In Driving a Pair the arrangement of the coupling-reins is a matter of vast importance; for, should one horse be naturally faster in pace than his fellow, the whole comfort of the drive will depend upon being able to regulate the two animals to the same rate of going. To do this the coupling-rein of the fast horse must be shortened by bringing the buckle closer to the driver’s hands, so that a pull will act on him before checking in any degree the speed of the other horse. Coupling-reins should come to within six inches of the driver’s fingers. I have seen a pair of runaways stopped in a short time by laying a firm hold upon the two inside reins, and dropping the outer ones.
Cantering in Harness is a very common fault, and can only be stopped by pulling up and starting afresh at a trot. A canterer in double harness may be controlled by putting on him a pair of single harness-reins, as well as the double ones.
Tandem.—I am not an admirer of tandem, but it is a good way of exercising saddle-horses in the summer time, and keeping them in condition. They should be always placed as leaders. Steady, powerful harness horses will be best to use as wheelers, the comfort and safety of the driver being dependent upon their paces and behaviour. A leader should be full of courage, and go always in the collar and up to the bit. An improvement that I have been told of for tandem-harness is to have three bars fastened to the shafts: an effectual means of preventing the leader from stepping over the traces.
Position when Driving.—I strongly object to the standing position—as though merely leaning against the box-seat of the vehicle—which many gentlemen-drivers adopt. I believe that such an attitude must leave the driver almost powerless to assist or resist his horses. The position when driving should be firm, upright, and decided; the elbows hanging at ease, close to the hips, but not laid against them; the arms nicely rounded, and the hands held at a moderate distance from the body. Nothing can be worse than seeing the arms of the driver dragged forward by the action of the horses that he is meant to control; nor can anything be much more objectionable than flinging up the wrists when coming to a stop, instead of shortening the reins by passing the right hand quietly in front of the left.
Really First-class Drivers rarely trust to holding the reins in one hand only, even in single harness; or, if they seem to do so, the right hand is ever ready to be laid upon the off or right hand rein, while the forefinger falls naturally upon the near one; by this means a gentle pressure can be exercised either by it or by the exterior angle of the hand which rests upon the off leather. A good coachman will always at starting take the reins in both hands; and animals ought to be trained to start slowly and collectedly—not with anything that resembles a jerk. The “show” in which some drivers delight to indulge, both at starting and when the horses are at rest, by first flicking them with the whip and then pulling them sharply up, cannot be too strongly deprecated.
The Whip, although esteemed a necessary adjunct to driving apparatus, should be used as sparingly as possible—more, in fact, as an instructor, than as a means of inflicting punishment. There is nothing nicer in driving than seeing the whip in rest, and the horses, fearless of its severities, going gaily up to their bridles, restrained by a master hand.
To be able to drive a Team is not considered a great feat by many men, or, indeed, by some women, in these latter days; but of course there is driving and driving—both of different sorts. I approve of studying under a first-class wagoner, and being guided entirely by him. To be a good four-in-hand driver requires courage, coolness temper, decision, quickness, strength and clearness of sight, flexible hands, and good staying power in the arms and back. I have seen but one woman in my life who was able to drive a team of full-sized horses in best English style; and I can only recall the names of seven or eight men who could do so. Hundreds, of course, attempt it, and satisfy themselves that they are doing splendidly; whereas, the contrary is, as a rule, the case. Team-driving is not suitable work for ladies. The mere exertion of holding four free-going horses for even an hour at a stretch is so great that, unless the muscles of the arms have been strengthened by sculling, practising with dumb-bells, or other gymnastic exercises, the driver will be thoroughly done up, and at the mercy of any mischance that may occur, before half the journey has been got over. A strong, firm-handed, full-muscled man, with a cool nerve, a quick eye, and his heart in the work he is engaged at, will make the best driver of a dashing four-in-hand. The “golden youth” who stand bolt upright against sloping cushions, curling and uncurling their whips, touching up leaders that need no touching, or letting them get out of hand—and double-thonging steady-working wheelers, are simply objects to laugh at, or to pity, or both.
To wield the Whip in a workman-like manner may be practised without horses, by sitting at ease on an elevation, with a good instructor close at hand. There are correct uses for every part of it, down to the very point: a proper position for the stick, and proper ways of using it at various lengths—all of which have to be learned; and nobody can be called a coachman who is not intimately familiar with them—so much so that he can carry his whip without apparently thinking about it, and hold it, use it, and curl it, as if by a kind of instinct—precisely as all these ought to be done.
A Team should be trained to Stand perfectly still until the driver gives the word to go. A restless, uneasy, shuffling, while the apron is being adjusted, the whip taken up, and the reins gathered, is both unsightly and unpleasant.
The Wheelers in a four-in-hand coach ought to start it and turn it round, without the leaders ever feeling the traces; and they ought to stop the vehicle with the traces of the leaders resting quite slack.