Up to 12 Hanoverian horses that were bred through the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Breeding Program will be auctioned off this October.
According to the RCMP, the auction is held every two years and the horses that are being put up for sale are ones that don't meet the Musical Ride's strict requirements.
"These highly sought-after horses are excellent for dressage, show jumping and other equitation disciplines."
The auction will be held from October 3 to 12 on GCSurplus, the federal government's website, which sells surplus federal government assets such as furniture, cars, trucks, boats, farm equipment, and more.
However, for those interested, the price of the horses will not be cheap.
"To ensure horses go to serious buyers, we set high base prices and bidders need to register in advance. Proceeds from the sale of these horses go back into the Musical Ride breeding program."
The history of the RCMP'S breeding program began in 1939, when Depot Division in Regina, Saskatchewan, officially started breeding these famous black horses. However, the choice of colour of the horses was established two years prior, in 1937 when
"In 1937, Assistant Commissioner S. T. Wood headed the RCMP contingent at the coronation of King George VI. He was impressed with how strongly the riders' red tunics stood out against the black horses of the Life Guards of the Household Cavalry."
When Wood became Commissioner in 1938, the RCMP would only buy black horses, and hence it soon became a tradition. In March 1989, the black Hanoverian broodmares and stallions were to help improve the stock's bloodlines.
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