Musical Ride
A mounted equestrian performance unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that presents ceremonial riding displays in Canada and abroad.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Musical Ride is the ceremonial mounted performance unit of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Canada's federal police service. It combines formal cavalry drill, musical accompaniment, precision riding and ceremonial pageantry in a public display intended to represent the RCMP and Canadian traditions. The unit is composed of regular RCMP members who demonstrate coordinated riding skills while mounted, rather than being a separate civilian entertainment company or a conventional commercial brand. The first official Musical Ride took place in 1887 in Regina, then in the District of Assiniboia. Inspector William George Matthews commanded the performance. The event developed from the mounted and cavalry traditions associated with the North-West Mounted Police, the predecessor of the RCMP. During the 1920s and 1930s, the organization maintained two mounted units, one in Regina and another in Ottawa. Its activities were suspended during the Second World War in 1939 and resumed in 1948. The role of horses within ordinary police work declined over time. Beginning in 1966, horseback riding was no longer part of the normal training and duties of new RCMP members. In 1968, the Musical Ride moved to Pakenham, Ontario, and became a distinct specialist unit focused on ceremonial performance, public engagement and representation. The first woman joined the Ride in 1981, marking an important change from its originally all-male composition. The unit normally tours from approximately May through October, visiting around 40 to 50 locations during an annual Canadian and international schedule. Performances are used to promote the RCMP, showcase Canadian heritage and support public-facing ceremonial occasions. A recurring appearance takes place in Ottawa on Canada Day, 1 July. The Musical Ride has also performed at major national and international events, including Expo 67, the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary and the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Its ceremonial responsibilities extend beyond the mounted display itself. Each spring, the RCMP Commissioner conducts an inspection of the Musical Ride stables before the summer tour. This tradition began on 22 July 1952, when Commissioner Leonard Nicholson carried out the first inspection at the site that later became associated with the Musical Ride Centre. The commissioner observes the season's first official performance and takes the salute during the opening march-past. The unit also operates ceremonial carriages. The Canadian State Landau, presented to the RCMP by the Earl Grey in 1911, is reserved for the Canadian royal family, the Governor General of Canada or a foreign head of state. Other vehicles, including a Box Driven Landau, a Vis-à-vis and a Victoria, support semi-state occasions such as ambassadorial visits. A further landau was donated by a Quebec City benefactor in 2020. A sovereign's escort can involve 44 horses and a guidon party, while a semi-state escort uses eight horses. Beyond live performances, the Musical Ride has appeared in Canadian cultural and institutional contexts. It was depicted on the Canadian fifty-dollar note in the Scenes of Canada banknote series issued from 1969 to 1979, and a fictionalized version appeared in the television series Due South. The expression 'musical ride' can also describe comparable mounted ceremonial units in the Canadian Army, but those formations are distinct from the RCMP Musical Ride. The unit remains an active public-facing institution whose primary offering is ceremonial performance rather than a commercial product line.
History
The Musical Ride traces its origins to the mounted traditions of the North-West Mounted Police, the organization that preceded the modern Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Its first official performance was held in Regina in 1887 in the District of Assiniboia, under the command of Inspector William George Matthews. The event presented mounted members in coordinated drills and helped turn police cavalry skills into a public ceremonial display. During the 1920s and 1930s, the Ride operated through two cavalry units, based in Regina and Ottawa. Its activities were interrupted in 1939 as the Second World War required changes to police and military priorities. The performances did not resume until 1948. In the postwar period, the Ride increasingly became a representative and ceremonial institution rather than an extension of routine police work. A major structural change came in 1966, when horseback riding ceased to be part of the normal duties and training of new RCMP members. The Musical Ride nevertheless continued as a specialist mounted unit. In 1968 it moved to Pakenham, Ontario, where it became a separate unit dedicated to equestrian performance, ceremonial appearances and public representation. This separation allowed the RCMP to preserve mounted traditions even as ordinary policing became predominantly non-equestrian. The unit's composition also evolved. The RCMP and the Musical Ride had been all-male organizations at their foundations, but the first woman joined the Ride in 1981. The change reflected the wider opening of RCMP service and allowed the ceremonial unit to develop beyond its historical male cavalry model. The annual touring season generally runs from May to October, with