The Musical Ride has a rich history

The RCMP Musical Ride recently visited Killarney, entertaining a huge crowd of awestruck spectators.

“There aren’t words to describe seeing them! I have heard about the Musical Ride but this is the first time I have seen it and I am in my eighties. Why did I wait so long?’

A younger attendee was beaming as she said; “I loved it! I love horses and they are beautiful.”

I doubt there was anyone in attendance that would disagree with the many glowing accolades when sharing the Musical Ride event.
Few of us understand the rich history surrounding the Musical Ride and its distinct connection with the Royal family.

The beginnings of the Musical Ride date back to 1873 when horses were depended on to carry the North West Mounted Police across the prairies. The days were long and more often than not, uneventful. To ensure the horses and riders were ready for anything they may stumble upon, they were subjected to endless training and drills.

Endless drills can become rather monotonous, so the riders took it upon themselves to change up their training, creating a variety of tricks and other exercises. Eventually, competitions were created to see which horse and rider team were able to perform the tricks and exercises the best.

What is believed to be the first performance, and precursor to the official Musical Ride was organized at Fort MacLeod, Alberta showcasing the groups unofficial exercises and tricks.

From information recorded after this event, it was “well received and entertaining”.

In 1886, a dedicated riding school was established in Regina, Saskatchewan. Riders were trained for their jobs as law keepers across the seemingly endless prairies as well as polished tricks and displays added to not only build rapport between the horses and riders, but also keep the training interesting. The school would organize these efforts into performances to showcase the close bonds built between the horses and their riders, to the public.

Several performances were shared with the public before a fire destroyed the school. Although the school was rebuilt, it was found that the original organizers and trainers were no longer available to assist in the school’s ongoing efforts, making it necessary to find new people to fill the vacant roles.

Although the reorganization of the riding school took much longer than originally anticipated, it did happen.

By 1901, the Musical Ride had re-emerged with two shows being performed in 1901; one in Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan and the other in Brandon, Manitoba. It slowly picked up momentum and grew in popularity until 1914, the start of WWI.

It wasn’t until 1920 that the next Musical Ride was performed, taking place in Ottawa at Lansdowne Park and in Brockville, Ontario.

The popularity of the Musical Ride continued to grow with performances being held in the U.S. as well as across the pond.
The Second World War brought the Musical Ride performances to an abrupt stop.

Once the war was over, it took some time for the Musical Ride to be reorganized, performing at several stops in the U.S. and Canada, and were called to perform at Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation in 1953.

In 1961, the Musical Ride was moved and based exclusively in Ottawa and by 1966 the equestrian training was no longer mandatory for all RCMP recruits and the training was only bestowed on recruits who were specifically assigned to the Musical Ride.

The members of the Musical Ride have enjoyed a close relationship with the Royal Family with horses being gifted back and forth.

Between 1969 and 2019, Queen Elizbeth II received 8 horses and in 2023, King Charles III was given a 7 year-old horse aptly named Noble. Noble had toured with the Musical Ride in 2022 and is touted as an exemplary specimen.

Before her passing, Queen Elizabeth II gifted the Musical Ride two horses.

The first was named Golden Jubilee, a horse from her majesty’s ‘personal collection’. The second is a two year old filly named Victoria. Victoria was given to the Musical Ride to fulfil a promise. The promise came after a horse named Elizabeth was gifted to the Queen. The Queen wanted to breed this filly and promised to gift the Musical Ride with her first foal.

The foal, named Victoria, was transferred to the Musical Ride when she was two years old.

As we watch in awe, the synchronicity between not only the horse and rider, but also the interplay between the entire group, it is easy to not have time to consider the deep history of the Musical Ride.

PHOTO CAPTION: The RCMP Musical Ride did not dissapoint as they put on an excellent show in Killarney on August 8, 2024. PHOTO BY SUZANNE PADDOCK