Every couple of years, The RCMP Foundation assists the RCMP in the auction of surplus horses.
The auction includes a mixture of foals, broodmares, stallions, and former Musical Ride horses. This year’s auction offers 22 horses for sale – all of whom present great promise in a variety of sport disciplines.
RCMP horses must be black, elegant, uniform in size, substance and temperament, stand 16 to 17 hands tall, weigh between 1,200 to 1,400 lbs, have good solid leg bone, and conformation that lends itself to health and longevity.
They must possess supple and balanced movement at the walk, trot and canter, and display desirable dressage and jumping attributes. They must also be comfortable under saddle or in harness.
They must possess a temperament that will help them to adapt to the rigorous life with the Musical Ride, be people friendly, and adapt to changing food, water, climate, and stabling.
The horses that do not meet these requirements are auctioned by the RCMP Foundation.
Since 1995 the bi-annual horse auctions have generated enough funds to allow the RCMP Foundation to provide over $600,000 to the breeding program. These funds have allowed the RCMP to further enhance the breeding program that supplies horses for the internationally renowned Musical Ride.
The RCMP began breeding their own horses in 1939 when Commissioner Stuart Taylor Wood issued an edict for all RCMP horses to be black. Breeding started out at Depot Division in Regina, Saskatchewan, and was then moved to Fort Walsh in 1942.
Over 25 years later in 1966, the new home of the Breeding Farm was relocated on 140 hectares of lush Ottawa Valley land in Pakenham, Ontario, about 50 km west of Ottawa.
The breeding program is constantly improving and has been enriched by the acquisition of Thoroughbred/Hanoverian sport horses from Europe.
The 2007 RCMP Horse Auction is scheduled for Saturday, October 6, at 6 p.m. at the RCMP Riding Hall, RCMP Rockcliffe, in Ottawa, Ontario.
