The naming of the horses

RCMP horses are officially identified by a Regimental Number, and are given a name. Each year children across Canada are invited to suggest names for four to six of the foals in a "Name the Foal" contest. Over the past years, several thousand names have been suggested and submitted for the contest. The remaining foals are named by the Pakenham Farm Manager, who attempts to match names to the distinct characteristics and personalities of each horse. The names of all foals born in the same year begin with the same letter, and every year this letter changes. This method makes it easier for the breeders to keep records on the RCMP horses. To our knowledge this process of naming foals is unique to the RCMP.

The ideal RCMP horse

RCMP horses must be black, elegant, uniform in size, substance and temperament, stand sixteen to seventeen hands tall, weigh between one-thousand two-hundred pounds and one-thousand four-hundred pounds, 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 which will help them to adapt to the rigorous life with the Musical Ride. They must be people friendly, be able to travel up to sixty thousand kilometers per year, depending on the tour, and adapt to changing food, water, climate and stabling.

• www.ccsa.ca (Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse)
• RCMP National Youth Strategy
• deal.org (Delivering Education and Awareness for Life)