THE JUMPING CONTEST AT THE AUCKLAND SHOW. UNKNOWN

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2085, 17 November 1885, Page 2

THE JUMPING CONTEST AT THE AUCKLAND SHOW. UNKNOWN

V t.hkvt number of people go to the Auckland Show every year for tho purpose of neeing the horses compote in tho high jumping contort. If they do nut go r\prrs«]y to see this and nothing else, they nt luast look upon it as one of the more attracts n fnatures in the show. And so it is. Waiknto people, especially, all like to sco tho jumping, and Waikato Ijkliph, who, as we all know, are of a- decidedly horsey tendency, particularly on occasions <>f this nature, will sacrifice almost anything to pet a |*eep at tho horses taking the bar. And, Htmngo to Ray, though this is one of tho mont attiactivo feature* of tlio show, and is the mr.ini of bringing them a Rood number of p.itron«, it is a matter of very great surprise th.it the arrangement* for this evnnt .iro .1 st Hiding dicgrace to tho stewards or the committoc of management, whoerer those honpst-mindod gentlemen may ba. The manner in which the last jumping content was carried out, and everything about it «,n sufficient to mjkc everybody concerned ashamed of himself, fho bar is erected in tho middle of the paddock, an biihaie usually erected on Mich occasion*. A cry gons up through the rrounds, " Tho jumping," and snnult.ineou-<lv jump from all corners all clashes and conditions, all ages and .ill sexes. A crowd toon forms ab nit the bar, «e\ er.il hundreds of people perhaps, and then a icmio ensues. Tlio-e people who ha\e secured good jjokitions at tho outset, in> jo-tled .md nhined forward byahomn? multitude from behind, just to have their corns trimmed by tho horses of a couple of mounted police ofhci ils in front. One good l.idy standing in juxtaposition to the writer h,id her proboscis flattened by coming into contact with the judge's elbow, and a tuveet tempered female of prejuissessing countenance would itisiit uixin my accommodating hor four-year old boy with » se.it upon my Hhouldor, my protests to tho cwtrary notwithstanding. Uy and by nil the ladiuA .vnd the morfl gentoel members of the crowd got squeezed out, and then tho fun commenced in earnest. What a gathering there w.th to be Hiiro ! And how we all enjoyed oursehev ! How well we all t*.iw the. contest ! Lest thecomnrting horses «hould citch cold we all gathered m closely to keep out the draught, and tha passage was finally so nariow that the hoi sen could b.irely sec w here tlioy had to jump. When a horse c.imc up to the bar and b.ilked, evidently with tho desiio not to jump on the people at the other side, he was greeted w ith a lot of sweet faces like those of grinning bulldogs and choice expressions which h.id a tendency to frighten e\en the unfortunate .itunnl. Some howled like j.ickAlls, whilst others brayed like j.ick.isses. A foreign guntleman, with a squint, eyed every horse as he enme up, and I \enly •ittnbutc the failure of m.tny <»f tho honei to that gentleman's countenance-. They c.ime up to the *critch right manfully, but immedi itcly on seeing thatiace on t\u v other hide of the b.ir they gr.wely turned and went back. I think ho was a steward. There wero about twenty different judgos, and it wns very hard to say which was tho right one. Indeed there were only about twenty pcoi>le altogether who saw the contest, and vvlien the thing was over nobody could tell which horse had won. How \ cry little it would cost to make a proper ring or ro()o enclosure with plenty of room for the horses to g.tllop up and round without being frightenod almost to death by a gaping multitude of hooting men and hoodlums. If the utoward.s would only mako their'show a little more attractive they would soon find it moro popular with the public, and a greater miccess in every respect. I havo written thesn few linos on the leprosentation of many Waikato friends who attended tho show, and who were no thoroughly disgusted with that of Monday l»st that they are never likely to go back again. Thcro are many other tiling* respecting this show to which I hhould liko to draw the attention of the stewards, but as I nm confined to apace and limited to time I will have to abide by the showman's motto of " One at the time, gentlemen."