RCMP Musical Ride showcases intricate figures, drills of national police force

As thunder rolled through the sky above, RCMP officers rode their horses through the grass at Lower Fort Garry showing the precision and pageantry of the national police force.

The RCMP Musical Ride showcased 32 riders and horses performing intricate figures and drills choreographed to music at the historic site.

"Lower Fort Garry is actually one of the sites where the North West Mounted Police started back in the late 1800s so this is where they did their first training," said Marilyn Peckett, the Manitoba field unit superintendent.

"Overtime all the various police forces across Canada joined here together and it became the Royal Canadian Mounted Police."

Although the rain poured throughout the performance, Peckett said she was encouraged to see thousands of people stay until the end.

She said the Manitobans didn't let the weather dampen the mood.

"We aren't made out of sugar; we stayed for the whole thing," she said.

Lower Fort Garry was built in the 1800s by the Hudson's Bay Company on the western bank of the Red River. The original Fort Garry site is now in Winnipeg.