Strathcona Mounted Troop 2025
By Capt T. Lauterbacher
The 125th anniversary celebration year saw the Strathcona Mounted Troop (SMT) standing to their horses for one of the busiest seasons for the Troop.
The training season continued throughout Fall 2024 and Winter 2025 to see six new riders qualified for the 2025 season. Planning for what would prove to be a very busy season, was in full swing by mid- January.
In February the Troop hosted an American contingent of Cavalry Soldiers from The Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard out of Fort Riley, Kansas. The two units worked together exchanging knowledge, skills, and unit history. The exchange was an eye-opening and typically Canadian experience for the Fort Riley soldiers, as temperatures dipped to -45C during the night and a brisk -25C during the day. During the visit, the soldiers of the Color Guard experienced the Spur ceremony, as members were presented their spurs signifying the passing of their ride course.
The beginning of March saw the start of ride practice. The riders spent all day in the saddle practicing moves on horseback, which would inevitably make up the musical ride for the season. May saw the first ride of the season, with SMT performing the Cavalry Drills, Musical Ride and Tent Pegging for members of CFB Edmonton, as well as some students from the local Guthrie Elementary School.
The first major test for Mounted Troop was the Grande Prairie “Stompede” 30 May – 2 June 2025. This was a new venue for the Troop to perform at, and they quickly showed their adaptability. Originally slated to only perform Cavalry Drills, the Troop also managed to perform escort tasks, the musical ride and tent pegging for crowds of over 3000 people. The Rodeo crowd roared with excitement as the riders showcased their skills in the fast-paced tent pegging competition. The display was broadcast live on the Cowboy Network and quickly earned their invite back to next year’s “Stompede”.
After almost no rest for the team, they quickly cleaned tack and were off to Spruce Meadows on a twenty-four-hour turn-around. There, the Troop completed escort tasks, Musical Rides, and promenaded through the grounds, raising awareness of the and bringing smiles to the faces of thousands of visitors. The barns remained open to the public throughout as the soldiers of SMT utilized any chance of pulling a horse out to introduce to the public for photo ops and pets.
The beginning of July marked the start of the Calgary Stampede, where once again the Troop – under cover of the 3am morning darkness – snuck into the city to setup and participate in the Calgary Stampede Parade. This saw members riding straight down the centre of the parade route there the Troop was met with many cheers and waves from spectators.
On 7 July 2025, the Troop packed up all their tack and equipment and headed to the Calgary Airport, where they would embark on the long-awaited King’s Life Guard Task. After a long flight, they landed in London, UK, and was off to Hyde Park Barracks to link up with their hosts from the Household Cavalry (HHC). With only two days until the official mounting of the guard, the Troop needed to resize tack for the much larger HHC horses, practice the Guard routine, and complete a ride test with their new mounts. With very little time to ensure everything was ready, the team worked late into the night and into the early mornings to ensure they were prepared for the task ahead.
At dawn on 11 July 2025, the gates of Hyde Park Barracks opened, the Strathcona Mounted Troop passed through, them a sight which had not been seen in 25 years. With brass tack, helmets and boots polished to a high shine, the Troop rode passed thousands of onlookers and made their way past Buckingham Palace and down to the parade square of Whitehall. There, they were greeted by the Blues and Royals, who officially handed over guard duties to them in a Ceremony conducting in the courtyard. The next ten days consisted of morning watering order (riding through the streets of London), patrols through St. James Park, 4 O’clock inspections, and hour-long shifts in the guard boxes. The presence of media and tik-tokers alike did not bother the Troop, who were noted for their “Canadian Mustaches” and the first female soldier of the Canadian Forces to mount the King’s Guard, Cpl Madison Young.
During their stay, the Troop had the honour of being invited by His Majesty King Charles III for an hour-long meet and greet at Windsor Castle. They enjoyed several laughs and a few good stories with His Majesty, who was very intent on getting to know the individual soldiers and where they came from. After time spent with the King, the Troop quickly returned to their guard duties. On 21 July 2025, the Strathcona Mounted Troop handed their duties back to the HHC, and the guard was taken over by the King’s Lifeguard. 24 hours later, horses were returned, tack cleaned, and our soldiers were back on a plane to Canada.
On their return, Strathcona Mounted Troop stood to their horses yet again for a Regimental Change of Command Parade, a part of the celebrations for the Regiment’s 125th Anniversary. The horses had been resting for two weeks while the soldiers were in the UK and proved to be a bit, “spicy.” Nonetheless, riders and ground crew were able to successfully conduct their duties during the parade and, once again, put on an exciting ride on base for ceremony attendees to enjoy.
August saw a change in venues, as smaller contingents of the Troop were detached for events like Heritage Park – Days of Yore, CANPRAXIS, Summer Skirmish and even dismounted tasks such as the Cavalry FC games at Spruce Meadows. The remainder of their ‘spare time’ has been spent in constant prep for the next bound. At the end of August, the Mounted Troop participated in Alberta Days in both Edmonton and Calgary, The Labour Day ride and Masters Tournament at Spruce Meadows, and finally finishing off the busy 2025 Ride season with the 100th Anniversary Parade in Wainwright AB.
As one of the busiest seasons on record, the Mounted Troop was, and always is, up to the task. Soldiers, both ground crew and riders, give their all to ensure the history and public image of the Regiment and Canadian Armed Forces are always upheld. After a brief fall rest period, the Troop will once again stand to their horses for the 2026 Ride Season.