Hints on Driving

by C. Morley Knight

|Transferring reins to right hand before mounting box.| Having done this, transfer the four reins to the right hand, but one finger lower down than they are held in the left; the first finger will then be free to hold on to the footboard whilst climbing up.

|Mounting box seat.| In order to help yourself on to the box, catch hold of the lamp wire with the left hand, place the left foot on the pipe box of the wheel, the right foot on the roller of the splinter bar; then the left foot can be raised on to the step and the right foot on to the footboard.

|Sit down at once when mounted.| Now sit down on the seat at once; otherwise if the horses start off suddenly you may be pitched off. Immediately transfer the reins from the right hand back to the left, by passing the fingers of the left hand just in front of the fingers of the right, the forefinger of the left hand being opposite the middle finger of the right. Then adjust any rein not found to be correct. It is always advisable to have a rug |Rug or apron necessary.| or apron over your knees, as not only does it look untidy to be without one, but it also saves your trousers immensely, as the reins are sure to touch them to a certain extent and wear them out, especially in damp weather. As soon as you have arranged the reins satisfactorily in the left hand, being especially careful not to have them too long, take the whip out of the socket and keep it in |Caution to passengers before starting horses.| the right hand. Before starting always give the caution, “Sit fast,” or ask if “All right behind?” as many a man has been jerked off from not knowing that the coach was going to start.

|To start horses.| To start, feel all the horses’ mouths, and, if necessary, give them the word to go, dropping the hand to them at once until the coach is fairly off. Nothing tends more to make horses jib than holding on to their heads at the moment of starting. |Wheelers start the coach.| The wheelers ought to start the coach, and this can be effected by touching them with the whip if they require a hint. Do not, however, on any account hit a wheeler which is inclined to jib, but make the others get the coach moving.

To be able to start horses well is perhaps the most difficult thing which the young driver has to learn. The knack can only be acquired by experience, and no absolute rules can be laid down for his guidance, as no two teams are alike in temper and disposition.

Before starting have the rugs taken off quietly, not snatched off, and, as soon as you are ready, make the grooms stand well clear of the horses’ heads. Then start them as quietly as possible, devoting all your skill to getting the coach under weigh at once, without pulling at the horses’ heads, as nothing irritates horses so much, or is more apt to make them jib, than jerking their mouths, or having to pull up and start afresh. As soon as they are well started, you can bring your hand back a little and feel their mouths properly. Then if you find that the horses are not going straight you must re-adjust the reins as quickly as possible; this is a most difficult thing for a beginner to do neatly. It is a good plan to start with the near-wheel rein rather shorter than the off, as that is the most difficult rein to shorten in a hurry.

|Whip should be in the hand, ready for use at start.| It is never safe to start the coach without having the whip in the right hand ready for immediate use. The whip is to the driver what the leg is to the rider, i.e., it keeps the horses up to their bits.

As soon as the horses are going straight take the right hand off the reins, at the same time keeping it close by ready for any emergency.

|Left hand must give and take.| A great deal of the neatness in driving depends on what may be termed the give and take of the left hand. That is, it can be allowed to go forward or be lowered a little, or be pulled back close to the body; for instance, in order to pull across the road to the right, the right hand should pull the off side reins, while the left hand at the same time moves slightly to the front so as to slack off the near-side reins. In this way both hands do their share of the work, and an exaggerated movement of the right hand is rendered unnecessary. Much can also be done by turning the back of the left hand either up or down. The principal effect of this is to shorten or lengthen the near-lead rein, and so pull the leaders more or less across the road.

|Pulling up.| When you want to pull up, shorten all the four reins by passing the left hand up to the right, or else by pulling all the four reins through from behind as before explained; then having the right forefinger on the near-lead rein, the middle finger on the near wheel, and the lower fingers of the right hand on the off reins (see fig. 35), pull both hands back towards the body, and if necessary lean back a little. It is not easy to pull up exactly square, as one wheeler will very often hang back much more than the other. This can be regulated by pulling rather harder with the middle finger to keep the wheelers to the left, or by pressing strongly with the lower part of the hand, in order to keep them to the right.