85 Days of Lancers
In 2021, Lancers turned 85! We not only looked to our past but also looked to our future.
On July 4, we launched 85 Days of Lancers. Each day we shared a piece of Lancers’ history and that was only the beginning! Throughout the 85 days, we held public events, contests, initiatives, and lots of great stories and news for everyone! The 85 days culminated with something very special on September 26th. We invited you to join us for:
85 years of urban school horses living in the city
85 years of teaching children and youth
85 years of youth-led leadership
85 years of the Musical Ride
85 years of serving the people of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Canada through horses and sport
85th Anniversary Musical Ride Performance
Presentation of the Pony
Elizabeth Johnson Presenting Lancers with “Modern Melody”
We were delighted to have Elizabeth Johnson as our Guest of Honour. Elizabeth also officially presented our newest pony and member of the Horses of Halifax to us in a revival of a 1940s tradition of the “presentation of the pony”. For many years, the names of Lancer horses contained the word “Melody” as a reference to the Musical Ride. We proudly revive this tradition too and introduce you to Modern Melody, “Eddie”. Eddie is happy at home in Halifax and is ready to greet you when he is outside!
Thank you to our event sponsors!
Thank you again to J2K Properties, our silver sponsor, Black & McDonald, our bronze sponsor, and all of those who sponsored a Horse in the Musical Ride! The event could have trotted on in such fashion without you!
Our 85 Days of Lancers initiative culminated in our 85th Anniversary Musical Ride performance on September 26 and it was one for the history books!
Luck was on our side as the torrential rain stopped just long enough for the performance. The Musical Ride has performed across Canada and in the USA and our 85th marked our first worldwide broadcast so alumni and fans around the world could join the celebration and witness the magic of the Musical Ride. We were thrilled to have nearly 400 people tune into the live stream and it definitely proved to be our first worldwide performance as viewers as far as Spain and the Netherlands watched (and possibly even further afield)! We give a very special thanks to Amy Smith from CBC Nova Scotia who graciously shared her time and talent with us as our MC.
Passing of the Lance Ceremony
Our four graduating riders, Ella MacDonald, Elise Lutwick-Campbell, Aminata Karakach, and Alison Brennan, physically and symbolically passed down their Lances to the next generation of Lancers. As our motto (Docti Ductui) says, they have been “taught for leadership”; they have led the way and instilled so much in their fellow Lancers.
Unveiling of our new signs!
As our 85th anniversary also marked our name change, we were thankful to Elizabeth who officially unveiled our brand new building signs. The stables have been our home since 1942 and the new signs do our heritage building justice!
Daily Lancer History
Each day we share a new piece of Lancer history!
Lancer Legion of Honour
At Lancers, one of our core values is treating the horses with the utmost respect and teaching our riders to not only learn to ride, but to care for horses. This Lancer approach to building strong riders and skilled horse people has been consistent throughout our 85 year history. Whether one rode in the 1940s, or 60’s or 90’s, or today, Lancers are taught to put the horse’s needs before their own. The horses share their body, mind, and spirit with us and we respect and value all that they give us, including the many life lessons that come with the sport.
As an organization, our mission is to build better lives through horses and therefore, everything we do starts with the horses. Without them, Lancers could not exist, and the positive impact on the lives of thousands of Lancers and members of the public would not have been possible.
Whenever we retire one of our school horses, we add their stall name plate to our Wall of Honour to recognise the service they gave to Lancers. However, we only started our Wall of Honour in the past few years so there are many, many, more Lancer horses who deserve to be recognized and remembered for their service. Historically, a Legion of Honour is a French military honour (and medal) awarded on merit and for service.
We believe that every horse that has served Lancers at some point over the past 85 years should be added to our Lancer Legion of Honour which will be an online archive. We are asking alumni to send or share photos and stories of your favourite past Lancer horse. After all, the horses are what have united all Lancers throughout our 85-year history.
Past Events
Lancers stand guard at Camp Hill Cemetery with two Honour Guards and a Riderless Horse
Memorial for Mr. Dick Zwicker, Founder of the Musical Ride and Lancers
On Sunday, September 12th, as part of our 85th anniversary, we held a memorial for Mr. Dick Zwicker who established the Musical Ride in 1936 and by extension, Lancers. We had a procession to Zwicker’s grave in Camp Hill Cemetery from the stables which included a riderless horse, two mounted Honour Guards, six Honour Guards on foot followed by many other Lancers.
Zwicker passed in 1954 and his funeral also featured a riderless horse which in historic tradition, symbolizes a fallen leader. The boots reversed in the stirrups represent the fallen leader looking back on their troops one last time. We repeated this tradition for Mr. Zwicker as he looks back on all Lancers who have experienced the benefits of horses since 1936 and now, us on our 85th anniversary.
We were delighted to have Elizabeth Johnson as our Guest of Honour. Elizabeth rode under Dick Zwicker from 1950-1954, was a leader in the Musical Ride, and was present at Zwicker’s funeral. In the cemetery, she shared powerful words and reflections of Mr. Zwicker, being a Lancer, and the positive impact horses have had on her life and that of her family. We laid a horseshoe wreath along with flowers on his grave and then rejoined the horses who were waiting outside the cemetery. It was both a moving and warming event that brought together the Lancer legacy over the generations!
