RCMP Musical Ride headed to Britain for Queen's 90th birthday
Mounties in training for special horse show in Britain this spring
"Cadet, would you stand before the Queen in those boots?!"
That phrase, so often shouted in training sessions for the RCMP Musical Ride, now carries a lot more meaning for Const. Sean Roche.
A team of Mounties and their equine partners will be flying to Britain in May to take part in a special five-day celebration of the Queen's 90th birthday.
More than 900 horses from all over the Commonwealth will be taking part, including the Canadian contingent.
"It's pretty exciting, it's pretty neat," Roche said.
He'll be performing with his partner Visty, a 15-year-old Hanoverian mare standing 17 hands tall.
Here's how the website for the birthday event describes it:
"Her Majesty's 90th birthday party will be a celebration of the Queen's life, her love of horses, her dedication to the Commonwealth and international affairs and her deep involvement with the Navy, Army and Air Force. Over 90 minutes, 900 horses and more than 1,500 participants from around the United Kingdom and the world will create a joyful event for the Queen. The 90-year journey will take us from the excitement of the birth, through to World War Two, her marriage, the coronation and a reign of more than 60 years. The celebration will use horses, actors, bands and dancers to tell the story. ... It will be a birthday party fit for the Queen."
Fancy stuff. Better have those boots shined up nicely.
The CBC's Hallie Cotnam visited the Musical Ride facility in Ottawa this week to inspect the team. Here are a few of the photos she took.
With files from Hallie Cotnam