It started out in the early 1870s essentially as Calvary drills performed by North-West Mounted Police as a means of demonstrating their equestrian skills and entertaining themselves and their frontier communities.
It became an official activity of the Mounties in 1887 when it was performed in Regina under Inspector William George Matthews.
In 1901, it became a public spectacle and a tradition and is known worldwide.
This summer it is coming to Yorkton.
The Yorkton Exhibition announced last week that the RCMP musical ride will perform at the Ex July 3 and 4.
For a significant portion of early RCMP history, horses were, of course, essential tools of the trade and the countenance of the Canadian frontier lawman in red serge perched on his faithful steed became legendary.
Today, most field officers have traded in their single horsepower for the 365 horses under the hood of the new Ford Police Interceptor and the serge is rarely used on active duty.
Still, horses and the serge remain powerful symbols of Canada’s national police force and the Musical Ride one of its primary public relations tools.
Each summer the Ride tours the country performing at fairs and exhibitions and for numerous community organizations.
The horses have also changed. At the beginning they were working horses, rugged and sturdy to match the tough job of keeping the peace in the wild west.
Starting in 1939, the force started its breeding program at Depot in Regina moving to Fort Walsh in 1942.
In 1968, the breeding program again moved, this time to Pakenham, Ontario, a picturesque town approximately 30 minutes west of Ottawa. There the now sleek, black and athletic equines are groomed for three years before becoming Musical Ride horses and moving to the Rockcliffe Park Equestrian Centre right in the heart of the nation’s capital.
The RCMP takes great pride in the fact that the riders are first and foremost police officers. They must spend at least two years in the field before becoming eligible and after three years with the Ride go back to police work.
Many have never ridden a horse when they join, but become accomplished equestrians through intense training.
The Yorkton Exhibition Association is thrilled to be bringing the ride to Yorkton.
