CARSTAIRS - Nearly 2,000 people came from all around Mountain View County and beyond to watch the RCMP Musical Ride on July 25 at Carstairs Memorial Park.
The ride featured 32 members in red serge on horseback performing a number of intricate figures and drills.
Carstairs mayor Lance Colby said the event went even better than expected.
"It was a great event and it was nice having Millenium Equestrian put on the pre-show for us," said Colby. "It was not only informative but fun to watch. The musical ride was, as usual, great to watch and was a big hit for all those who attended."
Colby said the ride brought a lot of visitors to the community.
"I'm sure some of them had maybe heard of Carstairs but never visited before," he said. "I think the ride allowed us to showcase our community."
One of the riders, Caitlin MacKinnon, was familiar to many locals. McKinnon served with the Didsbury RCMP detachment from 2014 to 2018 prior to joining the musical ride.
She told the Gazette that she was thrilled to be a part of the musical ride.
"I grew up riding horses in Ontario," said McKinnon. "Most of what I knew about the RCMP was the musical ride. I absolutely loved the showmanship. I was fortunate enough to get into it right after my first detachment."
McKinnon was also excited to return to the area and perform in front of such a large crowd.
"It was like coming home," she said. "Lots of people yelling; lots of people I knew; lots of friendly faces. So it brings a smile to your face to see that pride. This is home to me; I lived in Carstairs so it's nice to be back. This was an amazing turnout. We couldn't be more proud to be here."
McKinnon said it took a lot of work to learn all the intricate figures and drills, but it's very rewarding.
"It's a little tough to learn the moves," she said. "Horses aren't generally happy with riding that close to each other. So these guys learn really young. It's just a comfort zone for the riders at that point to get over that fear. It's the best job in the RCMP."
McKinnon said all the riders work full-time on the musical ride training and travelling to different parts of Canada and the U.S. to perform.
"This year our tour is only in Quebec and Alberta primarily," she said. "We have done a couple of shows in the United States and Ontario, and then we're going to one show in the Northwest Territories."
