The Musical Ride of the

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

is an event showcasing the

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

skills performed by 32

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

who are regular members of the force. The event is held in Canada and worldwide to promote the RCMP. The first official ride was held in 1887 in

Regina, District of Assiniboia Regina () is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 census, Regina had a city population ...

, and was commanded by

Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

William George Matthews. The Musical Ride is featured on the

Canadian fifty-dollar bill The Canadian $50 note is one of the most common banknotes of the Canadian dollar. It is sometimes dispensed by ATMs, but not as commonly as the $20 note. From the ''Frontier'' (2011–present) series. The current 50-dollar note is predominant ...

of the

Scenes of Canada Scenes of Canada is the fourth series of banknotes of the Canadian dollar issued by the Bank of Canada. It was first circulated in 1970 to succeed the 1954 Canadian Landscape series and was followed by the 1986 Birds of Canada banknote series. ...

banknote series produced from 1969 to 1979.

History

In the 1920s and 1930s, there were two cavalry units, one in Regina and one in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. The activities of the Musical Ride temporarily ceased in 1939, because of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and did not resume until 1948. In 1966, riding on horseback ceased to be part of police duties for new members of the RCMP. The unit then moved to Pakenham, Ontario in 1968 and became a separate unit. The RCMP and the Musical Ride were all men at its foundation. The first woman was incorporated to the Ride in 1981. During its annual tour of Canada and abroad, usually from May to October, the Musical Ride visits 40 to 50 locations. Domestically, it is found every 1 July in

Canada Day Canada Day (french: Fête du Canada), formerly known as Dominion Day (french: Fête du Dominion), is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 18 ...

and has performed at the

Expo 67 The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, commonly known as Expo 67, was a general exhibition from April 27 to October 29, 1967. It was a category One World's Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is considered to be one of the most su ...

, the 1976 Olympic Games in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, the

1988 Winter Olympics The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games (french: XVes Jeux olympiques d'hiver) and commonly known as Calgary 1988 ( bla, Mohkínsstsisi 1988; sto, Wîchîspa Oyade 1988 or ; cr, Otôskwanihk 1998/; srs, Guts� ...

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

, and the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

. In 2020, as the result of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, the Musical Ride first held an on-line

GC Surplus The Crown Assets Distribution (CAD) handles moveable Crown assets that a federal department or agency has declared as surplus, under the Surplus Crown Assets Act (R.S., c. S-20, s. 1.) At some time in the recent past, the organization was rename ...

auction of its surplus horses and horse semen. In former years, the biennial auction process was more tightly controlled.

Gallery

File:Musical Ride 1939 NY World Fair.jpg, RCMP horsemen performing at the

1939 World's Fair The 1939–40 New York World's Fair was a world's fair held at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York, United States. It was the second-most expensive American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purcha ...

File:Canada Day - Musical Ride.jpg, The Musical Ride performed on Parliament Hill in

, 2007 File:RCMP Musical Ride Parade in Roblin.png, Musical Ride parade in Roblin, Manitoba, 1992

References

External links

RCMP Musical Ride website''The Musical Ride''
(1955 documentary film) at the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Canadian ceremonial units Equestrianism Entertainment events in Canada Recurring events established in 1887 1887 establishments in Canada {{Canada-culture-stub