Beating Retreat

The pomp and circumstance continues, my friends, with the annual Beating Retreat held at the Horse Guards Paradent this past week. It has its origins in early chivalry when beating the retreat sounded the halt to the day's fighting.

Today it's an amazing pageant of over 300 musicians, drummers and pipers showing great precision

and flair as they carry out the Ceremony.

The pipers from the Irish guards and the London Regiment

were some of my favorites.

The War Horse from the musical of the same name

trotted into the arena, amazing us as before with its semblance of reality.

Special guests this year were the Royal Cavalry of Oman.

It was founded in 1974 by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bi Said

to revive the country's equestrian tradition. The pipers played

and the Omani horsemen

and women riders

added a new element of color

to the spectacle. 

The finale of Tchailowsky's 1812 Overture was highlighted by the shooting of cannons

and the gun salute by the Moscow Militia,

all ending with a crescendo of fireworks to cap off another night of pageantry.