Image

March 13, 2016

It will take some pretty extreme circumstances to stop the RCMP Musical Ride from coming to Alvinston.

The Brooke-Alvinston Agricultural Society learned last week it would be hosting one of Canada’s most iconic shows Wed. Sept. 14, just two weeks before the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Fall Fair.

The group applied for the ride this year to help mark its 140th anniversary.

RCMP Corp. Beth White, who is the tour planner for the Musical Ride, was in Alvinston Saturday to get a look at the grounds and to let the Brooke-Alvinston Agricultural Society what to expect from the event and what is expected of them.

There were the practical items; the 36 horses and riders need an enclosed space of 120 metres by 200 metres to perform, a place to unload their horses and set up when their arrive and a couple of  porta potties, so the Mounties aren’t waiting in line just before the performance.

White says the horse and riders will be staying in Exeter the night before and will be trucked to Alvinston about two hours before the performance. They prepare the horses and warm them up and then put on a half hour show for the crowd.

White assured the members of the society that it would be highly unlikely the event would have to be cancelled because of bad weather. “We go rain or shine,” she says. “I’ve ridden in snow and I’ve ridden in pouring rain.” She added one ride last year they performed during high winds and half of the ride members lost their stetsons.

About the only time the ride is cancelled is if there is lightening. “We ride around with big pointy sticks and we don’t want to be lightening rods,” she says.

The only other thing that would stop the ride would excessive rain the days leading up to the event which would make the ring too muddy for the horses. “The come first to us…their safety is important to us – they come before we do.”

White urged the group to come up with a pre-show to the event and sell tickets. Society officials say they’ll start a special page dedicated to the Musical Ride on the Brooke-Alvinston –Watford Fair website to get the information out about the event.

Share This

Image
Front Page

Petrolia native hopes to win UFC contract

July 4, 2025

The Independent Cody Chovancek will be part of Dana White’s UFC Contender Series this season. The Petrolia native who trains with the Niagara Top Team in St. Catharines is 8-0 as a pro in the bantamweight division. His latest bout was a unanimous decision against American Jordan Howard defending his Unified MMA title in Toronto in May. He originally won

Read More

Image
Front Page

Cattlemen, conservation authority reach agreement for pasture

July 4, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority and local cattlemen have reached an agreement for 187 acres of land to create a community pasture. About 30 members of the Lambton Cattlemens’ Association expressed an interest in the idea of a large pasture area managed by an association with a feed per head of cattle. There are 11 community

Read More

Image
Front Page

Sarnia senior dies in 402 crash

July 4, 2025

An 87 year-old from Sarnia has died in an accident on Highway 402 near London. West Region OPP say around 12:30 pm Friday, an SUV going westbound between Col. Talbot Road and Wonderland Road crossed over the centre media, struck a minivan and then hit a transport, landing in a ditch. Police say three people in the minivan were taken

Read More

Image
Front Page

Dresden “the canary in the coal mine” says Stiles

July 4, 2025

Ontario’s NDP promising to put pressure on Ford government to repeal Bill 5 The Independent NDP Leader says Dresden is the canary in the coalmine – a warning to other Ontario communities about what will happen because of Bill 5. Marit Stiles was in Dresden July 3 for a rally against the Dresden Dump. The province introduced and passed Bill

Read More