A special encounter on the sand
By Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon
CJ Travel Editor
It’s the tail end of my morning run in Barbados. I’ve already logged three miles, trundling past Brownes Beach, where a few elderly bathers are taking a sunrise dip, and along Bay Street, where a lone street sweeper gets an early start on the day’s grit. On the return leg I turn into Aquatic Gap, sweep in and out of the Hilton, and decide to return to my hotel via the sands of Pebbles Beach.
And that’s where I see them.
At first I think I’m imagining things: Could those really be horses in the water? But as I get closer I can hear them whinny and snort, standing haunch-deep in the very sea I floated in just yesterday, no more than a few steps from the beach in front of my hotel. One horse rears and lowers his head in what looks like a nod of satisfaction as a man holding onto his reins vigorously sponges down his flanks with salt water. And all three beasts look as if they’re enjoying themselves.
Finally my curiosity gets the better of me and I approach the water’s edge, calling out a greeting to one of the horsemen. After we exchange pleasantries I ask him about the horses and he tells me that they’re from the Garrison Savannah racetrack, less than a mile away. Once a week the grooms walk them here to Pebble Beach for bathtime and bonding in the cool and clear waters that wash this white-sand stretch – the same sea that where in a couple of hours tourists will swim and float, completely unaware of this unusual morning ritual.
I’m pretty sure my conference colleagues won’t believe me when I tell them about my dawn revelation, so I ask permission to snap a quick picture. One photo turns into 20, and before you know it I’m in danger of being late. But if I am, it’ll be worth it. Because horses bathing in the water at sunrise? Well, that isn’t a sight you see every day. Only on the special ones.