Hints on Driving

by C. Morley Knight

|Take young horse among traffic.| It is far better to drive him where there is some traffic than along a deserted country road, for he will go much better if he sees other things moving about, as they will distract his attention, and keep him from playing tricks on the driver.

|Exercise before giving lesson.| It is advisable to have him well exercised before attempting to give him any of the above lessons.

|Breaking in single cart.| Supposing that there is no double break available, use a strong light cart with extra strong shafts instead; but a heavy cart with no springs is bad, as it will make a rattling noise and possibly frighten the novice, while its weight may teach him to jib.

In this case put a good strong kicking-strap on, but be careful not to buckle it down too tight, or it will catch his quarters if he should canter, and perhaps induce him to kick.

The bearing-rein must be loose, but tight enough to prevent him from getting his head close in to his chest. A loose martingale may also be added if the horse has a tendency to put his head up; fasten this to the nose-band.

|Two men to assist in putting to.| Have a couple of men to hold him, and try and put him in without the shafts touching him anywhere. Hold the shafts well up, and get the horse as nearly under them as possible, and quite straight in front of the cart; then lower them quietly and run the cart up, passing the points of the shafts through the tugs.

|Hook traces before buckling kicking-strap.| Next hook the traces and buckle the kicking-strap on as quickly as possible. One man should be kept standing in front of the horse and holding his head the whole time, and he should never move away until the driver is ready to start. It is a good plan at this stage to lead the horse about by the rope halter, with a man on each side ready to assist, while the driver walks with the reins in his hand on the off side of the cart. He can thus guide him without getting up, while the weight which the horse has to pull to begin with is materially reduced.

|When quiet get up into cart.| If he goes along all right, mount into the cart and drive him about, keeping a man running alongside for a little, when, if he continues to go well, the man can jump up behind. If he should be inclined to jib, have him led on at once, but do not hit him. Never let the man lead him by the rein, but invariably by the nose-band or halter. |Turning lesson.| When he has gone well for some distance on the straight, teach him to turn. Begin by turning him if possible on a very large circle. If this cannot be done, have him led round very slowly, the man pushing the outer shaft at the same time to assist him, as in turning the inner one is bound to catch him on the shoulder, when he will most probably passage off sideways or rein back and get frightened.

|How to start a jibber.| With a horse that continues to jib from sheer cussedness, I have found that strapping up one leg, and making him stand still until he is tired out, will often induce him to start off perfectly quietly as soon as the leg has been released.

A rope crupper may also be tried with good effect. This is formed by taking an inch rope about sixteen feet long and doubling it. The loop is tied by a thumb-over-hand knot, forming a crupper about two feet long. Pass the loop under the tail and bring the ends forward, one on each side; then put a man to pull on each of these ends, and the horse will most probably move forward at once.