The "Dome" maneuver made famous by it's inclusion of the reverse of the Canadian fifty dollar bill.
Cobourg Council unanimously approved the return of the Musical Ride by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) for Saturday June 22nd.
The RCMP’s Musical Ride’s origins date back to the Forces precursor, the North-West Mounted Police, who in the late 1800’s would break the monotony of endless riding drills by competing amongst themselves performing tricks on horseback.
More recently, the Ride was a great success when they performed in Cobourg back in 2012 and it’s anticipated that this year will be no different.
Bleachers will be set up in Donegan park for the event where the RCMP team will perform a number of routines for those in attendance.
We spoke with RCMP Musical Ride Member Constable Tenzin Wangkhang at their training centre in Ottawa.
He told us before his training he’d had very little experience with horses.
According to Wangkhang, members of the ride commit to a three-year posting that depends on the successful completion of a 6-week basic training course. Successful candidates are then invited to the more rigorous 6-month intermediate training that ultimately leads to becoming a member of the ride.
Constable Wangkhang is a native of Belleville and is looking forward to reconnecting with family when the ride returns to Cobourg this summer. He told us being a member of the ride is something he’s really come to appreciate after having worked on the front lines for nearly a decade.
Over the years the horses of the RCMP have become renown for their outstanding training and one in particular, a black police service horse named Burmese, became the favourite of the late Queen Elizabeth II possibly for her calm demeanour when six blank shot were fired during a 1981 birthday parade while the Queen was riding. Burmese was gifted to the Queen in 1969 by the RCMP and was her mount for Trooping the Colour for 18 consecutive years.
According to Constable Wangkhang it’s hard not to love these horses.
We asked about what spectators can expect at this year’s show and whether the “Dome” formation, featured on the back of the Canadian fifty-dollar bill, would be a part of the show.
Tickets for the show are anticipated to be priced at $10 per person with more details to become available before the event.
Written by Joseph Goden
