PORTER, D.E. (Donald E.)
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Troop Number and Year: TR. 2 1965
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I was born in Bath, New Brunswick on October 2, 1946 to parents, Ervine and Dorothy Porter and was raised with my 2 brothers and 2 sisters in Two Brooks, 16 miles outside of Plaster Rock. Growing up in the country gave me a love of the outdoors. My father was a Sawyer in a Hardwood Mill and my love for horses started when I saw him driving a team. At the age of 7, I hung around the Teamsters at the Hardwood Mill and they taught me how to drive and harness the team of work horses.
Growing up was also a time for fishing, hunting, learning to pole a canoe on the Tobique River and swimming. As we lived so far from Town, my first 6 years in school was in a one room Schoolhouse. In High School I played Basketball and Badminton, and Baseball with local teams.
After High School, I applied to the RCMP and in October 1965 was sent to Ottawa for Training. It was the 2nd last Troop to ride horses as part of Training.
My first posting was to Corner Brook, Newfoundland in 1966, which was quite an adventure for a country boy just 20 years of age. Two years later, I applied to the Musical Ride and after a riding course, was accepted into the 1968/69 Musical Ride. In July 1968, the Musical Ride set out for the U.S. Tour with the first stop being Omaha. We travelled by train in a box car, with 6 horses, one member, one barrel of water, and enough hay to get to your first destination. During the tour we arrived in Memphis where Wayne Glenney and I visited an Arabian Horse Farm and wound up purchasing a grey Arabian Stallion. When Wayne finished the 1968 tour, he rented a trailer and took the horse with him to Gravelbourg, SK. We later dissolved the partnership by me taking one of the off-spring.
The last stop on the '68 tour was Bermuda. We flew from Washington, DC. to Bermuda and it was the first time the RCMP horses had ever been flown.
In 1969 I met my wife, Margaret Sweeney, and got married in September with an Honour Guard from the Musical Ride. In October we were posted to Red Deer, Alberta where our 2 children, Jim and Tina, were born. In 1972, I joined the Dog Section, and after training, was posted to Grand Prairie, Alberta where I was able to enjoy my love of both dogs and horses. During the Centennial year there was a large parade, and because of my time in the Musical Ride, I was asked to participate by riding a horse and me wearing a Northwest Mounted Police Uniform. In 1974 we were posted to Stoney Plain, Alberta for 10 months, and then to Sydney, Nova Scotia where we purchased a small farm in Marion Bridge on the Intervale Road. I was involved with Search and Rescue as well as the ERT. During my time with ERT, we developed an Entry for armed barricaded persons utilizing the dog to make it safer for members. My time in the Dog Section was probably my best job in the RCMP.
In 1980 we were posted to Stewiacke, Nova Scotia. During my service in Stewiacke, with the permission of the RCMP, I coached my son’s baseball team as well as my daughter’s Junior High basketball team. In 1994, with my wife and daughter, we built a horse training and boarding facility, and in 1996 I retired from the RCMP.
During our time teaching kids to ride and training horses, the Musical Ride also became a part of our teaching. A lot of our clients were fascinated by what we did on the ride and wanted to do drill teams which developed into a 12-person ride, and at one point, we performed a musical performance before the actual Musical Ride in Truro. While we were warming up outside, some of our riders saw the REAL Musical Ride warming up and were just a little intimidated. It was a memory that we will never forget.
Story submitted by Donald Porter
May 22, 2025
Divisions Served: B, N, K, H
Regimental Number: #24274
Training Division: N Div. Ottawa
Troop Number and Year: TR. 2 1965
Home Town: Plaster Rock, NB
Engagement Date: Oct 01, 1965