The matter of bearing-reins has been discussed already, but it is worth repeating over and over again, especially in the case of pair-horse driving, that bearing-reins should never be omitted. The pole-end, or his mate's bridle, offer various opportunities to a nervous horse who throws his head about to catch his bit or some part of his bridle, and tear it off or break it; and a bitless and bridleless horse is an equine anarchist, beyond human power of judging or controlling. Where you have whiffletrees in front of you, it is easy to see which horse is doing too much or too little work; but when in heavy harness, with traces fixed to roller-bolts, the traces and reins must tell the story. The object in this form of driving is, of course, to make both horses do an equal amount of work, uphill and down, and to keep them going at an even pace.
In determining which horse to put on the near side and which on the off side, several things should be taken into consideration. First, in this country we turn to the right, and as most roads are made with a crown in the centre rather than absolutely level, the off horse or horse on the right-hand side has a little more work to do, in that he must do most of the pulling, when the carriage turns off to the right, and must then be pulled back again. Therefore the bigger or stronger horse of the two may go on that side. Second, if one of the horses is more nervous or more inclined to shy than the other, he is better off on the off side, where he is less in contact with passing horses, vehicles, automobiles, and the like. So far as the matter of punishment with the whip is concerned, in pair-horse driving it is as easy to get at one as the other, though some people prefer to have the less amenable animal of the pair on the off side and under their hand. It is much better for the horses, if other things are equal, to change them about, so that they go one day on one side and another day on the other. Horses, particularly in the city, where the tendency is to pole them up tightly,—too tightly,—so that they may be easily handled in the crowded streets, are apt to get into bad habits if driven always on the same side. They get one-sided mouths, hit themselves, but apparently brighten up, as though refreshed, when changed about.
It is generally accepted as an axiom, that horses should be as close to their work as possible. As a matter of fact, this makes little difference to the draught of the vehicle; but it does undoubtedly make a very great difference in backing, starting, turning, and the general management of the horses by the coachman, and on that account it is well to have your horses as close to the vehicle, and to your hand, as possible.
Before going into details as to the handling of the reins, one very important error should be noticed at the start. Driving is not knowledge of how to hold the reins, how to give the "offices" to make "points," etc., but real driving is the knowledge and practical experience of all those things which come before you get up on to your vehicle at all. The writer was seated beside the driver of an omnibus in London some ten years ago, at a time when everything pertaining to the handling of horses in harness was a keen interest. The heavy buss with its load of passengers was stopped and started and guided through the heavy traffic of Piccadilly without fuss or trouble and without jar to the passengers. When I complimented the Jehu on his work, he replied, "Well, you see, sir, there's plenty of drivers about, but there's not many of us coachmen left!" That is the gist of the matter. A coachman is one who, through knowledge, and experience, and natural ability, keeps his horses, passengers, and himself comfortable and safe while doing the best attainable work with least effort to all concerned. The driver is a mere steerer of horses by artificial shortening and lengthening of reins that he has been taught.
PLATE XXX.—DRIVING A PAIR
It would be a trifling task to write a book on driving for those who only wish to become drivers; but it is no small matter even to hint at the variety of knowledge necessary to one who wishes to become even a moderately good coachman. Now that we have arrived at this subject of the handling and fingering of the reins, it must not be overlooked that this is literally the superficial part of the business, and if it is built upon a foundation of complete ignorance of the horse, his house, his harness, his history, and his physical make-up, it will always remain superficial and unsatisfactory. On the other hand, once these fundamental matters have been studied and understood, the handling of the reins becomes all-important to the coachman. First of all, spare no pains to get your reins in your left hand at the proper length, and once there they should be kept there. All the nicety of driving depends upon this. If the reins must be lengthened and shortened every few minutes, none of the directions to follow can be of much use. Such give and take as there must be between hand and bits should come wholly from the gentle give and take of the wrist. When the reins are to be shortened for going down hill, and lengthened again going up, the two methods for this operation have been described in the chapter on driving one horse. With a nicely bitted pair, the turn to the left and the turn to the right may be made by turning the hand as directed in the same chapter. Where more power is required, the turn to the left may be made by looping or making "points" to left or right as may be required. The point to the left is made by taking the upper or near rein with the thumb and index finger or with the little and fourth fingers of the right hand, pulling it back a few inches, according to the angle of the turn, and placing the bight of the rein under the thumb (see Plate XXX.). Close the thumb down on the reins and hold it there until your horses have fully responded, then lift the thumb and this near rein slips back into place of itself. Be careful to keep your point under the thumb until the turn is made, otherwise—and a common fault—the slackening of this rein will land you in the middle of the turn with the horses going exactly the other way. By thus looping your rein the left hand is kept steadily in its place, and the right hand is entirely free to be used in case the other horse is too quick or too sluggish. If the off horse is inclined to go round too fast and shove his mate over, the right hand is there to put on his rein and restrain him. If, on the other hand, he is too sluggish, and does not obey quickly enough, your right hand is there to touch him up with the whip and make him do what is required of him. In turning to the right, the under rein or off rein may be looped in the same way, but this time under the index finger, rather than the thumb, though the thumb may be used, and the turn made to the right in the same fashion and with the same methods as before. Although the making of points and opposition and so on are usually for four and tandem driving, it is much neater and quieter to use these methods on a much smaller scale for your pair. It is quieter and less conspicuous than pulling the reins and gets one in, and keeps one in, the valuable habit of fingering the reins accurately, quietly, and mechanically, leaving the eyes and attention for other and more important matters.