Who invented dog sledding

When crossing trackless terrain in deep snow, dogs may be placed in single file between two towlines to follow the driver, who breaks a narrow trail in snowshoes. The first one or two dogs on a gangline are the leaders and guide the team. The leaders are controlled by voice commands from the driver, who either rides the rear of the sled or walks ahead, or runs behind. Early French Canadian drivers called "Marche!

English explorers misinterpreted this as "mush" — henceforth drivers were called "mushers. Sleds vary with the people who make them and the snow conditions.

In the Arctic the Inuit developed the heavy "qamutik," designed to carry loads over rough terrain. Farther south, people made the flat-bottomed toboggan to haul loads through deep snow. Europeans modified these designs and developed the basket sled with its load raised off the snow and supported by two narrow runners for hauling over packed trails.

Modern dog-sled drivers have shortened and modified the basket sled for racing. Sled dog breeds were originally developed by northern Indigenous people thousands of years ago. Wolves were domesticated to help with hunting and their progeny were bred to develop dogs that could haul loads, either in packs on their backs or by pulling a sled.

The Mahlemut people of northwest Alaska developed one of the earliest breeds that have survived to this day, the Alaskan Malamute, a large dog with a heavy coat of fur and powerful legs. The Inuit in northern Canada developed the Canadian Inuit Eskimo Dog , smaller than the malamute, but built for hauling heavy loads over hard-packed snow.

Today, both of these breeds are registered purebreds with the Canadian Kennel Club. During the fur trade and the gold rushes of the 19th and early 20th centuries in northwest Canada and Alaska, dogs were brought often stolen from the south to supply the demand for freighting dogs. Some of the bigger dogs were bred with malamutes and other Indigenous sled dogs to produce the mixed-breed Mackenzie River Husky, a large freighting dog with heavy fur and long powerful legs for pulling through deep snow.

When dogsled races became popular in the 20th century, dogs were bred more for speed than freighting abilities. Toboggan sleds have a long flat surface area capable of carrying much bigger loads than a basket sled. Today, this platform is usually made from a heavy weight plastic material. They are rigid and durable, and because they ride close to the snow, they are very stable. They can handle soft snow better than a basket sled, but they are also less maneuverable.

Both types of sleds have a brush bow in front of the sled to help deflect bushes and small trees. The musher or driver, stands behind a dog sled and controls the dogs through a set of lines hooked to harnesses on the dogs. The harnesses need to fit each dog correctly, allowing the dog to move easily but fitting close enough to distribute the weight of a heavy load.

Each harness is hooked to a gang line, made up of several parts and that allow the musher to control the dogs. An essential part of both types of sleds is a brake system, which helps to slow the sled down. The brake system is mounted on the back end of the sled and usually consists of a spring loaded wood plank on one side and a metal plate or hook on the other. When riding the sled, the musher can step down on the brake, driving the plate or hook into the snow to slow the sled down.

An essential part of mushing equipment is the snow hook, which is an anchor the musher hooks into the snow when he or she gets off the sled. New Hampshire has a long history of sled dog racing and a number of traditional dog sled makers. Several major competitions are held annually in New Hampshire and attract people come from across the US and Canada. One of the biggest is held in Laconia and features sprint and short distance runs.

There is a mile mid-distance race held in Sandwich where mushers can run the history-filled trails that Walden and other famous drivers ran. Mushers look forward to a cold snowy winter that freezes up the lakes and provides a good snow base for the races. Some years, mother nature provides an abundance of both, and some years she doesn't. Using dogs to pull sleds over snow and ice began in Alaska and Siberia where wintertime lasts most of the year.

Special breeds of dogs were raised and trained just for this purpose. The creators planned a new trail through Alaska- this one longer, more intense and stretching all the way from Anchorage to Nome. The first winner took three weeks to make the entire journey in Norwegian sledders who were inspired by the creation of the Iditarod established the longest dog race in Europe, the Finnmarkslopet. The first race was in , and only three mushers participated.

Today, interest is high enough that the race can have two separate classes - one track for teams with up to eight dogs, and another for teams with a maximum of The races cover approximately and miles respectively, and are held on the 10th week of each year. Most of the participants are Norwegian natives, but some dog sledders from other countries join in, as well. Covid Updated information. Go to Hurtigruten Group. History of Dog Sledding Here's a look at the history of dog sledding and how it has helped shape society.

Here's a look at the history of dog sledding and how it has helped shape arctic society: First Dog Sleds Although dog sledding may have existed before, the oldest archeological evidence of this mode of transportation has been dated to around 1, A. Around the World It didn't take long for colonists to recognize the value and power of using dogs during winter, and European settlers quickly began incorporating sled dogs into their lives.

Racing There has likely always been a casual sport aspect to dog sledding, but the first formal race occurred in