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Canada Day, June 27,1997- 5 A Living Tribute To Our Heritage And History The anint il. 'r q1il înip ý;poir I 'inl, froin iheir stekidy bi eaîhing. Ridcr', gatlhe their iouila together, two ranks deep. Lights are dimmed and the audience hushed in anticipation. The bst of a trum- pet signifies the alert; a drum roll snaps and echoes throughout the arena. Ail] at once the jet-black horses and scarlet-clad ridera explode into, furious motion. The Charge of the RCMP Musical Ride thunders the length of the building, halting as quickly as it began. As the national police force, the Royal Canadian Mounted. Police enjoys a special relationship with Canada and aIl Canadians. Along with the RCMP's policing responsibilities, the force's scarlet tunie has become a recognizable national symbol and is fea- tured in tourism advertisements on television and in magazines. Oflen the mountie in red serge is sitting astride a black horse with distinctive RCMP tack and shabrack. Horses have always been a part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. By combining both the horse and the traditional scarlet unil'orm, the RCMP bas created a distinctively Canadian spectacle known to millions around the world as the Musical Ride. The Musical Ride came about as a result of organizational culture and environmental factors. Early recruits of the Northwest Mounted Police usually had military back- grounds where cavalry drill exercises were a funda- mental part of armed forces training. Isolated in Canada's frontier west, these NWMP officers were faced with little to do in their off-duty hours. Cavalry movements and mounted drill became a form of f i't it hr helicsed thal the firsi public per- loiniiîie of the Musical Ride under the direction ol Inspector W.G. Matthews took place at Regina, Saskatchewan January 15, 1887. By the 1940s the Musical Ride had become a suc- cessful and popular Canadian attraction. The RCMP decided to, establish its own breeding program, as suit- able horses were becoming difficult to obtain. Black horses were sought to, complement both unilorm and equipment. Dress and equipment are deeply rooted in cavalry and force tradition. The original NWMP uniform has undergone some modifications over the years but the scarlet tunie has remained with the force since its beginning. Blue-black breeches with a jaunty yellow cavalry strip have replaced the steel-gray or flesh coloured ridîng breeches once worn. In 1901, the Stetson and the long brown Stratheona riding boots were adopted. Today ride members wear modemn Review Order-Stetson, Red Serge, Sam Browne, breeches, Stratheona riding boots and apura. The horse's have their own ceremonial tack that includes royal blue and yellow saddle blankets or shabracks, Stubben Siegfried saddles, white head ropes and bridles with white bmow-banda secured on each aide with rosettes bearing the RCMP badge. The badge alan appears on the breastplate of each martin- gale. The fused MP letters that appear on the shabracks are a registered brand of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. An additional touch is the maple leaf pattem applied to, the horses' rumpa. This patt,,:rii v, crc,l ha .ppls i1 aî nîcîl e cil anîd li uiiigs Ille lie cIth 1,1 with a damp bmush. The final distinctive accoutrement is the lance topped with a red and white pennon. Historically, the lance is a cavalry weapon. Lances were issued to the Northwest Mounted Police 'Originals" for their 1874 march west acroas the Canadian Prairies. The modemn lance carried by members of the Musical Ride is made out of male bamn- brio and is one te, one-and-a-half inches in ilijneter aine l-ee in 1eeh îpe .i iedand o hite peînon lx ioss 'i [- I oi hall inch chrome-plated steel point. The Musical Ride is a favourite attrac- tion at Grey Cup Parades and the Calgary Stampede. The ride bas also taken part in Pasadena's Rose Bowl Parade, the Lord Mayor's Parade in London, England, and the Canada Day Parade in Osaka, Japan. 'he RCMP is proud of both ita horses and its ridera, and their image as a living trib- ute to Canadian heritage and history. LrUMBfER VILE : 318 BRONTE ST SOUTH MIL TON 876-2525 OR 876-4250 IfLTONv'S COMPLETE HARDWARE STORE" a ~Afi items Cash and Carry ODnly Planter Brackets Black or White (500 in stock) Onily 79iC a 8Wo $8.99 nat We have Veggîe Planta: Tomatoea - Many varieties Peppers - Many varieties Onions, Leeka, Lettuce, Squash, Zuochini, Cucumbers, Celety, Cabbage, Basil, Parsley & more. Fo Canad I.y Clbaea ii.evfe if i Caada .. l . Be rI idnt SATURDAY, lUNE 28 12-4 pm OnIy V2 a de! Ail Season Fertilizer Reg. $8.99. Now OnIy Wéeping Tile 100'Iength 4" vsîde. OnIy $3900 Assorted Hanging Flowerng Baskets Were $9.99. 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