Riding and Driving for Women

by Belle Beach

Lady’s Four-in-Hand Turning to the Right
Note position of hands

“Place the right hand over the off reins and be ready to grasp the off wheel rein from the inside with the little and second fingers, should the off wheeler fail to follow the off leader in making the turn. At the same time place the middle finger of the right hand between the near wheel and the near lead rein with the forefinger over the latter, and thus be ready to exert opposition should the horses on the near side turn too quickly. By placing the middle finger between the lead reins they may be operated separately or together.

“It will be seen that the wheelers may be drawn back together at any time in making the turn. As soon as the turn has been completed, lift the left thumb and let out the loop of the off lead rein; then, after giving the leaders more rein, let the hands resume the position shown on [page 238].

“To turn to the left, shorten the leaders’ rein so that the lead bars hang slack, and place the little, second, and middle fingers over the near lead rein about five inches in front of the left hand (depending upon how sharp a turn you wish to make). Draw the near lead rein back over the forefinger of the left hand, first raising the thumb. Whenever you think you have shortened the rein sufficiently, drop the thumb on the loop thus made. Grasp the off lead rein with the little and second fingers of the right hand and insert the middle finger between the off and near wheel reins. The near wheeler may be made to follow the near leader by tightening the near wheel rein with the middle and forefingers. Opposition may be exerted on each or both off reins, or the wheelers may be drawn back together. When the turn has been made, drop the loop and, after giving the leaders more rein, allow the hands to resume the position shown on [page 238].

“TURNING ACUTE ANGLES

“In turning an acute angle to the right, take up the leaders as has been previously described. Then with the right hand reach over the lead reins, and, grasping the near wheel rein with the little, second, and middle fingers, bring it up to the left of the lead rein and back over the index finger of the left hand, dropping the rein down in front of and around the thumb, in such a manner that the rein will be held in place by the fleshy part of the thumb near the wrist. Now make a ten-inch loop with the off lead rein, holding the loop in place with the thumb, and, reaching under the lead reins, make, in a similar manner, a point with the off wheel rein. After the turn is made, first drop the points, then the opposition over the thumb, and finally let out your leaders.

“In turning an acute angle to the left, first take up the leaders, then place the right hand under the off lead rein, and push back toward the body the off wheel rein through the fingers of the left hand, and make the two points with the near lead and wheel reins. After the turn has been made, draw out the off wheel rein with the right hand until the buckles on the hand pieces are even. Then let out the off wheel rein and the two points as described in preceding paragraph.

“In turning a right angle, as from an avenue into a street, make the point, i.e., loop, over the forefinger when the leaders’ forefeet have reached the corner.

“In going downhill, take up your leaders so that the lead bars hang slack, and then shorten all four reins.

“If your reins become misplaced, keep your team going, unless approaching or on a sharp decline. Under the latter conditions, have the servants run to the horses’ heads and bring them to a stop as quickly as possible. It is much easier to readjust the reins when the horses are going than to try to stop them. Find the lead reins and take them in the right hand with the middle finger between them, then with the thumb and forefinger of the right hand place the wheel reins in their proper position, and when this is accomplished return the lead reins to the left hand. Remember the off rein belongs on top of the near ones.”

High Tandem Cart

What has been said and quoted above relates more particularly to four-in-hand driving, but the principles of tandem driving are the same, except that it must be borne in mind that to drive tandem requires far lighter hands and more quickness and skill on the part of the driver than it does to drive a four. There

is, of course, nothing to steady the tandem leader and, in cases where in driving a four-in-hand it would be necessary to make and hold a point—as, for instance, in turning a corner—with a tandem it will often only be necessary to touch the leader’s rein. Remember, also, that the wheeler is only too apt to turn the moment he sees the leader turn, and it is often necessary to steady the wheeler by a pressure on the opposition rein, and, if he has a hard mouth or a sluggish one, it may even be necessary to make an opposition point to prevent him from making too sharp a turn. Except for the fact that a four-in-hand requires far more strength, tandem is the more difficult of the two. It is, however, peculiarly well suited for a woman because of her light hands and quickness, and there is no reason why women should not excel in this form of driving. Indeed, in the show ring, there have been far fewer accidents with women driving tandem than with men.

As most of the current works on four-in-hand and tandem driving were written before the days of automobiles, added caution is now needed, particularly with respect to the tandem. No woman should, under any circumstances, attempt to drive horses tandem unless they are thoroughly accustomed to automobiles, and it is necessary nowadays to be very much more on the alert than it was before the evil days of gasolene.

Tandem from Bay Shore, Long Island, Show, 1911

While with a well-trained tandem there will seldom be occasion for much whip work, at the same time, even with the best-trained horses, there will be occasions when the leader can only be controlled by the prompt and skilful use of the whip. With green horses it is quite impossible to control the leader without being prepared to use the whip at any moment. The ability to catch the thong comes into play far more frequently with a tandem than with a four-in-hand, and it is even more essential with a tandem, for the thong is more easily caught