For the first time in its illustrious history the Household Cavalry display team, known as the Musical Ride, will display outside Europe, at an exhibition in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
The visit is being organised by Captain Edward Olver who was brought up in the UAE.
The display team will carry out four performances at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equine Exhibition (ADIHEX) which is staged from 30 September to 3 October this year.
Captain Olver said he was very excited about the event.
“When I organised this, my intention was to broaden the horizons of the team. I thought we hadn’t spread the word and looked far enough afield before,” he said.
“The whole team are looking forward to the opportunity and the organisers are excited about bringing the majesty of our pageantry to a wider audience.
“Part of my responsibility is to help create such opportunities for the lads who’ve served in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
The event is staged at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre and is now in its fourth year.
It features many aspects of horsemanship and hunting, with horse and camel auctions, saluki dog beauty contests, traditional hunting activities along with many firearms exhibitors, ancient and modern.
Thirty-five soldiers and 28 horses will make the trip, which has been organised by the Emirates Falconers’ Club, whose chairman is Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Sheikh Mansour has won endurance races in the Middle East and hit the headlines recently in the UK as the new owner of Manchester City football club.
Abdul Rahman Al Mutaiwee, the UAE ambassador to the UK, said: “The UAE and the UK have long shared a huge respect for each others cultures and traditions. Our royal families enjoy a passion for the horse and equine activities. My country looks forward to hosting the members of the Household Cavalry’s Musical Ride.”
Captain Olver has served with the Cavalry for five years, and said he hoped this would be the first of many such trips.
“We are a display team. If more people are interested, I can’t see why we won’t do it again.”
The Household Cavalry is the Queen’s personal bodyguard and has a history dating back to the 1600s. It is made up of two regiments, the Life Guards and the Blue and Royals.
