i 7 4 BALAKLEYA 



the progress of the troika en route. To ensure that the 

 desired fore leg leads, the head of the animal, whether on the 

 near or off side, has to be kept turned outwards by means 

 of a side rein. I need hardly point out to men who know 

 anything about horses, that continued leading at the canter or 

 gallop with one particular fore leg, unduly fatigues the animal 

 and induces premature wear in that member. Consequently, 

 this combined trot and canter style of progression is not 

 adopted in troikas that are required for real work. After a 

 horse has been long accustomed to an outside position in a 

 troika team, he more or less permanently acquires a one- 

 sided gait, by which an old troika animal may often be 

 recognised in a drojky. The Russian driver of a troika or 

 drojky never carries an orthodox whip, but uses instead of it 

 a short dog-whip-looking affair (Russ. Nagaika), which he 

 employs only for serious punishment to be inflicted (pace 

 Frank Ward) across the erring brute's hind-quarters. For 

 mere stimulation, the one-horse koocher depends on pieces of 

 metal which are attached, one on each side, to the reins, so 

 that the horse can be hit with them a little above the stifles. 

 Such a mode of handling the ribbons has no doubt its 

 advantages when the head of the driver is not much higher 

 than the croup or croups of his horse or horses as the case 

 may be ; but it is a laughable anachronism when put into 

 practice, as it is often done in Russia, from the box of a 

 modern built carriage. 



On arriving at the wayside station of Grakovo, I got into 

 the train for Kharkof, and then journeyed on to St. Petersburg. 

 On my way back, I spent the most of my time regretting 

 that General Strukof had not given me more time at the 



o 



cadres, as I had begged him to do ; and that he had not 

 confined my instruction to the soldiers and non-commissioned 

 officers, who had a practical and not merely a theoretical 

 interest in horse-breaking. Of course he had his reasons. 