approximately 40 to 50 stops in Canada and abroad. The schedule has included recurring national events and major international occasions. The Ride performs in Ottawa on Canada Day and has appeared at Expo 67, the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Through these appearances, it functions as a form of cultural diplomacy and public outreach for the RCMP and Canada. The Musical Ride's traditions include the annual Commissioner's Inspection. The first recorded inspection took place on 22 July 1952, when Commissioner Leonard Nicholson visited the stables. The modern ceremony occurs each spring before the summer tour: the commissioner inspects the facilities, observes the first official performance of the season and takes the salute during the opening march-past. Carriage work is another part of the unit's history. The Canadian State Landau was presented to the RCMP by the Earl Grey in 1911 and has since been used for the highest-ranking state escorts, including occasions involving the Canadian royal family, the Governor General or a foreign head of state. The Musical Ride also operates other carriages for semi-state events, including the Box Driven Landau, Vis-à-vis and Victoria. In 2020, it received another landau donated by a Quebec City benefactor. The Ride has retained a visible place in Canadian culture. It appeared on the Canadian fifty-dollar banknote in the Scenes of Canada series issued between 1969 and 1979. It was also represented in fictional form in the television police drama Due South. The term musical ride is sometimes applied more broadly to mounted ceremonial formations in the Canadian Army, but those groups are separate from the RCMP unit. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic affected the unit's normal operations and led to an online Government of Canada Surplus auction involving surplus horses and horse semen. The event illustrated the practical responsibilities associated with maintaining a specialized equestrian organization during a period when touring and public performances were disrupted. The Musical Ride remains active as an RCMP ceremonial unit, combining historical preservation, public performance and official representation.
- 2020
Online surplus auction
[1]During the COVID-19 pandemic, the unit held an online Government of Canada Surplus auction involving surplus horses and horse semen.
- 1981
First woman joins the Ride
[1]The first woman was incorporated into the Musical Ride.
- 1968
Unit moves to Pakenham and becomes separate
[1]The Musical Ride relocated to Pakenham, Ontario, and became a distinct specialist unit.
- 1966
Horseback riding removed from standard new-member duties
[1]Horseback riding ceased to be part of ordinary police duties for new RCMP members.
- 1952
Commissioner's Inspection tradition established
[1]Commissioner Leonard Nicholson carried out the first recorded Commissioner's Inspection on 22 July.
- 1948
Postwar performances resume
[1]The Musical Ride resumed after its wartime suspension.
- 1939
Performances suspended during the Second World War
[1]The Musical Ride temporarily ceased operations because of the Second World War.
- 1887
First official Musical Ride
[1]The first official performance was held in Regina, in the District of Assiniboia, under Inspector William George Matthews.
Products and positioning
A national ceremonial and public-engagement institution that presents RCMP heritage, equestrian discipline and Canadian pageantry through highly choreographed mounted performances.
Equestrian performance · 1887
Mounted Musical Ride performance
The central offering is a choreographed display in which 32 regular RCMP members demonstrate coordinated mounted movements, cavalry drill and ceremonial riding. Performances are presented during the annual touring season in Canada and internationally, typically from May through October, and serve both public-engagement and representational purposes.
State ceremony · 1911
Ceremonial carriage escorts
The Musical Ride operates several horse-drawn carriages for state and semi-state occasions. The Canadian State Landau is reserved for the Canadian royal family, the Governor General or a foreign head of state, while the Box Driven Landau, Vis-à-vis, Victoria and another donated landau support other formal escorts.
Ceremonial event · 1952
Commissioner's Inspection
This annual spring ceremony marks the beginning of the touring season. The RCMP Commissioner visits the stables, observes the first official performance and takes the salute during the opening march-past before the unit begins its summer schedule.
Brand decisions
2020
Shift to an online surplus auctionOtherBackground
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted normal Musical Ride activities and affected the handling of surplus horses and breeding-related assets.
Action taken
The unit used an online Government of Canada Surplus auction for surplus horses and horse semen.
Aftermath
The online process differed from the more tightly controlled biennial auction arrangements used in earlier years.
1968
Establishment as a separate specialist unitStrategyBackground
Horseback riding was no longer part of ordinary duties for new RCMP members, but the organization retained the mounted tradition through the Musical Ride.
Action taken
The unit moved to Pakenham, Ontario, and became organizationally separate from routine RCMP policing operations.
Aftermath
The Musical Ride developed primarily as a ceremonial, touring and public-representation institution.
Sources2 sources
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