Hints on Driving

by C. Morley Knight

FIG. 30.—SECURING LASH BY TWISTING IT ROUND HANDLE OF WHIP.

|How to hit horses with whip.| The wheelers should be hit in front of the pad to avoid making them kick. If ever they should attempt to kick, a severe blow about the ears will usually put a stop to it. Generally move the whip from left to right, keeping the wrist nearly stiff, and doing it as far as possible from the elbow, without any circular motion of the forearm. With a fidgety near wheeler it is advisable to hit the off one on the outside. It is no use hitting the wheelers if the leaders’ reins are too long; in this case you must first shorten up the leaders’ reins, and then use the whip on the wheelers; otherwise, as soon as the wheelers have jumped into their collars, the leaders will again press forward, and allow the wheelers to hang back as before.

|Hitting off leader.| The best way to hit the off leader is first to bring the top of the whip from the near to the off side of the coach; then undo the thong by swinging the stick round and round, at the same time keeping the point of the lash under the first finger. Next bring the right hand down close to the left, and place the left thumb over the point of the lash so as to keep it clear of everything. Now swing the stick back to the right until the wrist is about in line with the shoulder, at the same time releasing the point from under the thumb. This should be done with very little movement of the wrist. Make a good circular turn and bring the stick to the front again sharply, aiming with the point a little in front of the spot you wish to hit. In doing this the lash can travel to the front either above or below the stick, but in traffic, or when under trees, the latter will be found the safer.

The only place the point of the whip should ever crack is on the horse, and never under any circumstances in the air, which would be dangerous, especially to those on the back seat, besides being very unworkmanlike.

The lash should hit the leaders under the bars on their hocks, as it does not look well to see wheals or streaks of mud on the horses’ flanks and quarters.

|Hitting near leader.| To hit the near leader, begin as before, but instead of making the lash go to the off side of the coach, throw the right hand well up and make a good swing with the stick, so that the lash may go well over the heads of the passengers from the off to the near side, and then by dropping the point of the stick and letting the hand go slightly out to the front, it will be found that the lash will swing in and hit the near leader, while passing outside and avoiding the near wheeler’s head.

|Bringing back lash.| Having once hit the leader, the lash should be brought back on the near side of the coach. Do not attempt to get it straight back to your hand, otherwise you will most likely hit the wheeler, or the passenger on the box seat, but just send the lash out to the front over the leaders with a circular motion, and then by holding the stick nearly upright it will come into your hand or under your arm (fig. 31). This will leave the right hand free to steady the horses, which will generally be found necessary. The lash, having been brought back to the near side of the coach, can also be recovered by raising the whip vertically and bringing it over the wheeler’s back. This, although a quicker plan than the other, will not be found so easy or so safe.

|Hitting near leader under bars.| The near leader can also be hit from the off side under the bars. To do this the lash must be thrown outwards, away from the coach, and then brought back swinging under the stick, so that the point passes between the off wheeler and the off leader just under the end of the pole. This requires a considerable amount of practice, otherwise the off-side horses will often be hit by mistake. Another very useful method is to throw the lash between the wheelers’ heads, hitting the leader on the quarter.

FIG. 31.—BRINGING BACK THONG OF WHIP AFTER HITTING A LEADER.