Free Pony Rides July 22-August 12
We believe that every person should have the opportunity to experience the joy and magic of what it feels like to ride a horse at least once in their life.
As Canada’s only urban (and historic) non-profit riding school, we are dedicated to making the sport of riding accessible to all and we value every chance to share the #horsesofhalifax with you! We’re proud Nova Scotians and this was one way we can give back to our community as part of our 85 Days of Lancers, our celebration of Lancers’ 85th anniversary.
From July 22nd until August 12th, Lancers offered FREE “pony” rides every Tuesday and Thursday between 1:00-2:00pm at our stables at 1690 Bell road.
Golden Horseshoe Hunt July 26-August 8
As part of our 85 Days of Lancers, the Horses of Halifax hid 28 of their lucky golden horseshoes through the city! Horseshoes are a symbol of good luck and the horses wanted to share them with YOU! Each shoe was worn by one of the #horsesofhalifax, the horses who are all owned by us as a non-profit!
Our Golden Horseshoe Hunt was a great success!
18 horseshoes have been recorded as found by people of all ages and we are thrilled that they are in new homes with members of the Nova Scotia community! Congratulations to everyone who found a Golden Horseshoe. May it bring you luck in the years to come! One person told us how thankful they were to find the golden horseshoe because they really needed a bit of luck.
Over two weeks, 28 golden horseshoes belonging to the Horses of Halifax were hidden at locations around the Halifax peninsula. Many were hidden in places that connect to Lancers including:
Places that Lancers used to ride - Point Pleasant Park, the Forum, Duncan Street
Places that Lancers used to stand with an honour guard - Citadel Hill, Historic Properties, City Hall
Local businesses that are friends of Lancers - Trident Café , Freeman’s Little New York, Atlantic News, Woozles, and Patch. Thank you for agreeing to play along with our Golden Horseshoe Hunt. We are so fortunate to have businesses like yours in our community!
Our neighbours - the Halifax Public Gardens, the Museum of Natural History, Citadel High School (formerly the location of our outdoor riding ring), the Commons, the hospital, and Victoria Park
Places that Lancers used to ride - Point Pleasant Park, the Forum, Duncan Street
Our neighbours - the Halifax Public Gardens, the Museum of Natural History, Citadel High School (formerly the location of our outdoor riding ring), the Commons, the hospital, and Victoria Park
Even if you did not happen to find a shoe this time around, the Horses of Halifax are still here to share their luck with you, and they love having visitors while they are turned out in the paddock.
Introducing - Halifax Lancers July 23rd
Dear Nova Scotians, Equestrian Community, Friends of Lancers, Alumni, and Future Lancers,
As 2021 marks our 85th anniversary, we are excited to announce our official and legal name change from Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers to *Halifax Lancers*. This change has been a strategic priority for our non-profit organization since 2018 and this name better reflects who we are today as an equally historic and modern organization.
We do not have military ties and the words “Bengal” and “Junior” do not accurately reflect who we are today, particularly as an inclusive 200 member organization, we provide riding lessons and therapeutic programming to people of all ages and abilities. The city of Halifax has always been our home and where we have served its people for 85 years. Our new name better reflects that Halifax and Lancers are inextricably linked.
Our former name originated from a 1935 action film entitled “Lives of a Bengal Lancer”. In 1936, to provide children living in the city with access to the sport and to give them a goal to which to apply their skills, our founder M.B. Dick Zwicker established The Musical Ride, a youth equestrian performance set to music. Zwicker was captured by the romanticism of the film’s riding scenes, and the Musical Ride adopted the Halifax Junior Bengal Lancers name.
While the existing Lancer crest that has been our visual symbol for years will continue to be an important part of who we are (and will continue to be used for ceremonial purposes), we felt it was important to create a fresh logo that reflects our name and mandate. This new logo is still steeped in symbolism:
Red and blue are our official colours
The font is reminiscent of the 1930s but is also modern, representing our past, present, and future
The word Lancers is slightly bigger than Halifax representing that in a way, Lancers supports the city of Halifax in helping shape young people and the lives of many through sport
The horse head is identifiable and symbolises that at Lancers, everything we do is made possible with the help of the horses
1936 is the year we were established
The lines are modern representations of the Lances in our crest and in the Musical Ride
The surrounding border represents the unique shape of our barn as seen from Bell Road. This architecture is a fundamental part of our heritage status
This shape is also symbolic because as Lancers, we know the magic that happens within the walls of the barn
Even at the age of 85, you’re never too old to make a change. While we honour our past, our new name and logo is an exciting step forward for our historic organization, and we hope that you share our excitement as we continue to contribute to the Halifax community by building better lives through horses.
Yours truly and always, Halifax Lancers
30th Annual Downtown Horse Show - July 25
The Downtown Horse Show is an equestrian jumping competition and is a unique opportunity to bring your family and friends to witness a traditionally rural competition right in the core of Downtown Halifax. We usually welcome competitors from around the province but this year, it was for Lancers only.
This year was particularly special to us as we had to cancel last year’s event due to COVID restrictions AND this 2021 marks our 85th anniversary. This was our first public event as part of our “85 Days of Lancers” and it was a smashing success!