SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The face of the RCMP in the NWT has left her post in Yellowknife to join the iconic RCMP Musical Ride.

Cst. Elenore Sturko's last official day with the Mounties in Yellowknife was Friday. Sturko has left her post as media liaison officer to join the world-renowned RCMP Musical Ride in Ottawa. - John McFadden/NNSL photo

Cst. Elenore Sturko's last day on the job in Yellowknife was Friday. She had been the Mounties' media liaison officer for Yellowknife and the NWT since September 2014.

Sturko lived in Yellowknife back in 2004 when she worked for CBC North. In 2010, she left the media organization to join the RCMP and began her policing career in Langley, B.C. She was posted back in Yellowknife in 2012.

The musical ride, based in Ottawa, is performed by a full troop of 32 riders and their horses. Their performance consists of intricate figures and drills choreographed to music.

Sturko said she had to go on a five-week course to determine whether she is suitable for the musical ride.

"I am a novice horse rider. You don't have to be an expert. It's your ability to learn and work with others in a stressful situation," Sturko said. "I loved it - working with animals. The horses were amazing."

She admitted she has a lot to learn when it comes to riding a horse and caring for it. She said she will not just be a rider - she will also be responsible for feeding and grooming her horse as well as cleaning its stall.

"I have been on a few school horseback riding trips. I am an animal lover but I did not grow up as a girl begging for a pony," Sturko said. "The horses really won me over. Even though they are working animals, they are very personable."

Sturko said initially the horse she will be riding and caring for, named Carter, is about 16-years old. He is used for training riders but is not actually in the musical ride. She said they have developed a strong bond in the short time they have been together.

She still needs to complete the next level of training before she actually becomes a full-fledged member of the musical ride and expects her tour to be next year. Her term with the group will end in 2018, with a possible opportunity to stay on longer.

The musical ride normally performs about 50 shows a year from May until October but Sturko expects they will be even busier next year for Canada's 150th birthday. They also perform internationally, including for the Queen's birthday.

Sturko said that working with the public in the NWT is one of the aspects of her job here that she will miss.

"Right when I started in the position in 2014 we had a lot going on. Yellowknife had some serious cases including a high-profile missing Japanese tourist," Sturko said. "We also had a lot of drug busts and news conferences. We felt that we needed to improve (media relations) and I believe we did."

Speaking about her personal life, Sturko said being a woman and a lesbian has not adversely affected her career in policing, a male-dominated profession - she says she has been fully accepted by her fellow officers.

In her time in Yellowknife Sturko also worked with the LGBTQ community and NWT Pride.

It is not clear who, if anyone, is going to replace Sturko as media relations officer.

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