Should the horses be getting the better of you, and you find that you cannot stop them, it will be found a great assistance to place the right leg over all the four reins, as you may then be able to stop them by the extra power and leverage you gain by the position of the leg.
Having pulled up at the end of a stage, professional coachmen always throw the reins down with both hands outside the wheelers.
|When turning round, go slow.| With plenty of room a coach can be turned round at a considerable pace, but for this a wide sweep must be taken.
Unless there is at least twenty yards, remember to go very slowly; otherwise the |Coach may lock and upset.| coach may lock, and then nothing can save it from overturning except the breaking of the pole.
In any case great care must be taken to keep the wheelers well out and the leaders’ bars very slack. To do this it is well to put on the opposition point, and take a large loop in the leaders’ reins.
|Turning in narrow road.| If it is necessary to turn in a very narrow road, it is generally better to take the leaders out, but it can also be done in the following manner:—
|Backing coach to enable turn to be made.| Pull off to the left side of the road as far as possible, and then pull up to a walk; slant the horses across the road to the right by advancing a little, and then halt, pulling strongly on the near reins so as to get the pole across to the left; shorten up all the reins, and with the little finger of the right hand on the off-side reins, and the middle finger on the near-wheel rein, pull back the horses, backing the coach as far as circumstances will admit. When again halted the coach ought to be at right angles to the road. The leaders must now be brought right round to the right, and in order to do this it is usual to shake the off-lead rein a little before taking up the loop, otherwise the leaders may come back on to the pole.
The wheelers must be brought round after the leaders, care being taken not to bring them round too quickly, so as to lock the fore-carriage. Turning to the left is done in a similar manner. With unsteady horses it is safer to take out the leaders, as they are apt to be hit by the bars, or come back on the pole.
|Pull of right hand should be towards centre of body.| Always pull the reins that you take up with the right hand towards the centre of the body, and on no account let your hands move across to the side to which you want the horses to go. This rather appears to be the natural tendency, but it must be overcome. |Turning corner without looping.| It is often unnecessary to loop when going round a gentle curve, and it may be sufficient to pull the lead rein with the right hand, and then, while still retaining a slight bight in it, to catch hold of the wheel rein on the same side just below; by this means you pull both the reins on the same side, but with greater force on the lead rein than on the wheel. This plan may also be adopted for slanting across the road.