Today is the last chance this year to catch the storied Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s Canadian Sunset Ceremonies featuring the Musical Ride in the country’s capital Ottawa. The annual event, held to thank the community for its support, offers Canadians and visitors a chance to see the Musical Ride at its home in Ottawa. Today’s event will be staged at 1 Sandridge Road, Ottawa, Ontario.
Since its first performance in 1989, the Canadian Sunset Ceremonies has evolved from a local presentation to a popular, well-received RCMP event held in Ottawa’s National Capital Region. More than 20,000 people attend the Sunset Ceremonies every year. The RCMP uses the event as an opportunity to foster new and ongoing partnerships within the community, which includes raising funds and collecting donations for local registered charities. This year, the Sunset Ceremonies will help support the Ottawa Food Bank.
The Musical Ride is performed by a troop of riders and horses, plus the officer in charge. The performance consists of a variety of intricate figures and cavalry drills choreographed to music, showcasing the spectacular riding skills of RCMP personnel. The iconic image of the Mountie on horseback is recognized around the world, making the Musical Ride an integral part of Canada’s heritage and identity. The show ends with the not-to-be-missed “charge”.
The RCMP with its iconic black Hanoverian horses performs the Musical Ride in up to 50 communities across Canada each year between the months of May and October, raising funds for local charities and organizations. The event travels to each province once every four years to ensure that as many Canadians as possible can experience this spectacle. This year, the Musical Ride tour is travelling to communities in three provinces: Ontario, Quebec, and Manitoba.
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The Musical Ride offers the RCMP a way to promote policing in the communities it serves. Local detachments play an integral role in all Musical Ride performances, helping to foster strong relationships between community members and their police officers.
Where possible, the stables are kept open for the public from 9 am to 9 pm daily at each tour stop, and members of the public are encouraged to visit the members of the Musical Ride and the horses before and after the performances. There, riders can answer questions and introduce their mounts.
SOURCE: Royal Canadian Mounted Police
