RCMP Musical Ride National Historic Event
Ottawa, Ontario
Horsemen performing the Musical Ride, 1939
© Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA-202186
Address :
Ottawa, Ontario
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2023-04-12
Other Name(s):
-
RCMP Musical Ride
(Designation Name)
-
North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) Musical Ride
(Historic Name)
Research Report Number:
2022-44, 2022-44-A
Importance:
Popular Canadian cultural, traditional, ceremonial event in the 20th century which speaks to the longstanding importance of horsemanship in the history of the police force, one of the distinctive symbols of Canadian identity in Canada and abroad
Plaque(s)
Approved Inscription: Ottawa, Ontario
This grand precision performance of scarlet-uniformed police on horseback, coordinated with music, was established and first performed in Regina in 1887 by the North-West Mounted Police, predecessor of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). With origins in British cavalry traditions, the Musical Ride illustrates the enduring importance of horsemanship in the history of the force. The RCMP has bred and trained world-class black horses for the Musical Ride since the 1940s. This equestrian ceremonial unit is a distinctive symbol of Canada’s national and international identity.