crowned the first Queen of the Engadine.
"We take [the skijorer drivers] into the
mountains and they have to pass a skiing
test," Moro explains. "We have to know
they are very good skiers before they can
have a licence for skijoring."
Surprisingly, the runners for the skijor-
ing races are loaded into stalls rather than
jumping from a tape start, with the drivers
obliged to crouch low to obtain the speedi-
est start possible.
Moro adds, "The most dangerous part of
the race is the start. It is important to get
out fast and keep straight to the turn. What
you don't want is for other horses in the
race to gallop on your skis."
There's only one race for the skijorers per
meeting and it's notable that it's the race
of the day for which the crowd of around
10,000 deserts the bars and packs the rails
four or five deep to witness Holinger, in her
shocking pink ski suit and helmet, return
