a night of chaos

Harbour Nights are a weekly affair of family fun during the summer here in Bermuda. Hamilton's Front Street closes down from about 7:00 to 11:00 pm every Wednesday as local talent, arts & crafts, & singers & Gombey Dancers make their weekly appearance for all to enjoy. It's a miniature street festival, if you will.

This past Wednesday was the first of many Harbour Nights for 2007. But this first ended in chaos & panic as a couple of horses broke free from their owner & took off with the carriage making a straight beeline for the crowd that littered Front Street. About 19 people, tourists & locals including children were injured.

Now the government is looking to ban horse carriage tours that operate in town. Many have voiced their opinions that these horses, while may be well tended to by their owners, are working in the summer heat, traffic, noise & pollution. That's enough of a toll to eventually spook a horse & set it off at anytime. No one knows what set these particular horses off, but this is not the time to shrug off an incident like this even though it's a first time occurrence. Unfortunate for the horse carriage tour operators & owners, but an incident like this cannot be casually dismissed.

Here's a shot of a couple of beauties we were passing by on South Shore Road on Easter Sunday. Pretty aren't they? Even I was wary as I went up to pet & feed them, for their height & sheer towering presence made me feel like a dwarf. Curious fellows they were, that's for sure. Left me wishing I knew how to ride a horse!