Bidding underway for RCMP Musical Ride-bred horses
They are some of the most beautiful animals in Canada, and every two years they are auctioned off to the highest bidder. The RCMP Musical Ride horses are going on sale this week and they could be yours.
If you have ever had the chance to see the Musical Ride in person, you know how special those horses are. But some RCMP horses will never perform.
Horses that don't meet the RCMP's specific standards are auctioned off to new owners. Bidding on the horses started Monday.
“If we have at least six horses that do not meet the requirements for the Musical Ride, then we will do an auction,” says Sergeant Major Scott Williamson, RCMP riding master. “The horses are usually auctioned off due to the fact that they don't meet our stringent and strict requirements based on size, temperament and color.”
The minimum bid is $2,000 with the average price of a horse going for about $12,000 to $14,000.
“So this year, in fact, we've got 10 horses up for auction,” says Williamson. “Three are being auctioned off immediately because of their colours and seven other horses that, although they meet the size and color requirements, they don't meet the temperament requirements.”
All of these horses will go to a good home. The RCMP has the right to refuse any bidder, making sure each horse gets the right owner.
“They certainly do, and probably will, make very good horses in some of the other disciplines in the horse industry such as jumping and dressage,” says Williamson.
Next year is the 150th anniversary of the RCMP and they say they are hoping to bring their Musical Ride on a cross-Canada tour.
Bidding for horses closes on Oct. 12.
A pair of auctions in 2018, during which 36 horses were sold, raised more than $500,000. The priciest horse that year went for $35,000.
Proceeds from the sale go back into the Musical Ride’s breeding program.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.