HORSE-WASHING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 725, 26 January 1910, Page 13

HORSE-WASHING.

A SCENE IN ORIENTAL BAT. ; ;! There has been some .eminent on-the practice of' horse-washing ;in : Oriental Bay.'and correspondents have had a'good deal to say about the'scanty attire-of . the mon and boys who; take ;a- delight in; giying. tho, horses a swim on Sunday morning. A Dqminiok representative, who has often-enjoyed ,-a borrowed., pleasure -from the.horses;that jare;,given a 6wini in the bay on a Sunday'iiifirnijifTrand has. never seen-' any. save '.the small. boys in '.too scanty or unbecoming attire— visited ; the ~scene ; yesterday .' morning, when;there were an unusually.large nuni.bor i of horses taken . into, the ' harbour. The - impression- formed ' was that tho horses take as; keen a delight in their weekly swim 'as do, the men, who, in their own time, tako' the trouble to bring their horses all the' way to Oriental Bay. to give- them, a,good swim. :■ ' ; Asa rule, tho men and youths'wore a shirt and pair of old trousers, and there was' nothing'. that would' bring, a blush to: the' cheek' of modesty. • Ai police offir cor who was. olso a' spectator of .the, animated ,scono at, the,..bay.; was, of .opinion ; that thire" was' nothing 'to . cavil ; at J ; in 'the--attire of those.wlio.swam-the horses.- - Tho-inen- who put themselves out : of the .way. (and who think much vof their--horses) as to' treat .them: to a Sunday -Jiathd. are rather '.to r b'o r comriiended than; blamed; ,; It -has: been-; urged that I the' City Council should ,' iiot - encourage' them by erecting a bathing; shed on the beaoh, 'similar to those at: Island and Lyall .Bays. .The men wero'.'talking yesterday of "pooling .in" for the- purpose of; erecting a dressing-shed ' for': themselves (if'the council would givo them permission to do so). -The, horses • themselves havo only; ono opinion about these Sunday morning ablutions. They needed- no urging to 'dash inter- the. blue, and '.never, evinced any particular desire to quit the cool water for the baking sands. • ;