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.
| | 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." ......................................... If you would like to comment on this or any other story in this section get in touch at gloucestershire@bbc.co.uk | 
Just outside Mitcheldean, deep in the Forest of Dean, the little known sport of dog sled racing is taking place.
