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Matt
Hammersley, from Drybrook is the owner (or musher) of a three dog
sled team called Tanglefoot and they can often be seen out racing
on a cold winter's weekend.
Matt
said: "A
musher is the term used for someone who drives a team of sled dogs,
and the term comes from Alaska."
Matt
has been interested in Huskies from a young age and is passionate
about the sport of sled racing.
 We
have Lolly, Kirra and Wolfe otherwise known as team Tanglefoot.
The title has no special meaning, we were just trying to come
up with a name.  |
| Matt
Hammersley |
"I’ve
been interested in huskies since I was about 10. Friends of mine
had some so I used to visit them and help out with their team and
go racing with them.
"A
couple of years ago I got a team and it's gone on from there."
Each
set of dogs has its own team name and Matt's trio of canine friends
are called Tanglefoot.
"We
have Lolly, Kirra and Wolfe otherwise known as team Tanglefoot.
The title has no special meaning, we were just trying to come up
with a name.
"Most
people have names for their teams like Artic Wolf and we just wanted
something that tied in with our dogs.
"They
are a real pain and always getting tangled when they go for walks
so that's where it came from. Tanglefoot sounds India/Alaskan so
we went with that."
Winter
racing
Each
weekend teams of dog sled racers get together to compete.
"We
get together most weekends, from October to March. There's usually
a race every weekend somewhere in the UK.
"Racers
get together, mark a trail, anything up to 14 miles long. We go
off in two minute intervals and there are different classes depending
on how many dogs you are racing. The whole things is set against
the clock."
So
how has the Tanglefoot team been doing so far this season?
"We
haven’t been doing to badly. We got third in our first race and
finished top ten in all our races so far."
There
are approximately 500 different teams in the UK and the sport is
growing in popularity even though it is not widely advertised.
"It’s
very popular even though it’s kept very quiet. Races are held out
of the way in the middle of forests during the winter so not a lot
of people get to see it."
Training
A
small amount of dog sled racing takes place in the Forest of Dean
but the majority takes place in South Wales.
We train between two and four times a
week and the dogs perform well as long as it's cold. Between
-10 and -20 is when they run their best.
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| Matt
Hammersley |
Matt
said: "We would like to get somewhere to train in the Forest
of Dean and we are still working with the Forestry Commission on
giving us a permit to train the dogs.
"We
train between two and four times a week and the dogs perform well
as long as it's cold. Between -10 and -20 is when they run their
best.
So
would Matt recommend sled racing to other dog lovers?
"Sled
dog racing is good fun and it’s nice to be out with the dogs. As
a breed their instinct is to pull and run so they love it too!"
"Huskies
are very pack orientated and they are quite primitive in there instincts.
They are not like your normal dog which will come when it’s called,
but they are great for keeping your feet warm on a cold winters
nights."
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If
you would like to comment on this or any other story in this section
get in touch at gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk
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Just
outside Mitcheldean, deep in the Forest of Dean, the little known
sport of dog sled racing is taking place.
