Latest news with #RCMPMusicalRide
Calgary Herald
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Stampede welcomes RCMP Musical Ride
Article content At precisely 2:30 p.m., 16 horses, dark and polished, canter into the arena at the Nutrien Westen Event Centre, their gait synchronized and demeanour calm. On each horse sits an RCMP soldier, each wielding a lance. Article content For the next 30 minutes, the horses and their riders perform a series of extravagant choreography, moving in tandem, criss-crossing seamlessly to the 'aahs' and 'oooohs' of an appreciative audience. Article content Article content Article content Saturday marked the second day of the RCMP's Musical Ride tour in Alberta. Article content Article content 'And in front of a sold-out crowd. It will certainly create good energy for the team.' Article content A tradition dating back to the 1800s, the RCMP Musical Ride has become a 'very big piece of Canadian identity and RCMP identity,' said Williamson. Article content Each year, selected RCMP members tour two provinces and put on a choreographed dance, to only Canadian music, of course, with horses specially bred by the RCMP and then trained for years. Article content This year, the troupe chose to tour Ontario and Alberta, beginning their tour at the Calgary Stampede, where they'll perform Sunday, and again from July 8-13. Article content The Musical Ride comes to the Stampede at a time when the RCMP's future in Alberta grows precarious. Article content Article content The Alberta government has mused about the creation of a provincial police force that would replace the RCMP. On Wednesday, Premier Danielle Smith announced the launch of the Alberta's Sheriff Police Force, a provincial police agency to service municipalities. Article content Smith insisted the new force won't replace the RCMP but instead work alongside them, although municipalities would have the option to choose the new service as its primary police force once operational. Article content Dan Barron said he and his wife have seen the Musical Ride several times at rodeos in Alberta and Manitoba. Article content 'It's part of the experience of coming to a Stampede,' he said, describing the RCMP as 'Canadian history.' Article content The new provincial police force will add to the RCMP's presence, he said. Article content 'There'll just be more. Which sometimes is better.' Article content The choreography at Saturday's Musical Ride appears simple — at first. The horses prance across the Nutrien Western Event Centre ring in a line, curving away from each other at either end of the field. Horse and rider cross each other, marking the shape of an X — 'That's a very popular movement,' said Williamson.
CTV News
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Take in the RCMP Musical Ride
Ottawa Watch Steeped in tradition the RCMP Musical Ride Sunset Ceremonies kicks off next week and we have all the details.
CTV News
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
RCMP Musical Ride coming to Edmonton, Calgary as part of summer tour of Alberta
For the first time since 2017, the RCMP Musical Ride is coming back to Edmonton. The iconic RCMP Musical Ride will tour Alberta this summer. The Mounties in red serge on horseback are known as a Canadian symbol across the world. The troop, made up of up to 32 officers and their horses, perform intricate formations and drills set to music. The tour will stop in Edmonton, Calgary, Pincher Creek, Red Deer, St. Paul, Cold Lake, Lloydminster, Strathmore, Medicine Hat, Rocky View County, Camrose, Athabasca, Wabasca, High Level, La Crête, Fairview, Donnelly, Whitecourt, and Mayerthorpe. The Musical Ride will be in Calgary for the Calgary Stampede from July 4-6 and again from July 8-13. The tour will stop at Edmonton's Whitemud Equine Learning Centre Association on July 30. A full list of tour dates an locations is available online. The Musical Ride will also perform in Quebec and the Northwest Territories this year.
