrich?  And just where was the mother of those kids in the lion cart?  Was she napping??


Now, I know this isn't exactly "sledding", but for fun, check out this short video of a real reindeer ski race in Norway:



Oh, that was too fun; now I think I want a reindeer for Christmas.


Heh, sorry Bella  :)


4 comments:

  1. Fabulous commentary on the pulling characteristics of various animals both present and the past. Good investigative coverage. Keep up the good work.

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  2. Too bad some of these races are no longer in vogue...
    Well portrayed.....

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  3. Anonymous03 October

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