Carman is the next host of a memorable event that has toured all over Canada.
Elaine Owen, a board member with the Dufferin Agricultural Society, is excited to announce the R.C.M.P.’s Musical Ride — a choreographed routine that includes 32 horses, their riders, music, and synchronization.
The musical ride, which recently made its appearance at Manitoba Stampede, performs in approximately 50 communities across Canada each year between May and October. The ride cycles through the provinces, so it tends to visit each location about once every four years. In 2024, it’s Manitoba and Ontario’s turn.
The last time the R.C.M.P Musical Ride was in Carman was over a decade ago.
For Owen, who has seen the ride in Winnipeg, its striking image leaves an impression.
“I like when they're all dressed in their red serge,” she says. “It's very sharp looking, and if you see this group on these beautiful dark horses coming down the track, . . . it's very impressive.”
While the ride is the main event of the day in Carman, attendees can come to the grounds early for a variety of other activities. There will be a petting zoo and bouncy castles for the children beginning at 1 p.m., and then at 3 p.m., the opening act of the musical ride will take to the ring with a performance courtesy of the Manitoba Professional Chuckwagon & Chariot Association (MPCCA). In this stretch of the day, attendees will be dazzled by two and four-wheeled horse-drawn wagons.
“They're going to do all kinds of forms in that big riding area,” says Owen. “That, for me, will be really cool because I'd like to see a hay wagon do a figure 8.”
Next on the exciting line-up for the event, the Janzen Brothers will usher in the musical part of the evening with a performance at 5 p.m., before the main 30-minute event begins at 6:30 p.m.
Throughout the day, Rendezvous, a brewery and taproom based in Morden, will have food on sale, and there will also be a R.C.M.P. stand and a Dufferin Agricultural Society stand for attendees who would like to know more about either group.
“You get to talk to the riders,” says Owen. “There’s usually some kind of a meet and greet.”
Often when the ride takes place in Manitoba, it’s at a much larger venue, so the smaller stage in Carman allows community members the chance to learn about the riders and their horses up close.
The event, which the Dufferin Agricultural Society is putting on in partnership with the Carman Legion and Communities in Bloom, has tickets on sale throughout Carman; they are available at Benefits Pharmacy, the Legion, Toews Printing and Office Supplies, and online here. Owen suggests that ticket holders keep their stubs so that they can get back into the grounds should they leave at any point of the day.
Owen says that the event is accessible. There will be designated parking for those with mobility concerns and seating with an adjusted fence for wheelchair users.
Ultimately, the R.C.M.P. Musical Ride in Carman will be an opportunity to see the show in a more intimate, community-based environment. The ride takes place tomorrow (August 7th), at the Carman fairgrounds in its brand-new riding rings. Parking is located north of the grounds.
~With files from Ty Hildebrand and Abby Wall~